The roman PALUDAMENTUM challenge

Many people around me think coin collectors are weirdos. We spend hours admiring 2000 years old objects, some of us use needles and toothpicks to clean them, and in our spare times we enjoy making researches in references books that 99% of humans don’t understand. And I’m not talking about the dependance to spend big money for expanding our collection.....
We are not traveling, not playing sports , not having a social life and we dress like in the 60s !
So let’s make an exception tonight. Let’s discuss about style, design, fashion and mode. Let’s talk about PALUDAMENTUM.
Definition: a military cloak or cape worn by commanders, principal officers and personal attendants in the roman army. It was different from the sagum of the common soldier and the toga or garb of peace. Also sleeveless, open in front, reached down to the knees, and hung loosely over the shoulders, being fastened at the neck, in front or ( more typically ) on one side, with a clasp or a fibula. The Paludamentum was generally crimson, scarlet or purple in colour.. It was exclusively worn by emperors after the reign of Augustus. When an emperor was setting out for war, he went first to Rome and was there invested with the imperial mantle. And what about the greek chlamys ? Tacitus tells us how the splendid naumachia exhibited by Claudius was viewed by Agrippina dressed chlamyde aurata, while Pliny and Dion Cassius in narrating the same story both used the expression paludamento aurotextili . So we can conclude they are exactly the same.

Here we can see a few examples :

Antoninus Pius


Julius Caesar


Marcus Aurelius


Vespasian


And on coins :


Philip I


Postumus reverse : Mars nude but Paludamentum on shoulders...


The title of this thread is « the roman Paludamentum challenge ». I will need your help to achieve it. How many emperors or god wearing a Paludamentum can we find ? Thirty ? Fourty ? Or even more ? So please show us your coins !

 

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Well, both my Philip I coins definitely have him wearing a military cape....



Though it's more obvious on the tetradrachm.

 

FLORIANUS

FLORIAN AE23mm 3.54g Antoninian/Aurelian (VF, patina, deposits)
AV: IMP C M AN FLORIANVS P AVG; radiate, cuirassed and draped with paludamentum, seen from rear bust r.
REV: CONCORD MILIT; Emperor togate stg. r., clasping the hand of Concordia stg. l.
EXE: S
REF: LV 2738; RIC V-1 57var (unlisted bust type), RIC Online #4294 7 specs listed, only one in La Venera, and only 2 from prior sales; 1st issue for Siscia mint, 2nd officina, july-august 276AD.
A rare coin from a very brief reign, as Florian has only reigned for a couple of moths in the summer of 276AD
Ex: @seth77

 

I'm assuming the "drapery" Tbomb is wearing is one.
It certainly appears to be, adorning one of my favs! #manliestguyever


Trajan
RIC 52 Traianus (98-117 AD). AR Denarius (19 mm, 2.94 g), Roma (Rome), 101-102 AD.Obv. IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM, laureate bust right, drapery on left shoulder.Rev. P M TR P COS IIII P P, Mars walking right, carrying spear and trophy.

 

FLORIANUS
Silvered Antoninianus
OBVERSE: IMP FLORIANVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed and draped with paludamentum bust r
REVERSE: CONCORDIA MILITVM; Victory stg. r., holding wreath in r. hand and palm against l. shoulder, facing Emperor in military dress stg. l., r. hand outstretched and holding long sceptre in l. hand Q in ex.
Struck at 4th officina, Cyzicus mint, July-August 276AD.
4.4g, 20mm
RIC V-1 116, RIC Online #4533

 

Constantius II
Mint: Antioch
324 to 325 AD
AE Follis
Obvs: Laureate, draped, and cuirass bust left.
Revs: CONSTAN TI•VS CAESAR SMANTS in four lines. Star above, dot below.
16x18mm, 2.32g
Ref: RIC VII 60; LRBC 1327

 

I never knew there was a name for those things...I learn something new every day on this site.

You can see it very well on this Valentinian I.


Valentinian I, 364-375. AE Follis (19 mm, 3.37 g), Sirmium, 364. D N VALENTINI-ANVS P F AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right. Rev. VOT / V / MVLT / X in four lines within laurelwreath; in exergue, BSIRM.

 

Great example on this Delmatius:

 

My latest coin... you can see the cape quite sharp and detailed.

 

Beautiful new Constantius ii!!
I have a similar one (my very best LRB) given to me by our very own @Severus Alexander!

 

The fourth century depictions of this feature seem to be the most detailed and impressive, eh?

 

If I understand correctly, this paludamentum is the garment referred to on coins whose bust is described a "draped"? Don't most emperors have at least a few coins on which they are depicted "draped"?


EGYPT, Alexandria. Lucius Verus
year 4, CE 163/4
tetradrachm, 24 mm, 13.51 gm
Obv: ΛAVPHΛI OVHPOCCEB; bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust left
Rev: Radiate and draped bust of Serapis-Pantheos right, wearing calathus and horn of Ammon; trident behind shoulder; ∆/L in right field
Ref: Emmett 2360 (4), R1; Köln 2148; Dattari (Savio) 9420; K&G 39.77


Hadrian drachm / personification of Alexandria, wearing elephant skin head dress, kissing the hand of Hadrian. 35 mm, 24.8 gm. Emmett 964.15

 

From the Dictionary of Roman coins: « The cuirass and paludamentum often appear together. Some coins, however, present the figures of Emperors in the cuirass without the military cloak; yet the paludamentum over the tucked-up tunic is more rarely to be seen without the cuirass. »
It seems there is a bit of confusion about the exact description on many coins. Very often,we only see ‘imperial mantle ´. Some pretends that we have to look at the size of the fibula to judge if the emperor is only draped or if he’s cuirassed ( and ready for war ) and wearing a Paludamentum....

 

Sometimes we see it folded on one shoulder (left here).



Full frontal



Helmeted, spear and shield but still draped....



All courtesy of the giant wardrobe of Probus

 

uh..thats kool..i never paid much attention to that...

 

Titus denarius Antioch mint Rv Neptune

 

Mars with a paludamentum:

 

One of the nicest paludamentum « floating in the wind » I’have seen !

 

Thanks! That's what attracted me to it, even though it doesn't exactly have 5/5 surfaces.