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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Gavin Richardson, post: 2954093, member: 83956&quot;]<font size="3"><i>[ATTACH=full]722070[/ATTACH] </i></font></p><p><font size="3"><br /></font></p><p><b><u><font size="3"><span style="color: #ff0000"><i>PHOTO: AncientJoe’s croc coin.</i></span></font></u></b></p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m going to resurrect this thread for a bit. </p><p><br /></p><p>I recently acquired one of these Nemausus crocodile coins and I’m trying to parse all of its “devices.” This coin has a lot of stuff going on. Here’s my attempt to understand the art of the “fourth emission” or latest striking of this type. I looked for the best one I could find to illustrate the coin, and [USER=44357]@AncientJoe[/USER]&#039;s&nbsp; caught my eye. I hope he doesn’t mind my using his coin for illustration. I’d especially appreciate feedback/corrections/speculation on the suggestions in red.</p><p><br /></p><p>OBVERSE:</p><p><br /></p><p>Agrippa: Left portrait, wearing rostral crown since he was the Admiral who presided over the naval victory at Actium.</p><p><br /></p><p>Augustus: Right portrait, on this striking, wearing laurel crown for victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>IMP; PP; DIVI F: All titles for Augustus: Imperator (military power); pater patriae (father of his country); divi filius (“son of the deified” Julius Caesar).</p><p><br /></p><p>REVERSE:</p><p><br /></p><p>Chained crocodile: Symbolic of defeating Egypt, with the crocodile being a symbol of that now-Roman province.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #ff0000">Palm tree: Is the palm here more to represent the flora of Egypt, or is it a palm of victory, or do we have to choose?</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #ff4d4d"><b>Twin snakes up top at 1 o’clock. What are the snakes here for?</b></span> More fauna of Egypt? (It was believed that North Africa–especially the Libyan desert–was literally crawling with snakes. Cf. Lucan’s Pharsalia, book 9). Is it too romantic to think the snakes allude to the method of Cleopatra’s suicide by poisonous asp? Probably. But I can’t help but feel that the two snakes have a specific iconographical purpose.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wreath, top left at 11 o’clock. The wreath looks more like a jellyfish to me. But at least its purpose is clear: more victory swag.</p><p><br /></p><p>Am I missing anything? Have I misinterpreted something?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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