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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TTerrier, post: 2533232, member: 76835&quot;]This is a coin that was included in a lot of mostly Seleucid coins I purchased.&nbsp; The Seleucid&#039;s were really what I was after and I didn&#039;t recognize this one so I assumed it was some sort of Roman provincial that in all likelihood was a common coin.&nbsp; It turned out to be more interesting given the issuer (assuming I have this right and its not a fake) - Varus was the not-so-good general who lost the XVII, XVIII and XIX legions in an ambush set up by Arminius in what we now call &quot;The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest&quot; in 9 AD.&nbsp; The Romans were so traumatized by this loss that these numbers were never used by any legion again.</p><p><br /></p><p>Varus was a fairly high level ranking politician under Augustus who acted as governor of both Africa and Syria.&nbsp; He didn&#039;t set out on his ill-fated German expedition until he returned to Rome from Syria.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was a nice tie in to Tacitus&#039; Annals which I am slowly working my way through as there is a description in there of Germanicus finding the remains of the massacred legions and giving them a proper burial.&nbsp; He also recovered two of the legionary eagle standards (c. 14 - 16 AD), with the last one being recovered some 25 years later.</p><p><br /></p><p>Publius Quinctilius Varus</p><p>AE&nbsp; 7.74g&nbsp; 19mm</p><p>Laureate head of Zeus right /</p><p>Tyche seated right holding palm branch, Orontes (river god) swimming below</p><p>ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΩΝ&nbsp; ΕΠΙΟΥΑΡΟΥ</p><p>EK in right field - year 25 of reign of Augustus I think 7/6 BC</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]541694[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]541695[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Let&#039;s try a theme of high ranking officials who lost their lives in battle.&nbsp; How about a nice Valerian (pre throne room ornament)?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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