Who is M. Arrius Vestinus? We don't know. These two tesserae, along with two others not represented in my collection, are our only record of this man's existence. I read a charming short story once about an afterlife in which you linger until your name is at last forgotten. I might be the only one keeping M. Arrius from fading into oblivion. I guess this is why I always have a soft spot for the named tesserae. ROME. M. Arrius Vestinus. PB Tessera (22mm, 5.14 g, 12h) Victory flying left, holding wreath and palm frond M · AR/ VES Rostovtsev 1135 = Kircheriano 527 var. (no horizontal line) Ex Agora 34 (9 June 2015), lot 148 ROME. M. Arrius Vestinus. PB Tessera (20mm, 4.08 g, 12 h) Amphora; grain ear to right M · AR/ VES Rostovtsev p. 140, note = Ficorini II, pl. XVII, 10 Ex Agora 34 (9 June 2015), lot 149
The earliest firmly dateable ones are from the early Julio-Claudians. I've seen people argue that, as some tesserae share similar names to Republican moneyers, they could have started in the Republican period, but this idea fails to take into account Roman naming conventions. I date them all "1st-3rd century AD," probably ending sometime in the mid-3rd century.
Wow!! => awesome OP-additions, Ardy (congrats, coin-bro!!) Holy Smokes, you and TIF are buying-up all of the tesserae lately, eh? => it's great to see you adding a few new babies to your already cool collection!! Cheers
I have a few tessera, but none are associated with a person's name. These are great! Has there been any speculation as to what events these tessera were issued for? Such as...perhaps the one with an amphora is for a wine festival?? Or were they both issued for the same event, just different seating areas? I have heard tessera associated with theatre tickets, and also with gladiatorial and sporting events.
Here is my only tesserae example ... *whatev* ... yah, yah, I know that I recently posted this baby, but man, I love this coin and these tesserae threads rarely pop-up, so I'm gonna post this sweetie whenever I get a chance, my coin-friends!! cheers Hmmm, perhaps my tesserae was an entrance-ticket to the smoke-ring-blowing competition? (ummm, what is that image on the obverse, immediately in front of Serapis?) ... looks like a puff of smoke in the shape of a reindeer! (gawd, if only that dude at CNG knew his stuff a wee bit better, then we'd all know, eh?)
This is actually the usual course of research with these. You look at a tessera and see a horse, so you think, "Ah, for entrance to the races!" Or you see an amphora and think, "Ah, for distribution of grain!" But the problem with this is that it only explains a fraction of the known types. The majority of tesserae from Rome bear types that cannot be explained in this manner – any one of a number of deities, animals, and inanimate objects serve as types. I argue that any theory of what these things were used for must be inclusive of ALL types and examples. Or rather, all types that share the same fabric and methods of manufacture, from all regions. This is an empire-wide phenomenon. As I've said before, I think these pieces served as a privately-issued small-denomination token coinage that was tolerated, if not openly endorsed, by the authorities. I discuss all of this in an upcoming publication that should be out sometime this year, if I ever get off my butt and finish laying it out!
@stevex6 is it the obverse or reverse that depicts what the entrance ticket is for? Which side is the obverse and which is the reverse? I see a pegasi getting on a bicycle...perhaps a ticket to watch a bicycle race of mythological creatures? I look forward to reading your publication @Ardatirion!
ahaha ancientcoinguru, good one .... ummm, but I'm pretty sure that's a gryphon, not a pegasi => c'mon lady, everybody knows that pegasi can't ride bikes!! (gryphons are the ancient bike riders!!) ... gawd!!
Shucks, I thought it was a Pegasi with a bushy tail --but now that I look more closely, I see the eagle head.
