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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 4285580, member: 81887&quot;]Another acquisition from November, and one that ties in very directly to the last coin I posted:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1090641[/ATTACH] </p><p>Roman Republic.&nbsp; AR denarius.&nbsp; Marcus Aemilius Scaurus and Publius Plautius Hypsaeus, moneyers (58 BC).&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; RSC Aemilia 8.&nbsp; This coin: Purchased from Donald Zauche at the Baltimore coin show, November 2019.</p><p><br /></p><p>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.&nbsp; (Actually, this coin was jointly issued by two moneyers, but one of them left a bigger mark on history.)&nbsp; Marcus Aemilius Scaurus was born into a distinguished patrician family in 95 BC.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; &nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; There, he entered into the civil war between brothers John Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, ordering Hyrcanus&#039; ally Aretas III of Nabataea to withdraw his troops from their siege of Aristobulus in Jerusalem.&nbsp; However, in 63 BC Pompey himself (possibly due to bribery) besieged and conquered Jerusalem, defeating Aristobulus and leaving Hyrcanus as a Roman client.&nbsp; The next year, Scaurus and his army besieged the Nabataean capital of Petra.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Along the way, he married Mucia Tertia, an ex-wife of Pompey, and had a son, also named Marcus Aemilius Scaurus.&nbsp; (The Romans were not exactly creative in naming.&nbsp; Also, note that Scaurus married the ex-wife of his brother-in-law.&nbsp; Patrician Roman family trees are more like family bushes.)&nbsp; One additional fact: Scaurus was mentioned by Pliny the Elder as a collector, not of coins (sadly) but of engraved gems.&nbsp; He died in 52 BC.</p><p><br /></p><p>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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; However, in 52 BC, when Pompey became sole consul, he abandoned his former ally, who then faced trial for corruption and violence.&nbsp; (I&#039;m starting to think Roman politicians may not always have been trustworthy.)&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>This coin very directly makes reference to Scaurus&#039; conquest of Aretas III, which makes it a fascinating historical type.&nbsp; I posted a coin of Aretas III a few days ago ( <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/aretas-iii-conquers-damascus.357104/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/aretas-iii-conquers-damascus.357104/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/aretas-iii-conquers-damascus.357104/</a> ), and interestingly I purchased this coin of his antagonist at the same coin show where I purchased Aretas&#039; coin.&nbsp; Also noteworthy, I purchased this coin from the late Donald Zauche, who passed away about a month after the Baltimore show.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Please post your coins of Scaurus, or whatever else is related.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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