I'm starting off with the money shot, and it goes without saying I'm still learning how to take pictures/playing with equipment but the coin is spectacular: Trajan 98-117 A.D. denarius Aeternitas struck 103-111 in Rome 3.214; Trajan Collection / Adoptive Emperors IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC AET-AVG Aeternitas standing to left, holding heads of Sol and Luna RIC II 91; BMCRE 374-376; Woytek 344b; RSC 3a 18.0mm 3.37g 7h The above is a type I've been wanting to add as I feel it has a unique obverse and signifying Rome's dominance of the world for eternity (both sun and moon were thought to be eternal). But as we know, like the divorce attorney advertisement says, even diamonds aren't forever... Aeternitas, or Eternitas, is the Roman Goddess Who is the personification of eternity. She seems to be a somewhat late addition to the Roman pantheon, and was featured on many coins of the Imperial era. Like other abstract concepts which were made into Goddesses, Aeternitas was often used as an attribute of the Emperor or Imperial family as a sort of public relations maneuver. She symbolized the stability and (hopefully) eternal staying power of the Empire, and could also be used to commemorate members of the Imperial family who had died and been deified, as a sign that after deification they were considered eternal, and as a declaration that they would never be forgotten. Aeternitas could be depicted in many ways with a variety of attributes, most of them clearly symbolizing the everlasting. Commonly She is shown holding the rayed sun and crescent moon in either hand, or the heads of the Sun-God Sol and the Moon-Goddess Luna. As the lights of the day and night they represented time; additionally the ancients thought that the sun and moon were eternal and everlasting, and though modern science knows better now, 5 billion years (the time it will take for the sun to become a red giant and swallow up the earth) is still pretty close to eternity, from the human point of view. Aeternitas was often shown with a globe, either holding it or seated upon it; the globe, too, as a circle or sphere, symbolizes eternity as well as completeness, and is a symbol of dominion appropriate to an Empire. Sometimes a phoenix is shown with Her or standing upon the globe: this mythical bird represented immortality and longevity, as it was said to periodically immolate itself in a fire from which it emerged renewed. Most of the little phoenixes on the coins look rather like ducks or geese, though some bear a fiery halo; on one coin from 284 CE, the phoenix resembles a crane rather more, which is not too surprising since the Egyptian prototype, the Benu-bird, was shown as a grey heron. To the Romans, the phoenix was used as a symbol specifically representing the constant rebirth of the Empire and the deification of its Emperor. Other objects shown with Aeternitas include a torch, which in Roman culture has funerary connotations, and represents the light of the (eternal) afterlife, in this case in reference to deified Emperors or their family members; the cornucopia, representing endless abundance; the sceptre, meaning authority, perhaps of the Emperor himself; and the ouroboros, the snake which bites its own tail, symbolising immortality and the eternal cycles of time. She can be shown wearing a helmet, like Minerva, or with a crown, also a symbol of eternity due to its circular shape. She can be seated or standing, and sometimes is shown leaning against a column, representative of stability. Though Aeternitas had no temple or altars to Her, the Emperor Nero (the 1st century Emperor who traditionally played the "fiddle" while the fire he set destroyed Rome) did establish games dedicated to the "Eternity of the Roman Empire"; though these games were probably more a patriotic celebration than anything else, I'd guess that Aeternitas did play some part in them and was honored at the festival. Aeternitas, Roman Goddess of Eternity (thaliatook.com) And Optimo with last night's full moon: Please feel free to post your Aeternitas coins, or your Trajan's (or moonshots!) -- you all are so helpful with giving me eye candy to dance in my head like sugar-plums when I sleep.
Well, I've got a Gordie: Features Sol but the legend indicates Gordian is the eternal Augustus (Not to be but it was worth a shot). From a PR perspective.
Very nice winner great looks Hadrian Denarius Roma 119-20 AD Aeternitas Reference. RIC II, 114; Strack 58; C. 130; RIC III, 190 Bust A4 Obv. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG Laureate bare bust with drapery Rev. P M TR P COS III, in field AET-AVG Aeternitas standing with head left, holding up busts of Sun and Moon 3.86 gr 18 mm 6h Note. From the Dr. Nicholas Lowe Collection.
That's a great looking coin. The portrait of your other coin is a good one, what's the reverse? I got mine for the reverse too, but also for the younger portrait of Hadrian. Similar to the one of Okidoki, but without the legend left and right of Aeternitas and obviously far less spectacular and with a budget provenance Unlike your reverse, the sun and moon are not facing forward, but facing aeternitas. I like your coin with the facing portraits, because you can clearly see the cresent moon.
I only have 1 Aeternitas reverse, a worn As but with interesting coloring Not the OP symbol though Ric 3 Antonius Pius 1163 ab (As)
Trajan 98–117 A.D. RIC II 166 Abundantia struck 103-104 in Rome (natural light only version) IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI Abundantia, draped, standing left, holding corn-ears downwards in right hand over modius with corn-ears, left, and cornucopia in left hand; to right, prow of ship. Abundance and prosperity to all in 2021!
What a great coin - I had no idea Trajan issued a denarius of this type. I was only familiar with the Hadrian type. Mine is very worn, but still one of my favorites: Hadrian Denarius (119-122 A.D.) Rome Mint IMP [CAES]AR TRAIAN HAD[RIANVS AVG], laureate, heroic bust right, draped far shoulder / P M TR P [COS III], Aeternitas standing left, holding heads of Sol and Luna. RIC 81; RSC 1114. (2.78 grams / 18 mm)
Fascinating, and I love all the coins people are showing with the decapitated heads of Sol and Luna! But where do you draw the line, if at all, between an allegorical personification and an actual goddess that's part of the "pantheon"? All the sources* I've seen, such as the glossary in Sear's RCV (which lists gods/goddesses and personifications separately), and John Melville Jones's A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (London, Seaby, 1990) seem to refer to Aeternitas as the latter. You state yourself that she had no temples or altars. So is she really a "goddess"? Obviously it doesn't matter that much, because there were certainly personifications who did have temples, like the joint temple to Honos and Virtus. Here's the bulk of the entry for Aeternitas in Jones, at p. 9: The only coin I have with an "Aeternitas" legend -- AETERNITAS AVGG -- was clearly intended to represent "the eternity of the ruling house," in the context of the 1000th anniversary games in 248 AD (usually represented by the SAECVLARES AVGG legend, but not with this coin), rather than the personification herself. Philip I AR Antoninianus, ca. 247-248 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Radiate, draped, & cuirassed bust right, IMP PHILIPPVS AVG/ Rev. Elephant walking left, bearing driver holding goad, AETERNITAS AVGG. RIC IV-3 58, RSC IV 17, Sear RCV III 8921. 23 mm., 4.2 g. * I can't think of a way of saying this without sounding like a snob, but the thaliatook website, while it has a great deal of interesting information, makes no pretense at being scholarly in nature, and is more of a new agey-type site.
IMP Shogun, Thanks for the excellent writeup ! Without a detailed explanation it would look like just a very weird coin . Pictured below is the finest portrait on a Trajan Tet from Tyre that was once in my collection .
Very interesting reverse type, @IMP Shogun! I have many coins featuring Aeternitas. This is one of my favorites. Faustina I, AD 138-141. Roman orichalcum sestertius, 26.49 g, 31.4 mm, 5 h. Rome, AD 150 and later. Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: AETERNITAS, Aeternitas standing left, holding globe and raising above head a starry mantle. Refs: RIC 1106; BMCRE 1495-97; Cohen 30; Strack 1262; RCV 4610.
