Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Not a shield but the circle of the zodiac!
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 3127641, member: 75937"]This evening, I was doing some research on a new coin and learned there has been a paradigm shift regarding the identity of the female deity on the reverse of this denarius of Faustina Senior. This highlights the importance of not taking the venerable old references such as RIC and BMCRE as gospel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Post your comments, coins the standard references misidentify, your Faustina I coins, or anything else you feel is relevant.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here's the coin in question:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]797292[/ATTACH]</p><p>Faustina I, AD 138-141.</p><p>Roman AR denarius, 3.0 g, 17.1 mm.</p><p>Rome, AD 145-150.</p><p>Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.</p><p>Rev: AVGVSTA, Female figure standing facing, head left, holding spherical object and resting left arm on circle-shaped object.</p><p>Refs: RIC 366a; BMCRE 432-33; Cohen/RSC 73; RCV 4586; CRE 147.</p><p><br /></p><p>You'll notice I was very vague in my description of the reverse. That's because the traditional view that the reverse depicts Venus holding an apple and resting her arm on a shield has been called into question. This view is held by Mattingly (BMCRE4 432, p.61), Mattingly and Sydenham (RIC3 366, p.71), David Sear (RCV2 4586, p.269), and Temeryazev and Makarenko (CRE 147-148, p.54).</p><p><br /></p><p>However, Strack (p.102) identifies the figure on the reverse as Aeternitas with globe and zodiac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite the long tenure of Harold Mattingly at the British Museum and the esteem in which he has been held, the curators of the collection <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1210389&partId=1&searchText=Faustina+366&page=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1210389&partId=1&searchText=Faustina+366&page=1" rel="nofollow">currently describe the reverse</a> as "Aeternitas standing facing, head left, holding globe on right hand and resting left hand on circle of zodiac."</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is the example in the British Museum which bears this description:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]797293[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Martin Beckmann (p. 57, n.6) concurs with Strack and the current curators of the British Museum collection. He notes:</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>The round object is much larger than the apple shown by figures identified as Venus by inscription; in addition Venus normally holds her apple between thumb and forefinger, not in the flat palm of her hand (e.g. <i>BMC</i> IV: pl. 23.1-5); the round object could represent a shield seen from behind, but no such depictions of shields (they are much rarer than shields seen from the front) show a wide border with points in it. The points here are almost certainly intended to represent the constellations.</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Here are the coins in BMC pl. 23 cited by Beckmann:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]797296[/ATTACH]</p><p>Since these images don't show up well, here is an example of Venus holding an apple on a <a href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1947645" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1947645" rel="nofollow">denarius of Faustina II</a> (RIC 728). Note the apple is relatively small and held between the goddess's thumb and forefinger, as noted by Beckmann:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]797299[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>After looking online for well-preserved examples of this coin, such as this one sold in Savoca online auction 9, <a href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3220759" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3220759" rel="nofollow">lot 635</a>, August 21, 2016 ...</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]797297[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>and the corresponding aureus (Auctiones GmbH eAuction #59, <a href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4831157" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4831157" rel="nofollow">lot 168</a>, March 18, 2018) ...</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]797298[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>... it's clear that the spherical object in the divinity's hand is a globe. The Savoca denarius clearly shows the globe decorated with crossed arcs, representing the equator and the prime meridian:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]797300[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreover, both of these coins clearly depict not a shield, but a circle or hoop, comprised of sections, almost certainly representing the zodiac as postulated by Strack more than eighty years ago:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]797301[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Therefore, I will catalog my coin thus:</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>Faustina I, AD 138-141.</p><p>Roman AR denarius, 3.0 g, 17.1 mm.</p><p>Rome, AD 145-150.</p><p>Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.</p><p>Rev: AVGVSTA, Aeternitas standing facing, head left, holding globe on right hand and resting left hand on circle of zodiac.</p><p>Refs: RIC 366a; BMCRE 432-33; Cohen/RSC 73; RCV 4586; CRE 147.</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>~~~</p><p><br /></p><p>Beckmann, Martin. <i>Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces</i>. American Numismatic Society, 2012.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mattingly, Harold, <i>Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, vol.IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. Introduction, indexes and plates. </i>London, BMP, 1968</p><p><br /></p><p>Mattingly, Harold; Sydenham, Edward A, <i>The Roman imperial coinage, vol. 3: Antoninus Pius to Commodus</i>, London, Spink, 1986</p><p><br /></p><p>Sear, David R. <i>Roman Coins and Their Values II: The accession of Nerva to the overthrow of the Severan dynasty AD 96 - AD 235</i>, London, Spink, 2002</p><p><br /></p><p>Strack, Paul L. <i>Untersuchungen Zur Romischen Reichspragung Des Zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius</i>, Stuttgart, Kohlhammer, 1937</p><p><br /></p><p>Temeryazev, S. A., and T. P. Makarenko. <i>The Coinage of Roman Empresses, Volume I: Antonia Minor – Didia Clara, 41 – 193 AD</i>, San Bernardino, CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Company, 2017[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 3127641, member: 75937"]This evening, I was doing some research on a new coin and learned there has been a paradigm shift regarding the identity of the female deity on the reverse of this denarius of Faustina Senior. This highlights the importance of not taking the venerable old references such as RIC and BMCRE as gospel. Post your comments, coins the standard references misidentify, your Faustina I coins, or anything else you feel is relevant. Here's the coin in question: [ATTACH=full]797292[/ATTACH] Faustina I, AD 138-141. Roman AR denarius, 3.0 g, 17.1 mm. Rome, AD 145-150. Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: AVGVSTA, Female figure standing facing, head left, holding spherical object and resting left arm on circle-shaped object. Refs: RIC 366a; BMCRE 432-33; Cohen/RSC 73; RCV 4586; CRE 147. You'll notice I was very vague in my description of the reverse. That's because the traditional view that the reverse depicts Venus holding an apple and resting her arm on a shield has been called into question. This view is held by Mattingly (BMCRE4 432, p.61), Mattingly and Sydenham (RIC3 366, p.71), David Sear (RCV2 4586, p.269), and Temeryazev and Makarenko (CRE 147-148, p.54). However, Strack (p.102) identifies the figure on the reverse as Aeternitas with globe and zodiac. Despite the long tenure of Harold Mattingly at the British Museum and the esteem in which he has been held, the curators of the collection [URL='http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1210389&partId=1&searchText=Faustina+366&page=1']currently describe the reverse[/URL] as "Aeternitas standing facing, head left, holding globe on right hand and resting left hand on circle of zodiac." Here is the example in the British Museum which bears this description: [ATTACH=full]797293[/ATTACH] Martin Beckmann (p. 57, n.6) concurs with Strack and the current curators of the British Museum collection. He notes: [INDENT]The round object is much larger than the apple shown by figures identified as Venus by inscription; in addition Venus normally holds her apple between thumb and forefinger, not in the flat palm of her hand (e.g. [I]BMC[/I] IV: pl. 23.1-5); the round object could represent a shield seen from behind, but no such depictions of shields (they are much rarer than shields seen from the front) show a wide border with points in it. The points here are almost certainly intended to represent the constellations.[/INDENT] Here are the coins in BMC pl. 23 cited by Beckmann: [ATTACH=full]797296[/ATTACH] Since these images don't show up well, here is an example of Venus holding an apple on a [URL='https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1947645']denarius of Faustina II[/URL] (RIC 728). Note the apple is relatively small and held between the goddess's thumb and forefinger, as noted by Beckmann: [ATTACH=full]797299[/ATTACH] After looking online for well-preserved examples of this coin, such as this one sold in Savoca online auction 9, [URL='https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3220759']lot 635[/URL], August 21, 2016 ... [ATTACH=full]797297[/ATTACH] and the corresponding aureus (Auctiones GmbH eAuction #59, [URL='https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4831157']lot 168[/URL], March 18, 2018) ... [ATTACH=full]797298[/ATTACH] ... it's clear that the spherical object in the divinity's hand is a globe. The Savoca denarius clearly shows the globe decorated with crossed arcs, representing the equator and the prime meridian: [ATTACH=full]797300[/ATTACH] Moreover, both of these coins clearly depict not a shield, but a circle or hoop, comprised of sections, almost certainly representing the zodiac as postulated by Strack more than eighty years ago: [ATTACH=full]797301[/ATTACH] Therefore, I will catalog my coin thus: [INDENT]Faustina I, AD 138-141. Roman AR denarius, 3.0 g, 17.1 mm. Rome, AD 145-150. Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: AVGVSTA, Aeternitas standing facing, head left, holding globe on right hand and resting left hand on circle of zodiac. Refs: RIC 366a; BMCRE 432-33; Cohen/RSC 73; RCV 4586; CRE 147.[/INDENT] ~~~ Beckmann, Martin. [I]Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces[/I]. American Numismatic Society, 2012. Mattingly, Harold, [I]Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, vol.IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. Introduction, indexes and plates. [/I]London, BMP, 1968 Mattingly, Harold; Sydenham, Edward A, [I]The Roman imperial coinage, vol. 3: Antoninus Pius to Commodus[/I], London, Spink, 1986 Sear, David R. [I]Roman Coins and Their Values II: The accession of Nerva to the overthrow of the Severan dynasty AD 96 - AD 235[/I], London, Spink, 2002 Strack, Paul L. [I]Untersuchungen Zur Romischen Reichspragung Des Zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius[/I], Stuttgart, Kohlhammer, 1937 Temeryazev, S. A., and T. P. Makarenko. [I]The Coinage of Roman Empresses, Volume I: Antonia Minor – Didia Clara, 41 – 193 AD[/I], San Bernardino, CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Company, 2017[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Not a shield but the circle of the zodiac!
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...