Featured The Gubernaculum challenge

No, no I’m obviously not talking about the anatomic genital ligament of the human body...Rather, I’m referring to a specific type of iconography found on many roman coins : the rudder.
2000 years ago, ships were steered by a rudder looking like a large steering oar that was pivoted or even held by hand over one side of the boat. Therefore, a rudder depicted on a coin will resemble a large oar or paddle with a reinforcing rib down its central point.




Rudder of a Roman ship

Many deities are depicted with a gubernaculum ; Tritons and Venus, the greek goddess Tyche too, but the winner is certainly Fortuna ( according to Wikipedia : « Fortuna is depicted on around 1000 different Roman coins usually holding a gubernaculum. »)


Statuette of Fortuna holding a Gubernaculum

But why a rudder in the hand of a goddess? What does it symbolise?
It's quite simple: the verb to govern comes from the Latin gubernare, which means "to direct a ship, to hold a rudder".
According to Juan Eduardo Cirlot, in his Diccionario de símbolos, the rudder of the antique ships often appears in the allegories, in relation to the ideas of security and definite direction. So the character holding the rudder controls how lives and fates are steered. (The ship often represent the Empire as in the ship of state.)
So this time the challenge is easier : search in your collection examples of gubernaculum. Please show us your coins !

I’ll start with these 2:

Nerva Dupondius
Fortuna holding rudder


Philip I
Salus holding rudder (some believe it’s a scepter but I don’t)

 

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Interesting topic!

Laetitia with rudder:

Philip I “the Arab,” Roman Empire, AR antoninian, 244–247 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG; bust of Philip the Arab, radiate, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: LAETIT FVNDAT; Laetitia, draped, standing l., holding wreath and rudder. 24.5mm, 4.37g. Ref: RIC IV Philip I 36.

 

I love your thematic "challenge" posts, Ocat.

Here's one showing the joint very clearly, plus a freakishly large steering hand:

 

I just looked through all my coins and I don't have one with a rudder. I have a couple with Victory at the helm of a galley. But nobody is steering the boat!

 

Nice write up, @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix ! and great coins.

Naw, I am not changing all my attributes from rudder to GUBERNACULUM... I think I will just call them GOOBERS:

ROMAN REPUBLIC GOOBERS:


RR Cipius 115-114 BCE Roma X Biga rudder (goober) Sear 166 AUTH Craw 289-1 - JA



RR Cornelius Lentulus 76-75 BCE AR Den Questor Pompey Genius Globe Scepter GOOBER (that means Rudder) Sear 323 Craw 393-1a



RR Cipius 115-114 BCE Roma X Biga rudder (Goober) Sear 166 AUTH Craw 289-1


ROMAN EMPIRE GOOBERS


RI Claudius Gothicus CE 268-270 AE Ant 24x21mm 2.3g FORTVNA REDVX; Fortuna standing left rudder (Yup, another GOOBER) and cornucopia Z RIC 41



RI Tiberius AE As 14-37 CE Laureate-Pont Max Globe Rudder (big GOOBER) sinister left RIC I 58



RI Aelius Caesar 138 CE AE As 26mm Rome mint Fortuna-Spes cornucopia and rudder (another BIG GOOBER)


TESSERA GOOBER


RI Tessera c 1st C CE PB Fortuna rudder (Lead GOOBER Tessara) cornu DP Rostovtsev 2307 Ruggerio 808-9 13mm 1-39g

 

Here's two of mine with rudders.




M. Cipius M.f. 115-114 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.88 g). Rome mint.

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, wearing single drop earring and pendant necklace; X (mark of value) to left, M • CIPI • M • F upward to right.

Reverse: Victory driving galloping biga right, holding reins and palm frond; rudder below horses; ROMA in exergue.

Reference: Crawford 289/1




T. Carisius. 46 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.61 g). Rome mint.

Obverse: Head of Roma right, wearing ornate helmet; ROMA behind.

Reverse: Scepter, cornucopia on globe, and rudder; T • CARISI below; all within laurel wreath.

Reference: Crawford 464/3c

 

And here's Julia Domna of the great city [not] of Parlais, in the backlands of Pisidia - that's in the double chin of Turkey, not far from the island of Rhodes. A plain, light-hearted lady with large eyes, on her reverse accompanied by Tyche, the goddess of the town, who's holding a large cornucopia in her left arm and at the other hand a rudder looking rather like a golf-bag. (A bit like my late mother-in-law).



AE Julia Domna (193-217), Parlais, Pisidia. Obv. Draped bust right. IVLIA DOMNA. Rev. Tyche standing facing, head left, holding cornucopia and rudder. IVL AVG COL PARLAIS. 20 mm, 4.56 gr.

 

Possibly the latest representations of these?

Early 4th century AD
Alexandria mint
Obvs: DEO SARAPIDI, Bearded bust of Sarapis right, wearing modius.
Revs: GENIO ALEXAND. Alexandria reclining left, rudder in right hand. MS
AE 11x12mm, 0.97g
Ref: Vagi --; Van Heesch 9


Early 4th century AD
Nicomedia mint
Obvs: DEAE SANC CERERI, veiled and draped bust of Ceres left, holding grain ear and poppy in raised right hand.
Revs: GEN CIVI T NICOM, Fortuna Redux standing facing, head left, holding in right hand rudder set on ground and cradling cornucopia in left arm; OPA.
AE 15x16mm, 1.46g
Ref: Vagi 2958; Van Heesch 1

 

The ligament of the gonads in the fetus was the first thing I thought of. When I first learned the name of that structure, it didn't make a bit of sense to me.....but they do guide the testes down to their mature potion in the fetus, it's really a pretty good name. I wish I would have (or could have) taken Latin in high school.

Here is a rudder!



Caracalla, Marcianopolis, Moesia Inferior, AE Peantassaria, 198-217 AD

O: Caracalla and Julia Domna, R: Fortuna with rudder and cornucopia. 30 mm, 17. 4g. Varbanov I 1040

 

Fun writeup @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix! Here are two gubernacula - one an imitative type.

Dacian Imitative denarius on the left
Cn. Lentulus; 76-75 BC, Denarius, on the right
Obv: Genius of the Roman people right, GPR above
Rev: EX SC divided by globe, gubernaculum and scepter, CN LEN Q below

 

Very interesting, I love the drawing of the relief that names the ships parts and their operators. I have a Phillip I LAETIT FVNDAT Laetitia like @Orielensis example above.

 

NERVA
AE Dupondius
OBVERSE: IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS II P P Radiate head right
REVERSE: FORTVNA AVGVST S-C, Fortuna standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia
Struck at Rome, 96AD
8.8g, 26mm
RIC 61

CARACALLA
AE23
OBVERSE: Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind
REVERSE: NIKOMHDEΩN ΔIC NEΩKOPΩN, Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia
Struck at BITHYNIA, Nicomedia, 198-217 AD
7.1g, 23mm
RG 234; WADD RG S546,234(1-3)

GALLIENUS
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right
REVERSE: FORTVNA REDVX, Fortuna standing left, holding rudder on globe and cornucopiae, digamma in right field
Struck at Siscia,260-8 AD
2.7g, 20mm
RIC V-1, Siscia 572

 

Fun thread! We get the word "governor" from gubernator, a cognate of gubernaculum.

I have several dozen coins with rudders. Here various figures/deities holding rudders.

Fortuna/Tyche:


Aurelian, AD 279-275.
Roman billon antoninianus, 3.61 gm, 20.6 mm.
Obv: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust, r.
Rev: FORTVNA REDVX, Fortuna seated l., holding rudder and cornucopiae, wheel under seat; S in exergue.
Refs: RIC 128; MER/RIC 1466; CBN 452; Sear 11539; MIR 16, Hunter p. cx.


Gordian III, AD 238-244, with Tranquillina.
Roman provincial Æ Pentassarion, 27.4 mm, 12.23 g.
Thrace, Odessos, AD 241.
Obv: ΑVΤ Κ Μ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC ΑVΓ CΕ-ΤΡΑΝΚVΛ-ΛEΙΝ[Α], laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Gordian III right, vis-à-vis diademed and draped bust of Tranquillina left.
Rev: ΟΔΗCCΕΙ[ΤΩΝ], Tyche standing left, wearing polos, holding rudder and cornucopiae; E (denomination) in field, left.
Refs: Moushmov 1697; Varbanov 4608; AMNG 2402.

Isis:


Julia Domna, AD 193-217.
Roman AR denarius, 3.07 g, 18.2 mm, 12 h.
Uncertain Eastern mint (Antioch?; formerly attributed to Laodicea), AD 196-202.
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: SAECVLI FELICITAS, Isis standing right, left foot on prow, holding infant Horus on left arm, right hand on breast; on left, rudder.
Refs: RIC 645; BMCRE 618; Cohen 174; RCV --; CRE 353.

Venus:


Faustina II, AD 147-175/6.
Roman orichalcum dupondius, 14.77 g, 26.5 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 147-150.
Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust right with strand of pearls.
Rev: VENVS S C, Venus standing left, holding apple and rudder, around the shaft of which a dolphin is entwined.
Refs: RIC 1409b; BMCRE 2160-63; Cohen 269; RCV 4736.

Laetitia:


Julia Domna, AD 193-217.
Roman AR denarius, 3.44 g, 18.6 mm, 11 h.
Antioch? Laodicea? AD 196-202 (or later).
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: LAETITIA, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and rudder.
Refs: RIC 641; BMCRE 604-610; Cohen/RSC 101; RCV 6590; CRE 364.

A centaur:


Gallienus, AD 253-268.
Roman AE Antoninianus, 2.73 g, 18.6 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 267-268.
Obv: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right.
Rev: APOLLINI CONS AVG, Centaur walking left, holding globe and rudder; H in exergue.
Refs: RIC 164; Cohen 73; RCV 10178.

 

Nice coins RC. And thanks for sharing “ladies” with the rudder.

 

Monsters with rudders...

PLAUTILLA
AE Assarion. 3.68g, 19.4mm. BITHYNIA, Nicomedia, circa AD 202-205. RG 253 (same obv. die); Lindgren & Kovacs 172 (same obv. die). O: ΦOY ΠΛAYTIΛΛA CEBA-CTH, draped bust right. R: NIKOMHΔEΩN - ΔIC NEΩKO/PΩN (second neocorate), (Female?) Ichthyocentaur, diademed, nude, with forefeet of horse and serpentine-shaped fishtail, riding left over waves, holding rudder over left shoulder and in extended right hand unknown object (dolphin?).

ROMAN IMPERATORS. Sextus Pompey
AR Denarius. 3.76g, 18.9mm. Sicily, 40-39 BC. Crawford 511/4; Sydenham 1348; Sear, Imperators 335. O: The Pharos of Messana surmounted by a statue of Neptune; in foreground, galley left adorned with legionary eagle, sceptre and trident; MAG PIVS IMP ITER around. R: Scylla left, wielding a rudder in both hands; PRÆF CLAS ET ORÆ MARIT EX SC around.
Ex Andrew McCabe Collection, privately purchased from John Jencek, 2011

 

If I was a deity and had to use my divine rudder to steer the lives and fates of mortals, I'd definitely emulate this Tyche of Alexandria and do so while chillaxing on my comfy garlanded couch.


ANTONINUS PIUS
AE Drachm. 27.11g, 33.9mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 8 (AD 144/5). RPC Online temp #15717; Dattari 2891; Emmett 1687.8. O: AYT K T AIL ADP ANTWNEI NOC CEB EYC, laureate head right. R: Tyche wearing kalathos reclining left on garlanded lectisternium, resting left elbow on cushion, holding a rudder in right hand.
Ex stevex6 Collection

 

Fabulous post. I had never before made the etymological connection between the gubernaculum and our government, but I must say that it makes a lot of sense now that I think of it, though not so much in the "steering" sense.

 

Alexandria. Philip I. Tyche reclining left on lectistern Alexandria. Philip I. Tyche reclining left on lectistern holding rudder. 3rd regnal year. Emmett 3515, Milne 3608-10

Pisidia, Termessos Major. Æ30 Obv: TEΡMHCCEΩN AVTONOMWN Θ, laureate head of Zeus right.
Rev: TΩN MEIZONΩN, Tyche standing left, wearing kalathos, holding rudder and cornucopiae, Θ in left field.
AD 238-268.