Recent lots

That Constantine Sol Invictus from Siscia is the toughest mint for that type. These were struck principally in western mints. Siscia was about as East as it got, and later than the rest, so the striking time was shorter, if memory serves.

 

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Wow, thanks for that. I had seen Siscia on so many later Roman coins, I assumed it was the most common issue. Like I said, I only dabble in these. I usually prefer the larger Tetrarchy issues, but even then without as much knowledge of them that you display with this.

Get me some Sasanian, Hunnic, or Sogdian coins and I am more in my wheelhouse.

 

Sorry about the H Doug. It was vendor pics, you know I am horrible at them. I bought it based on the double cross reverse pic, and was ecstatic when I saw the obverse in hand. Anyone who is not well versed in the anonymous series probably is yawning now.

I am sure I am wrong about Constantine. I just thought it was well after Milvian bridge, and Sol Invictus is really a direct pagan equivalent to Christ, so thought it would be great to have an example to remind me how the conversion was not immediate. The fact Constantine converted on his deathbed is kind of a bogus argument, since at that time the only time all sins were wiped away was upon baptism. This was recognized as a major error, since all of the rich and powerful would then never convert until just before they died, so the church found a way to forgive sins after conversion to facilitate earlier conversions.

 

I also got this lot for a single coin. Who can guess which one?

 

No clue but the Gordian and Commodus are nice

 

The Maxentius/Chi-Rho or the Constantine I right above it?

 

Yes, I like the Constantine third row, fifth coin - London mint, great military bust facing left.

 

I know, it's a tough one, so I'll give a clue. It's not an LRB. But this Constantine is very nice indeed and I took it into account.

 

Faustina sestertius?

 

One more guess: The Claudius As?

 

Second clue: third century

 

Well, the Profectio As of Severus Alexander is a rare coin; I would have been tempted if I didn't already have one:



Still, I'm skeptical that's the right answer!

[edit]
Scratch that, given your posting history it has to be one of the provincials. Maybe the Etruscilla?

 

Indeed, that's the one! Herennia Etruscilla from Bostra, quite rare and this coin with perfect centering and nearly full legend readable is likely the best known for the type!
https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/9/2217

 

Hooray! What do I win!

Very satisfying to snag a sleeper like that in one's area of specialty... congrats!

 

I think even the idea of conversion isn't really appropriate to the 4thC. The whole idea of believing exclusively in one god was something new - the romans had previously been much more inclusive, happily adopting foreign gods alongside their own. Even 100+ years after Constantine we have Pope Leo I complaining about his congregation turning east on the steps of St Peters to bow to the rising sun.

While Constantine appears to have started to adopt Christian beliefs around the time of his Italian victory, you won't find any such references on his arch commemorating the event, and even when founding Constantinople a decade later he chose to erect a massive column topped with a statue of Sol (or perhaps himself in guise of Sol, with a radiate crown), which only later evolved to become considered as a Christian monument. It's hard to guess how he was internalizing his simultaneous embrace of Christianity with his waning solar monotheism, but certainly the idea of a "conversion" does not seem appropriate. It's interesting to note that after taking control of Rome in 313AD, not only do we see Constantine doubling down on his already established Sol coinage, but then also going out of his way to issue coins celebrating the festival of Isis, which Maxentius had not done!

On Constantine's coinage we see explicitly pagan themes disappear, or become much toned down, but never really replaced with Christian ones. There's a period around 318-320AD where it seems he is going to, but then he instead chooses just to switch to generic themes of security (campgates) and army (gloria exercitus) and roma/constantinopolis. We see Christian symbols used as issue marks appearing from a few mints (seems more like a choice of the mint), but very few coins where Christian symbols were used as part of the actual design, which is why his very brief "SPES PVBLIC" type with labarum piercing a snake is so famous.

 

I would guess Chi Rho end of fourth row.