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<p>[QUOTE="willkerrs, post: 3083842, member: 95456"]I wanted to discuss an interesting interpretation I read about this coin:</p><p><br /></p><p>L. Sulla 84-83 BC AR Denarius. (Not from my collection!)</p><p>Obverse: Diademed head of Venus facing right; cupid with long palm branch; 'L. Sulla' below.</p><p>Reverse: Capis and lituus between two trophies. 'Imper' above, 'Iteru' below [meaning Imperator Iterum].</p><p>(Crawford 359/2; Sydenham 761; Cornelia 30)</p><p>[ATTACH=full]776998[/ATTACH]</p><p><i>(Source: <a href="http://romanumismatics.com/articles/article/roman-republic-l.-cornelius-sulla-sulla-as-imperator-iterum/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://romanumismatics.com/articles/article/roman-republic-l.-cornelius-sulla-sulla-as-imperator-iterum/" rel="nofollow">http://romanumismatics.com/articles/article/roman-republic-l.-cornelius-sulla-sulla-as-imperator-iterum/</a> )</i></p><p><br /></p><p>"The two trophies on the reverse allude to Sulla’s two victories over the general of Mithridates, Archelaus, at Mount Thurius and on the field of Cheronea, on which account two trophies were erected. For this twofold measure of success, Sulla was acclaimed Imperator Iterum - Imperator for the second time." (Source: As above) However, this is not the interpretation I want to discuss!</p><p><br /></p><p>I read that the lituus and sitella were depicted on the coin because it was a comeback to a law passed by the Marian faction in 87 BC, which stripped Sulla of all his offices, including the Augurate <font size="3">(</font><font size="4">see Appian, <i>Civil Wars</i> 1.79</font><font size="3"> - 'He [Sulla] also demanded from them full and complete restoration of his status, his property, and priesthood[!], and any other honours he had previously held...')</font>, but Plutarch tells us that this is effectively illegal <font size="3">(see Plutarch, <i>Roman Questions </i>99 - </font></p><p><font size="3"><a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0212%3Asection%3D99" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0212%3Asection%3D99" rel="nofollow">http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0212:section=99</a> )</font><font size="4">, thus this Denarius implicitly (if not exactly explicitly) points this out.</font></p><p>(Source: T.J. Luce, ‘Political Propaganda on Roman Republican Coins: Circa 92-82 B.C.’, <i>American Journal of Archaeology</i> 72 (1968), pp. 25-39 (p. 27) <font size="3">- In this, Luce states this interpretation comes from</font> <font size="3">'...a forthcoming article in Numismatic Notes and Monographs of the American Numismatic Society, [by] B. W. Frier...' but I couldn't track this work down.</font><font size="4">)</font></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="4">By way of further detail, Luce also notes that this coin was probably minted whilst Sulla was still in the east.</font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p>--------------</p><p><br /></p><p>So, what does everyone think? Is that a dodgy interpretation, or a neat bit of detective work?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="willkerrs, post: 3083842, member: 95456"]I wanted to discuss an interesting interpretation I read about this coin: L. Sulla 84-83 BC AR Denarius. (Not from my collection!) Obverse: Diademed head of Venus facing right; cupid with long palm branch; 'L. Sulla' below. Reverse: Capis and lituus between two trophies. 'Imper' above, 'Iteru' below [meaning Imperator Iterum]. (Crawford 359/2; Sydenham 761; Cornelia 30) [ATTACH=full]776998[/ATTACH] [I](Source: [url]http://romanumismatics.com/articles/article/roman-republic-l.-cornelius-sulla-sulla-as-imperator-iterum/[/url] )[/I] "The two trophies on the reverse allude to Sulla’s two victories over the general of Mithridates, Archelaus, at Mount Thurius and on the field of Cheronea, on which account two trophies were erected. For this twofold measure of success, Sulla was acclaimed Imperator Iterum - Imperator for the second time." (Source: As above) However, this is not the interpretation I want to discuss! I read that the lituus and sitella were depicted on the coin because it was a comeback to a law passed by the Marian faction in 87 BC, which stripped Sulla of all his offices, including the Augurate [SIZE=3]([/SIZE][SIZE=4]see Appian, [I]Civil Wars[/I] 1.79[/SIZE][SIZE=3] - 'He [Sulla] also demanded from them full and complete restoration of his status, his property, and priesthood[!], and any other honours he had previously held...')[/SIZE], but Plutarch tells us that this is effectively illegal [SIZE=3](see Plutarch, [I]Roman Questions [/I]99 - [URL='http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0212%3Asection%3D99']http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0212:section=99[/URL] )[/SIZE][SIZE=4], thus this Denarius implicitly (if not exactly explicitly) points this out.[/SIZE] (Source: T.J. Luce, ‘Political Propaganda on Roman Republican Coins: Circa 92-82 B.C.’, [I]American Journal of Archaeology[/I] 72 (1968), pp. 25-39 (p. 27) [SIZE=3]- In this, Luce states this interpretation comes from[/SIZE] [SIZE=3]'...a forthcoming article in Numismatic Notes and Monographs of the American Numismatic Society, [by] B. W. Frier...' but I couldn't track this work down.[/SIZE][SIZE=4])[/SIZE] [SIZE=4]By way of further detail, Luce also notes that this coin was probably minted whilst Sulla was still in the east. [/SIZE] -------------- So, what does everyone think? Is that a dodgy interpretation, or a neat bit of detective work?[/QUOTE]
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