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<p>[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 2968015, member: 75937"]I know I just posted this coin, but I've been reading about its design and want to share what I've learned.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727685[/ATTACH]</p><p>Maxentius as Augustus, AD 307-312</p><p>Roman billon follis; 6.57 g, 25.7 mm, 10 h</p><p>Rome, AD 307-308</p><p>Obv: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, radiate head right</p><p>Rev: CONSERV VRB SVAE, Roma seated facing in hexastyle temple, head left, globe in right hand, scepter in left, shield at side behind, Victories as acroteria, wreath on pediment, H left, R S in exergue</p><p>Refs: RIC 202a; Cohen 21; RCV 14986</p><p><br /></p><p>I believe this coin depicts the temple of Venus and Roma as it appeared in the early 4th century AD. But first, a bit of background on the temple.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most of this information as it relates to numismatics comes from Marvin Tameanko's excellent monograph, <i>Monumental Coins: Buildings & Structures on Ancient Coinage</i>, which is available for a very reasonable price at <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0873417135/sr=8-1/qid=1516191686/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1516191686&sr=8-1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0873417135/sr=8-1/qid=1516191686/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1516191686&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">Amazon</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727689[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The largest and most splendid of Rome's temples, the Temple of Venus and Rome was designed by Hadrian himself. Although consecrated in AD 121, construction did not begin until about AD 125. The temple was dedicated ten years later (Cassiodorus, <i>Chronicle</i> entry for AD 135), and this sestertius of Hadrian depicts the temple, still under construction (Tameanko, p. 157):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727693[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Hadrian, 117-138 AD. Æ Sestertius (25.72 gm). Struck circa 134-138 AD. Laureate head right / Decastyle temple set on three-tiered base; Victories as acroteria, columns surmounted by statues and set on pedestals on either side. RIC II -; Strack 660; BMCRE -; Cohen -. CNG 67, Lot: 1473 Photo courtesy of CNG.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>Note the Corinthian columns and Victories on the roof as acroteria.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Temple of Venus and Rome had two adjoining <i>cellae</i>, or sacred inner chambers, each of which held a cult statue: Venus Felix, ancestor of the Roman people, and Roma Aeterna, the personification of the city—a symmetrical arrangement that may have been influenced by the palindrome that the two deities evoked, <i>Roma</i> and <i>Amor</i>. Situated on the slope of the Velia Hill, with the Arch of Titus at one corner and the Via Sacra passing down its flank, Hadrian's temple effectively joined the Forum (upon which Roma looked) and the Colosseum (which was faced by Venus).</p><p><br /></p><p>Here's the floor plan, as depicted in Tameanko (p. 155):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727696[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The temple was finally finished by Antoninus Pius sometime between AD 140 and 145, as shown on several <i>sestertii</i> issued during his reign. Here's one that depicts the side dedicated to Venus Felix, as seen from the Colosseum (ibid, p. 160):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727697[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">ANTONINUS PIUS, 138-161 AD. Æ 'Medallic' Sestertius (30.88 gm). Struck 141 AD. Laureate head right / VENERI FELICI, pellet within decastyle temple set on three-tiered base; pediment decorated with statues; statues of Aeternitas as acroteria. RIC III 651; BMCRE 1324; Cohen 1075. CNG 67, Lot: 1523. Photo courtesy of CNG.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>And one that depicts the side dedicated to Roma Aeterna, as seen from the Forum (ibid, p. 159):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727701[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">ANTONINUS PIUS, 138-161 AD. Æ Sestertius (27.10 gm). Struck 141 AD. Laureate head right / ROMAE AETERNAE, pellet within decastyle temple set on three-tiered base; pediment decorated with statues; statues of Aeternitas as acroteria. RIC III 622; BMCRE 1281; Cohen 699. CNG 67, Lot: 1522. Photo courtesy of CNG.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>This <i>état restauré</i> by Léon Vaudoyer (1830) reconstructs the façade of the temple facing the Colosseum (containing the cella devoted to Venus Felix) as it may have looked in the second century:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727706[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Computer-generated reconstructions such as <a href="https://www.maquettes-historiques.net/P6k.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.maquettes-historiques.net/P6k.html" rel="nofollow">this</a> and <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWhvIuKXAAAecx3.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWhvIuKXAAAecx3.jpg" rel="nofollow">this</a> (from Atavistic) abound online. Note the Corinthian columns and the Victories as acroteria on the pediment. </p><p><br /></p><p>Tameanko (p. 161) notes, "Hadrian's new cult of Venus and Roma flourished and spread throughout the empire, promoting loyalty and solidarity to Rome. This may be proven by the coins struck by later emperors, which featured these deities, alone and together, or by the legends 'Roma Aeterna' and 'Veneri Felici.' The emperors Septimius Severus and Severus Alexander used these devices frequently in their coinage."</p><p><br /></p><p>For example, this sestertius of Julia Mamaea from my collection illustrates the cult statue of Venus Felix in the temple:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727707[/ATTACH]</p><p>Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235</p><p>Roman Æ Sestertius; 18.80 g, 27.1 mm</p><p>Rome, AD 224, fourth emission</p><p>Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVGVSTA, diademed and draped bust, right</p><p>Rev: VENVS FELIX SC, Venus enthroned left, holding cupid and scepter</p><p><br /></p><p>Tameanko (p. 161) continues, "The emperor Probus, AD 276-282, struck an enormous series of antoniniani showing a hexastyle temple with the legend ROMA AETER. This temple may be a representation of Hadrian's temple to Roma and Venus, with four central columns removed to show the statue of a seated Roma in the center."</p><p><br /></p><p>I have such a coin in my collection:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727710[/ATTACH]</p><p>Probus, AD 276-282</p><p>Roman billon antoninianus; 3.79 g, 22.1 mm</p><p>Rome, AD 277-280</p><p>Obv: IMP PROBVS P F AVG, radiate bust right in consular robe, eagle tipped scepter in right hand</p><p>Rev: ROMAE AETER, temple, statue of Roma seated facing inside; in exergue, R * A</p><p>Refs: RIC 183; Cohen 533; RCV 12027 var.</p><p><br /></p><p>The temple was damaged by fire in AD 307, but it was restored "in magnificent manner" by Maxentius (Aurelius Victor, <i> De Caesaribus</i>, XL). Indeed, when Constantius visited Rome fifty years later, this Temple of the City (<i>Templum Urbis</i>) was one of the sights that he most admired (Ammianus, <i> History</i>, XVI.10.14).</p><p><br /></p><p>Which brings me back to my Maxentius follis ...</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727685[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The coin was issued within a year of the fire that damaged the temple and its restoration by Maxentius. Its reverse legend CONSERVATORES VRB SVAE declares Maxentius as the Savior of the City. Certainly, the rebuilding of this venerated temple would be worthy of a coin in commemoration of the event! Note the similarity of the depiction of the temple on this coin to the earlier issues: the Victories as acroteria, the Corinthian columns, the seated Roma therein. Note particularly the resemblance of this coins reverse to the explicitly titled ROMA AETER issue of Probus.</p><p><br /></p><p>The evidence supports the notion that this coin commemorates Maxentius' rebuilding of the temple after the fire, a deed seen as worthy of the aggrandizing title, Savior of the City (CONSERVATORES VRB SVAE).</p><p><br /></p><p>What fire could not destroy, Christianity could. In AD 625, Pope Honorius received a special dispensation from Heraclius to strip the gilded bronze roof tiles for the repair of old basilica of St. Peter's. The temple's destruction continued over the centuries. In AD 663, Constans II "pulled down everything that in ancient times had been made of metal for the ornament of the city, to such an extent that he even stripped off the roof of the church of the Blessed Mary which at one time was called the Pantheon, and had been founded in honor of all the gods" (Paul the Deacon, <i>History of the Lombards</i>, V.11). What remaining bronze and other ornaments that had decorated the city were all shipped to Constantinople. An earthquake in AD 847 further contributed to the despoliation of the temple, including a church amidst the ruins, which Pope Leo IV soon rebuilt as Santa Maria Nova. This church, in turn, was rebuilt in 1612 as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Francesca_Romana,_Rome" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Francesca_Romana,_Rome" rel="nofollow">Church of Santa Francesca Romana</a>, which preserves the apse of the original temple <i>cella</i> that once held the statue of Venus. This and a few of the ancient Corinthian columns are all that remain of Hadrian's <i>opus magnum</i>.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 2968015, member: 75937"]I know I just posted this coin, but I've been reading about its design and want to share what I've learned. [ATTACH=full]727685[/ATTACH] Maxentius as Augustus, AD 307-312 Roman billon follis; 6.57 g, 25.7 mm, 10 h Rome, AD 307-308 Obv: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, radiate head right Rev: CONSERV VRB SVAE, Roma seated facing in hexastyle temple, head left, globe in right hand, scepter in left, shield at side behind, Victories as acroteria, wreath on pediment, H left, R S in exergue Refs: RIC 202a; Cohen 21; RCV 14986 I believe this coin depicts the temple of Venus and Roma as it appeared in the early 4th century AD. But first, a bit of background on the temple. Most of this information as it relates to numismatics comes from Marvin Tameanko's excellent monograph, [I]Monumental Coins: Buildings & Structures on Ancient Coinage[/I], which is available for a very reasonable price at [URL='https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0873417135/sr=8-1/qid=1516191686/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1516191686&sr=8-1']Amazon[/URL]. [ATTACH=full]727689[/ATTACH] The largest and most splendid of Rome's temples, the Temple of Venus and Rome was designed by Hadrian himself. Although consecrated in AD 121, construction did not begin until about AD 125. The temple was dedicated ten years later (Cassiodorus, [I]Chronicle[/I] entry for AD 135), and this sestertius of Hadrian depicts the temple, still under construction (Tameanko, p. 157): [ATTACH=full]727693[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]Hadrian, 117-138 AD. Æ Sestertius (25.72 gm). Struck circa 134-138 AD. Laureate head right / Decastyle temple set on three-tiered base; Victories as acroteria, columns surmounted by statues and set on pedestals on either side. RIC II -; Strack 660; BMCRE -; Cohen -. CNG 67, Lot: 1473 Photo courtesy of CNG.[/SIZE] Note the Corinthian columns and Victories on the roof as acroteria. The Temple of Venus and Rome had two adjoining [I]cellae[/I], or sacred inner chambers, each of which held a cult statue: Venus Felix, ancestor of the Roman people, and Roma Aeterna, the personification of the city—a symmetrical arrangement that may have been influenced by the palindrome that the two deities evoked, [I]Roma[/I] and [I]Amor[/I]. Situated on the slope of the Velia Hill, with the Arch of Titus at one corner and the Via Sacra passing down its flank, Hadrian's temple effectively joined the Forum (upon which Roma looked) and the Colosseum (which was faced by Venus). Here's the floor plan, as depicted in Tameanko (p. 155): [ATTACH=full]727696[/ATTACH] The temple was finally finished by Antoninus Pius sometime between AD 140 and 145, as shown on several [I]sestertii[/I] issued during his reign. Here's one that depicts the side dedicated to Venus Felix, as seen from the Colosseum (ibid, p. 160): [ATTACH=full]727697[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]ANTONINUS PIUS, 138-161 AD. Æ 'Medallic' Sestertius (30.88 gm). Struck 141 AD. Laureate head right / VENERI FELICI, pellet within decastyle temple set on three-tiered base; pediment decorated with statues; statues of Aeternitas as acroteria. RIC III 651; BMCRE 1324; Cohen 1075. CNG 67, Lot: 1523. Photo courtesy of CNG.[/SIZE] And one that depicts the side dedicated to Roma Aeterna, as seen from the Forum (ibid, p. 159): [ATTACH=full]727701[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]ANTONINUS PIUS, 138-161 AD. Æ Sestertius (27.10 gm). Struck 141 AD. Laureate head right / ROMAE AETERNAE, pellet within decastyle temple set on three-tiered base; pediment decorated with statues; statues of Aeternitas as acroteria. RIC III 622; BMCRE 1281; Cohen 699. CNG 67, Lot: 1522. Photo courtesy of CNG.[/SIZE] This [I]état restauré[/I] by Léon Vaudoyer (1830) reconstructs the façade of the temple facing the Colosseum (containing the cella devoted to Venus Felix) as it may have looked in the second century: [ATTACH=full]727706[/ATTACH] Computer-generated reconstructions such as [URL='https://www.maquettes-historiques.net/P6k.html']this[/URL] and [URL='https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWhvIuKXAAAecx3.jpg']this[/URL] (from Atavistic) abound online. Note the Corinthian columns and the Victories as acroteria on the pediment. Tameanko (p. 161) notes, "Hadrian's new cult of Venus and Roma flourished and spread throughout the empire, promoting loyalty and solidarity to Rome. This may be proven by the coins struck by later emperors, which featured these deities, alone and together, or by the legends 'Roma Aeterna' and 'Veneri Felici.' The emperors Septimius Severus and Severus Alexander used these devices frequently in their coinage." For example, this sestertius of Julia Mamaea from my collection illustrates the cult statue of Venus Felix in the temple: [ATTACH=full]727707[/ATTACH] Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235 Roman Æ Sestertius; 18.80 g, 27.1 mm Rome, AD 224, fourth emission Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVGVSTA, diademed and draped bust, right Rev: VENVS FELIX SC, Venus enthroned left, holding cupid and scepter Tameanko (p. 161) continues, "The emperor Probus, AD 276-282, struck an enormous series of antoniniani showing a hexastyle temple with the legend ROMA AETER. This temple may be a representation of Hadrian's temple to Roma and Venus, with four central columns removed to show the statue of a seated Roma in the center." I have such a coin in my collection: [ATTACH=full]727710[/ATTACH] Probus, AD 276-282 Roman billon antoninianus; 3.79 g, 22.1 mm Rome, AD 277-280 Obv: IMP PROBVS P F AVG, radiate bust right in consular robe, eagle tipped scepter in right hand Rev: ROMAE AETER, temple, statue of Roma seated facing inside; in exergue, R * A Refs: RIC 183; Cohen 533; RCV 12027 var. The temple was damaged by fire in AD 307, but it was restored "in magnificent manner" by Maxentius (Aurelius Victor, [I] De Caesaribus[/I], XL). Indeed, when Constantius visited Rome fifty years later, this Temple of the City ([I]Templum Urbis[/I]) was one of the sights that he most admired (Ammianus, [I] History[/I], XVI.10.14). Which brings me back to my Maxentius follis ... [ATTACH=full]727685[/ATTACH] The coin was issued within a year of the fire that damaged the temple and its restoration by Maxentius. Its reverse legend CONSERVATORES VRB SVAE declares Maxentius as the Savior of the City. Certainly, the rebuilding of this venerated temple would be worthy of a coin in commemoration of the event! Note the similarity of the depiction of the temple on this coin to the earlier issues: the Victories as acroteria, the Corinthian columns, the seated Roma therein. Note particularly the resemblance of this coins reverse to the explicitly titled ROMA AETER issue of Probus. The evidence supports the notion that this coin commemorates Maxentius' rebuilding of the temple after the fire, a deed seen as worthy of the aggrandizing title, Savior of the City (CONSERVATORES VRB SVAE). What fire could not destroy, Christianity could. In AD 625, Pope Honorius received a special dispensation from Heraclius to strip the gilded bronze roof tiles for the repair of old basilica of St. Peter's. The temple's destruction continued over the centuries. In AD 663, Constans II "pulled down everything that in ancient times had been made of metal for the ornament of the city, to such an extent that he even stripped off the roof of the church of the Blessed Mary which at one time was called the Pantheon, and had been founded in honor of all the gods" (Paul the Deacon, [I]History of the Lombards[/I], V.11). What remaining bronze and other ornaments that had decorated the city were all shipped to Constantinople. An earthquake in AD 847 further contributed to the despoliation of the temple, including a church amidst the ruins, which Pope Leo IV soon rebuilt as Santa Maria Nova. This church, in turn, was rebuilt in 1612 as the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Francesca_Romana,_Rome']Church of Santa Francesca Romana[/URL], which preserves the apse of the original temple [I]cella[/I] that once held the statue of Venus. This and a few of the ancient Corinthian columns are all that remain of Hadrian's [I]opus magnum[/I].[/QUOTE]
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