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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ocatarinetabellatchitchix, post: 3933459, member: 99554&quot;]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 <b>rudder</b>.</p><p>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.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1036674[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Rudder_of_a_Roman_Boat_%28RG_Museum_Koeln%2C_Germany%29.JPG" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Rudder of a Roman ship</p><p><br /></p><p>Many deities are depicted with a <b>gubernaculum </b>; 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. »)</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Titulihunteriani00macdrich_raw_0143.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Statuette of Fortuna holding a Gubernaculum</p><p><br /></p><p>But why a <b>rudder</b> in the hand of a goddess? What does it symbolise?</p><p>It&#039;s quite simple: the verb to govern comes from the Latin <i>gubernare</i>, which means &quot;to direct a ship, to hold a rudder&quot;.</p><p>According to Juan Eduardo Cirlot, in his <i>Diccionario de símbolos</i>, 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 <b>rudder </b>controls how lives and fates are steered. (The ship often represent the Empire&nbsp; as in the ship of state.)</p><p>So this time the challenge is easier : search in your collection examples of <b>gubernaculum</b>. Please show us your coins !</p><p><br /></p><p>I’ll start with these 2:</p><p><br /></p><p>Nerva Dupondius</p><p>Fortuna holding rudder</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1036702[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Philip I</p><p>Salus holding rudder (some believe it’s a scepter but I don’t)</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1036704[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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