Rome's ignominious "fabled" beginnings...or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb

Plenty, if not most, nations have some disgraceful beginnings. But nobody celebrated, and more than likely out and out embellished, shameful beginnings like the Roman's.
I posted a hoard that I recently received from Timeline auctions of some funderful "ugly" coins. But I snuck in one RR denarius.
Leave it to the Roman's to turn an event like what they did to their neighbors, the Sabines, as a revenge of the nerdsesque panty raid.

L Titurius L f Sabinus

- Rape of the Sabine Women Denarius
89 BC. Rome mint. Obv: bare head of King Tatius right, bearded, SABIN behind, palm-branch before. Rev: two Roman soldiers running, each bearing a Sabine woman in his arms; L TITVRI in exergue. Craw. 344/1b; Syd. 698; RSC Tituria 2; Sear 249. 3.76 grams.
Near very fine.
Ex: Timeline Auction

Or to go back to their made up beginning, being driven from their homeland by the superior Greeks:

Julius Caesar, †44 BC. Denarius fouree, Africa, 47-46 BC. AR 3.84 g. Diademed head of Venus r. Rev. CAESAR Aeneas running l., carrying his father Anchises on his l. shoulder, holding palladium on his outstretched r. hand. Cr. 458/1. Syd. 1013.

Or how about your founder being fed by a K9 and then committing fratricide!?


CONSTANTINE I THE GREAT(306-337). Commemorative series. Follis. Kyzikos.Obv: VRBS ROMA. Helmeted and cuirassed bust of Roma left.Rev: SMKE. She-wolf standing left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus; two stars above.RIC 91.


Post those coins of Rome's notorious beginning, their enemies ignominious starts or whatever you think is ridiculous to celebrate!

 

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Another inglorious founding myth... Mars takes advantage of the sleeping Rhea Silvia, a sacred Vestal Virgin sworn to celibacy. As a result of this act of rape, Rhea Silvia becomes the mother of the twins Romulus and Remus.

ANTONINUS PIUS
AE As. 11.34g, 27.8mm. Rome mint, AD 140 AD. RIC 694a. O: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P, laureate head right. R: TR POT COS III SC, Mars right, holding spear and shield, descending through the air toward sleeping Rhea Silvia.

 

How do you celebrate your nation's 1000th anniversary? You issue a series of coins for your wife with a hippo on the reverse, of course!

 

...and speaking of founding, according to legend the founding of Rome was April 21, 753 BC. Today, April 21, 2019, is the 2772nd Anniversary of the founding of Rome (ab urbe condita or AUC).


Here's a coin to celebrate - with the irony that it was issued as Constantine moved the center of the empire to Constantinople ~330 AD.


Commemorative Series Struck under Constantine I, AD 333-334
Æ Follis
Obv: Helmeted and mantled bust of Roma left
Rev: She-wolf standing left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus; palm between two stars above

 

There are many wolf and twins coins but moneyer Sextus Pompeius Faustlus added his ancestor the shepherd who discovered the twins under the tree. My coin is mediocre losing the cognomen and two of the three owls in the tree. his is a type that needs a full flan more than it needs to be high grade.

 

I don't mean to be pedantic -- or worse, a mansplainer -- but ...

... there was no year zero in the anno Domini system used to number years in the Gregorian calendar and in its predecessor, the Julian calendar. In this system, the year 1 BC is followed by AD 1. So, it has been 2771 years, not 2772.

 

LOL @Roman Collector - I had to look up "mansplainer", and with a healthy fear of entering the realm of mansplaining, I think it is that the Roman's didn't have a year 0 AUC, not the need for a 0 between AD and BC that explains. We celebrate the "New Year" 2772 AUC this year (rather than anniversary), clearly there is a difference between 1000 years old and starting my 1000th year that isn't carefully attended to

• AUC 1 = 753 BC
• AUC 753 = 1 BC
• AUC 754 = AD 1
• AUC 2772 = AD 2019

Correiera della Sera, "Campidoglio, mostre, visite guidate e concerti per il 2772esimo Natale di Roma".

 

Happy Rome Day!

 

Cool coins @Ryro ! Great idea...


RR Titurius Sabinus 89 BCE AR Den Tarpeia buried shields S 251 Cr 344-2a



RR L TITURIUS LF SABINUS AR Denarius Rape of Sabines 89 BCE Sear 249 Craw 344-1a



RR Sextus Pompeius 137 BCE AR Den She-Wolf Rom Rem S112 Cr 235-1a



RR Satrienus 77 BCE AR Denarius Mars She Wolf Sear 319 Craw 388-1



RR M Furius LF Philus AR Denarius 119 BCE Janus Sear 156

 

I know they aren't that unusual, but I'm a proud owner of an ancient with a She-Wolf, with Romulus and Remus. One, later to commit fratricide, the other his victim. That didn't bode well for Rome !!!

 

Well, rather than pontificating and never posting a coin, here are some pics:


RR Anon AE Sextans 217-215 BCE She-Wolf Twins Eagle Syd 95 Cr 39-3 S 609 Scarce



RI commem AE Follis Urbs ROMA She-wolf Rom Rem Stars RIC VII Lyons 242



RI Commem Urbs Roma AE Follis Thessalonika 330-333 CE She-Wolf Rom-Rem stars S 16516R



Rome VRBS ROMA commem 330-331 CE Æ reduced centenionalis, 16mm, 2.5g, 12h; Trier mint, CE 330-331 She-wolf RIC VII 529



RR Anon AR Denarius 115-114BCE Rome mint 19.52mm 3.82g ROMA X Seated r on shields spear birds she-wolf Romulus Remus Cr 287-1 S 164

 

Great coin, as always, @zumbly. Stunning reverse! This type just got added to my must have list.
And good reminder about Mars and the other gods not being exemplars of good behavior.
2 cool coins @Roman Collector! Maybe Philip the Arab was complimenting his wife's wonderful backside. I mean the hippo is on the reverse of the coin!
Great pick @Sulla80! Did you take that yourself (if so, count me incredibly jealous) and amazingly detailed reverse!
Speaking of must haves, excellent RR @dougsmit! I certainly wouldn't call it mediocre. Though I did have to go over to ac search to see an example with 3 owls. Most only show 1 or 2.
Thanks @Alegandron! I totally blame you for this purchase! Always showing your amazing RR collection. I'm certain it was you flaunting your Sabinuses that put this coin on my radar
I don't know what coin in your posted selection I'm most of? The silver Janus or the Sextans?? Wait, yeah I do. Neither! That freaking Anon reverse with seated Roma is a show stopper!
@Bert Gedin, like a CT pal told me some time ago, pictures or it didn't happen.
Here's another coin celebrating these celebrators of shame:
Here they are, more than likely, celebrating the Averni kicking their butts...


L. CosconiusM.f.

118 BCE. AR Serrate Denarius (17 MM, 3.53g, 6h). Narbo mint. Helmeted head of Roma right; X (mark of value) to left / Gallic warrior (Bituitus, king of the Averni?)driving galloping bigaright, hurling spear and holding shield and carnyx. Crawford 282/2; Sydenham 521; Cosconia 1

 

I have one of these that saw a lot of use and bought a lot of wine in its day! It's rough but I love it.

Sex. Pompeius.
Denarius
circa 137bc
Helmeted head of Roma r.; below chin, X. In field l., jug. Rev. SEX.PO F – OST LVS She-wolf suckling twins; behind, ficus Ruminalis with one bird on trunk and two on upper branches; in field l., the shepherd Faustulus leaning on staff. In exergue, ROMA.
B. Pompeia 1. Sydenham 461a. Crawford 235/1c.

 

Coin photo is mine - Rome photo is public domain.

 

Why, THANK YOU, my Friend! Bro-of-anutha-Mo! Those Republics and their Enemies are ALL purdy cool!

 

Notwithstanding the fratricide myth (I guess sometimes one just cannot control one's emotions), It is difficult to minimize the enormous gift and contribution Rome has been to western civilization not to mention to our own personal passions of ancient history and coin collecting here ay CT. On this solemn day, her birthday, I salute that erternal jewel on Tiber's banks. O FELICEM NATALEM VRBIS AETERNAE.

 

SHE-WOLF (on my desk)