In biology, the superorder Dinosauria includes the traditional orders Saurischia and Ornithiscia. Dinosaurians are known as those gigantic reptilian creatures that roamed the earth over 65 million years ago. Wait, no, I think we're talking about the Isaurians instead, which despite their reptiliod name were a fierce mountain people who inhabited various parts of Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey, mainly in the Roman province of Cilicia. I picked up this coin from Roma, lot 932, costing a whopping Benjamin. Lord save my soul. I was mainly drawn towards the lovely reverse with a very interesting temple to Hercules. Roma image: Roma Description: Caracalla Æ 26mm of Isaura, Cilicia. AD 198-217. A V K M AV ANTΩNINOC, laureate and cuirassed bust to right, gorgoneion on breastplate / MHTPOΠOΛЄΩC, bust of Hercules on column to left within tetrastyle temple; ICAVPΩN in exergue. SNG von Aulock 5412; SNG Fitzwilliam 5258; SNG Levante 263; SNG BnF 497 var. (rev. legend arrangement, bust of Hercules to right). 8.89g, 26mm, 7h. Very Fine; a portrait of fine style. Rare. From the inventory of a European dealer. My image: As always, my image most accurately reproduces the in-hand appearance. It has a sickly shiny surface, I suspect due to a rather generous application of Renaissance wax. It needs the right angle to be viewed pleasantly, but over all I think I'm pretty pleased. Obverse shows Caracalla as a rather young youth, and I agree with the "fine style" designation. The reverse is where the really interesting part is. It features a very neat arched-pediment style temple facade. This wasn't a terribly common architectural style, and was often seen in the more oriental regions of Rome. The temple of Hadrian in Ephesus, Turkey is the only arched pediment structure that I know of off the top of my head, shown below as it looks today, and then with a reconstruction of the original appearance. The cult statue in this particular temple is described as a bust of Hercules on top of a column. In the Roman context, I would tend to think that instead of a bust, it was more likely a cult herm, instead. I couldn't find any pictures of a Hercules head-herm, but here's a Dionysos for imagination's sake, and a half-body Hercules for comparison. Before I run out of images for this post, perhaps the most interesting part of this entire coin are actually the columns in this temple. The overwhelming majority of architectural columns were either smooth (like the Pantheon's portico or Temple of Saturn in Rome), or vertically fluted (like just about every other temple). The careful sculpting of the columns on this coin are in a rather different style, somewhat diagonal, if not serpentine in appearance. This type of entwining design was seen in many triumphal columns, such as those of Marcus Aurelius and Trajan. I initially thought this style of column was a Solomonic one, but further research found that this distinctive type of spiral fluting was actually endemic to the Syrian region, with a well-preserved examples at Apamea, in the Great Colonnade. So, there we have it! A uniquely Eastern arched pediment with uniquely Eastern spiral flutes, for a uniquely interesting coin.
That's cool, @hotwheelsearl! Informative write-up, too! I don't have any coins of Isaura in Cilicia. I DO have this cool coin of Faustina II (of course!) from Antiochia ad Cragum that depicts a temple with an arched pediment. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman Provincial Æ 20.2 mm, 6.93 g, 7 h. Cilicia Trachea, Antiochia ad Cragum, AD 147-161. Obv: ΦΑΥϹΤЄΙ-Ν-ΑN ϹЄΒΑ, bare-headed and draped bust right; early coiffure. Rev: AΝΤ-ΙΟ-ΧЄ-ΩΝ Τ-ΗϹ ΠΑΡ, temple with four columns and rounded pediment enclosing statue of turreted Tyche seated, left, holding rudder and cornucopia. Refs: RPC IV.3 9909 (temporary); Levante, Antiocheia 10-12; SNG Cop 67.
What a great coin!! The herm is particularly interesting, and the details on the head are quite spectacular - you must have been pleased with it on arrival. The details down below are perhaps a bit less spectacular, though I think I see something there? Here's a herm reverse I snagged just this past weekend... it's pretty worn but the "down below" bit is quite prominent. Antoninus Pius, Lampsakos, AE15. Rev: Priapic herm. An Isaurian eventually became emperor: Zeno. His original name was "Tarasikodissa Rousombladadiotes."
Lampsakos was supposedly the home of Priapos. I see “Buns” on the figure. Maybe not a herm? Maybe Priapos?
RPC Online describes it as a herm of Priapos, but you're right, it looks to have more anatomical details than the typical herm... not just buns but some chest and abdomen as well, as you can see on the best known specimen which sold at Naumann in 2015: I guess the pillar-like leg area and the truncated arm is enough to qualify it as a herm? Like the half-body Hercules @hotwheelsearl included in the OP.
some herms went pretty crazy. I suppose by definition, if it ain't got no legs but it still got the family jewels, then it's a herm.
Well I managed to get another one of these, at a whopping 1/10 the price of the original one. Such is life. I'm not sure which one I like better. Less of a sickly shine and no gouges to the face, but reverse is a little rougher. For the price, though, I think I'll take this $10 one any day.
