Another acquisition from November, and one that ties in very directly to the last coin I posted: Roman Republic. AR denarius. Marcus Aemilius Scaurus and Publius Plautius Hypsaeus, moneyers (58 BC). King Aretas III of Nabataea kneeling in submission next to camel, holding reins of camel in left hand and an olive branch (?) in right hand, legend above M SCAVR AED CVR, EX SC to left and right, in exergue REX ARETAS/ Jupiter in quadriga left, scorpion below, P HYPSAE AED CVR above, CAPTVM to right, C HYPSAE COS PREIVE in exergue. RSC Aemilia 8. This coin: Purchased from Donald Zauche at the Baltimore coin show, November 2019. This coin type is one of the earliest in the Roman Republican series to refer directly to accomplishments by the issuing moneyer, rather than to the deeds of an ancestor. (Actually, this coin was jointly issued by two moneyers, but one of them left a bigger mark on history.) Marcus Aemilius Scaurus was born into a distinguished patrician family in 95 BC. When he was just six years old, his father, also named Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, died; fortunately, his education was taken care of by family friends. Scaurus began moving up the cursus honorum (the well-defined series of offices a patrician man should hold during his political career), and his sister Aemilia Scaura was married to Pompey the Great until her untimely death. Pompey saw great promise in the young man, and during the Third Mithradatic War (the last in a series of conflicts against Mithradates VI of Pontus that would lead to Rome dominating Asia Minor and the Near East) appointed Scaurus his military tribune and sent him to Judaea. There, he entered into the civil war between brothers John Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, ordering Hyrcanus' ally Aretas III of Nabataea to withdraw his troops from their siege of Aristobulus in Jerusalem. However, in 63 BC Pompey himself (possibly due to bribery) besieged and conquered Jerusalem, defeating Aristobulus and leaving Hyrcanus as a Roman client. The next year, Scaurus and his army besieged the Nabataean capital of Petra. This may seem odd, given that Aretas had supported Hyrcanus who was now a client of Rome, but the Nabataeans had committed the unconscionably aggressive acts of a) being right there and b) having a lot of money. Scaurus and his army faced difficulties due to the harsh terrain and difficulties in getting supplies, so he was forced to negotiate, but the final terms were highly favorable to the Romans. Aretas was forced to acknowledge himself a client of Rome, and to pay a sum of 300 talents of silver, in exchange for peace and for remaining on the throne. Nabataea would remain a Roman client state until it was finally turned into a Roman province by Trajan over a century and a half later. Scaurus went on to become praetor of Sardinia in 56 BC, and was accused of extortion but was cleared in a trial where he was defended by Cicero. Along the way, he married Mucia Tertia, an ex-wife of Pompey, and had a son, also named Marcus Aemilius Scaurus. (The Romans were not exactly creative in naming. Also, note that Scaurus married the ex-wife of his brother-in-law. Patrician Roman family trees are more like family bushes.) One additional fact: Scaurus was mentioned by Pliny the Elder as a collector, not of coins (sadly) but of engraved gems. He died in 52 BC. Publius Plautius Hypsaeus, the other moneyer who issued this coin, was also an ally of Pompey, but there is less information about him that I was able to find. He was a candidate for the consulship in 53 BC, during an election campaign marked by organized violence and corruption on a large scale by all sides. However, in 52 BC, when Pompey became sole consul, he abandoned his former ally, who then faced trial for corruption and violence. (I'm starting to think Roman politicians may not always have been trustworthy.) This coin very directly makes reference to Scaurus' conquest of Aretas III, which makes it a fascinating historical type. I posted a coin of Aretas III a few days ago ( https://www.cointalk.com/threads/aretas-iii-conquers-damascus.357104/ ), and interestingly I purchased this coin of his antagonist at the same coin show where I purchased Aretas' coin. Also noteworthy, I purchased this coin from the late Donald Zauche, who passed away about a month after the Baltimore show. He was always very friendly to collectors who stopped at his table, and had good deals on his coins. I am going to miss seeing him at future Baltimore shows. Please post your coins of Scaurus, or whatever else is related.
Super writeup and great coin, @Parthicus ! Killer. My Scaur... yeah, I posted mine in your Nabataean thread... RR Aemilius Scaurus and Plautius Hypsaeus 58 BC AR Denarius camel scorpion quadriga 4.1g 19mm Rome Cr 422-1b
A Roman denarius, Parthicus? That’s nice. Good coin! I was planning a write up on Scaurus myself. Harlan has a great chapter about him with a slightly different angle than yours. I was waiting because I’m actually waiting for a better example than I have now. My current Scaurus will be my Christmas present for my coin collecting uncle. As always, a pleasure to read your post.
@Parthicus - nice link between your two coins and two posts. I think Scaurus was the first to be so bold: minting coins celebrating his own accomplishments. Adding to the complicated family tree, Sulla became Scaurus' step-father when he married as his third wife, Caecilia Metella, mother to Scaurus. Sulla also brokered the marriage of Scaurus' sister Aemilia to Pompey - for both their second marriage...I wont go on. Here's my coin of the submission of Aretas: Marcus Aemilius Scaurus and Pub. Plautius Hypsaeus, AR denarius, 58 BC, Rome Obv: M SCAVR / AED CVR in two lines above, EX SC across field REX ARETAS in exergue, the Nabatean king Aretas kneeling to right, extending olive-branch and holding reins, before camel standing right Rev: P HVPSAEV / AED CVR in two lines above, CAPTV to right, C HVPSAE COS / PREIVER in two lines in exergue, Jupiter driving quadriga left; below horses' forelegs, scorpion Ref: Crawford 422/1b; Sydenham 913; Aemilia 8, Reverse legends which vary a lot on this issue, match this BnF coin
This REX ARETAS type is "busy" and often the flans are too small for the dies. Not many Republican types try to put that much information one one coin. Before I got this one I had had two that were either lacking most of "REX ARETAS" or the head of the camel. Even so, this one is still crowded. I'd like to see one that had everything on the flan. 18 mm. 3.87 grams. M SACVR AED CVR EX SC REX ARETAS in exergue [24 letters] P HVPSAE AED C C HVPSAE COS and PREIVER in exergue CAPT upwards to right [32 letters] scorpion below horses. Total of 56 letters! Sear I 379. Crawford 422/1b. The surrender is described in Josephus Ant. xiv, 80-81.
Technically mine is missing part of four letters but it is the closest I have come to everything. To me the important thing most often cost is the REX ARETAS. CAPTV is often gone but makes less a difference to most people. On the other hand, I consider this one a below average style die.
Rather than show another Cr. 422.1b, here is my Cr. 422.1a. This is the rarer earlier issue lacking the identifying REX ARETAS. It has AED CVR in the exergue instead, although this is not very clear on my coin. Scaurus must have realised that this was not getting his point across. The reverse is also slightly different - no scorpion below the horses
