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<p>[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 2786121, member: 75937"]This is one of my favorite coins because its reverse depicts a famous statue that has been lost to us over the centuries.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]645899[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Tranquillina AD 241-244</p><p>Roman provincial Æ 24.1 mm, 8.06 g</p><p>Thrace, Deultum, AD 241-244</p><p>Obv: SAB TRANQVILLINA AVG, diademed and draped bust, right</p><p>Rev: COL FL PAC DEVLT, Marsyas as Silenus facing right, carrying wine skin over left shoulder and raising right arm</p><p>Refs: Moushmov 3757; Youroukova 425, 4/II; cf. SNG Cop 549</p><p><br /></p><p>The statue of Marsyas in the Roman Forum came to symbolize the city's <i>libertas</i> and was associated as well with the notion of abundance and fruitfulness (<i>ubertas</i>). It is only known to us on coins and on the <i>plutei </i>of Trajan, two marble reliefs discovered in 1872 and which now are sheltered inside the Curia. They date from the time of Hadrian.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of them commemorates Trajan's program of food relief (<i>alimenta</i>) for children of the poor; the other depicts the burning of records (<i>syngraphae</i>, written acknowledgments of debt) from the Tabularium in a remission of tax debt, probably by Hadrian in AD 118, who remitted nine hundred million sesterces owed the State (although after the conquest of Dacia, Trajan also forgave debt, cf. Pliny the Younger, <i>Panegyric</i>, XXXVII.1ff). Both of the reliefs were found in an area of the Forum Romanum thought to be the location of the statue of Marsyas and the fig tree and both depict a statue of Marsyas beside a fig tree (the Ficus Ruminalis) each on pedestals. The <i>plutei</i> also depict several identifiable buildings in the Forum. For this reason, the figure of Marsyas on a pedestal depicted in the bas relief is thought to be an accurate representation of the now-lost statue in the Forum.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marsyas is the figure under the fig tree carrying the wine skin over his left shoulder depicted at the far left of the bas relief commemorating Trajan's food relief program:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]645917[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>He is placed on the far right, under a fig tree and carrying a wine-skin, in the bas relief commemorating Hadrian's (or possibly Trajan's) remission of taxes:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]645920[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I'll show the coin and the statue of Marsyas as depicted in the plutei of Trajan side-by-side for comparison:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]645926[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Imagine the statue with a raised right arm and the similarity is striking. The coin almost certainly depicts the statue in the Forum.</p><p><br /></p><p>The statue in the Forum depicted Marsyus as Silenus (the companion and tutor to the wine-god, Dionysus/Bacchus) nude, with his right hand raised to signify the freedom of the state (as fitting a devotee of Bacchus,<i> Liber</i>, the god of liberty) and his left hand grasping a full wine skin over his left shoulder.</p><p><br /></p><p>Augustus was scandalized that his daughter Julia sold her favors at the statue of Marsyas during her nocturnal revels (Seneca, <i>On Benefits</i>, VI.32) and deplored the fact that she once had placed a wreath of flowers on the statue (Pliny, XXI.9). The statue was known to have been a place to procure prostitutes, as well as being a meeting place for lawyers (Martial, <i>Epigrams</i>, II.64). I'll let [USER=76194]@Sallent[/USER] think about that for a minute. It even may have been considered sacred, as someone who stole its chaplet was put in chains (Pliny, XXI.8).</p><p><br /></p><p>Associated by Pausanias with Silenus, who actually calls him by that name, the Marsyas of the Forum--and thus of this coin--is better understood to be that figure rather than the flayed satyr of myth.</p><p><br /></p><p>As always, please feel free to post any coins you feel are relevant. Thanks for reading![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 2786121, member: 75937"]This is one of my favorite coins because its reverse depicts a famous statue that has been lost to us over the centuries. [ATTACH=full]645899[/ATTACH] Tranquillina AD 241-244 Roman provincial Æ 24.1 mm, 8.06 g Thrace, Deultum, AD 241-244 Obv: SAB TRANQVILLINA AVG, diademed and draped bust, right Rev: COL FL PAC DEVLT, Marsyas as Silenus facing right, carrying wine skin over left shoulder and raising right arm Refs: Moushmov 3757; Youroukova 425, 4/II; cf. SNG Cop 549 The statue of Marsyas in the Roman Forum came to symbolize the city's [I]libertas[/I] and was associated as well with the notion of abundance and fruitfulness ([I]ubertas[/I]). It is only known to us on coins and on the [I]plutei [/I]of Trajan, two marble reliefs discovered in 1872 and which now are sheltered inside the Curia. They date from the time of Hadrian. One of them commemorates Trajan's program of food relief ([I]alimenta[/I]) for children of the poor; the other depicts the burning of records ([I]syngraphae[/I], written acknowledgments of debt) from the Tabularium in a remission of tax debt, probably by Hadrian in AD 118, who remitted nine hundred million sesterces owed the State (although after the conquest of Dacia, Trajan also forgave debt, cf. Pliny the Younger, [I]Panegyric[/I], XXXVII.1ff). Both of the reliefs were found in an area of the Forum Romanum thought to be the location of the statue of Marsyas and the fig tree and both depict a statue of Marsyas beside a fig tree (the Ficus Ruminalis) each on pedestals. The [I]plutei[/I] also depict several identifiable buildings in the Forum. For this reason, the figure of Marsyas on a pedestal depicted in the bas relief is thought to be an accurate representation of the now-lost statue in the Forum. Marsyas is the figure under the fig tree carrying the wine skin over his left shoulder depicted at the far left of the bas relief commemorating Trajan's food relief program: [ATTACH=full]645917[/ATTACH] He is placed on the far right, under a fig tree and carrying a wine-skin, in the bas relief commemorating Hadrian's (or possibly Trajan's) remission of taxes: [ATTACH=full]645920[/ATTACH] I'll show the coin and the statue of Marsyas as depicted in the plutei of Trajan side-by-side for comparison: [ATTACH=full]645926[/ATTACH] Imagine the statue with a raised right arm and the similarity is striking. The coin almost certainly depicts the statue in the Forum. The statue in the Forum depicted Marsyus as Silenus (the companion and tutor to the wine-god, Dionysus/Bacchus) nude, with his right hand raised to signify the freedom of the state (as fitting a devotee of Bacchus,[I] Liber[/I], the god of liberty) and his left hand grasping a full wine skin over his left shoulder. Augustus was scandalized that his daughter Julia sold her favors at the statue of Marsyas during her nocturnal revels (Seneca, [I]On Benefits[/I], VI.32) and deplored the fact that she once had placed a wreath of flowers on the statue (Pliny, XXI.9). The statue was known to have been a place to procure prostitutes, as well as being a meeting place for lawyers (Martial, [I]Epigrams[/I], II.64). I'll let [USER=76194]@Sallent[/USER] think about that for a minute. It even may have been considered sacred, as someone who stole its chaplet was put in chains (Pliny, XXI.8). Associated by Pausanias with Silenus, who actually calls him by that name, the Marsyas of the Forum--and thus of this coin--is better understood to be that figure rather than the flayed satyr of myth. As always, please feel free to post any coins you feel are relevant. Thanks for reading![/QUOTE]
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