With a veil and a stephane

Martin Beckmann’s Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces,* has clarified the dating and arrangement of the Diva Faustina coinage. Beckmann identified an almost complete sequence of die-linkages for the aurei, supported by additional shorter, but corroborative, die-linkages among the sestertii. In addition, Beckmann discovered several mules with reverse die-linkages to dated coins of Antoninus or Aurelius Caesar, which connected certain issues to other dated events. These studies enabled Beckman to produce a fairly comprehensive and reliable sequence of relative dating.

The coinage is divided into five main phases commencing with the deification and funeral of Faustina. The portrait-type of Faustina wearing the stephane commences with the second phase of issues, from AD 143-145, issued in conjunction with the dedication of the Temple to Diva Faustina.

This coin is known with three right-facing bust types -- bare-headed, veiled, and veiled with a stephane -- and one left-facing, with a veil and stephane.


Faustina I, AD 138-140.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 28.18 g, 33.1 mm, 6 h.
Rome, second phase, AD 143-145.
Obv: DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA, bust of Faustina I, draped, veiled, right, with stephane.
Rev: PIETAS AVG S C, Pietas, veiled, draped, standing left, dropping incense out of right hand over lighted 'candelabrum-altar', left, and holding box in left hand.
Refs: RIC 1146Ac; BMCRE 1447-1450; Cohen --; Strack 1241; RCV --.
Notes: Strack cites examples in Florence, Rome (Conservatorenpalast and also Nationalmuseum), and the British Museum.

*A.N.S. Numismatic Studies 26 (New York, 2012).

 

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Inasmuch as Faustina was still alive when her coinage began, why does he commence with her funeral and deification? Is he only interested in her cultic coinage or does he class what we have been calling "lifetime" issues in a different way?

 

I don't know; you'd have to ask Martin Beckmann. His book is only concerned with her posthumous coinage and the development of the cult of Diva Faustina. He does not address the lifetime issues at all, nor should his work imply that we think of the lifetime issues in any new way.

 

Nice coin and write-up, RC. I've been using the "Beckmann System" for attributions, my only complaint being that it crowds my flips - only so much text fits!

I have two Faustina I sestertii RIC III 1146Ac (w. stephane), both unattractive in their own, individual way.

Or do I need to correct the second (green background) example? Now that I look at it, I'm not sure I see a stephane? I defer to your expertise.



Faustina I Æ Sestertius
2nd Phase: Dedication of the Temple to Diva Faustina
(c. 143-150 A.D.) Rome Mint
DIVA AVGVS-TA FAVSTINA veiled and draped bust right, wearing stephane / [PIETA]S [AVG] S C, Pietas standing left, dropping incense over altar.
RIC III 1146Ac (w. stephane).
(22.48 grams / 30 mm)



Faustina I Æ Sestertius
2nd Phase: Dedication of the Temple to Diva Faustina
(c. 143-150 A.D.) Rome Mint
[DIVA] AVGVSTA [FAVSTINA] veiled & draped bust right, wearing stephane? / P[IETAS] AVG S C, Pietas standing left, dropping incense over altar.
RIC III 1146Ac (w. stephane?).
(25.42 grams / 31 mm)

 

The top example clearly has the stephane, @Marsyas Mike , but the bottom one I'm not so sure about. Here's one of the examples in the British museum with the veiled bust without the stephane for comparison:

 

Thank you, RC. The British Museum sure does have some pretty coins. But is that one veiled? I see a lot of hair/pearls but no veil? But these really confuse me.

As for my non-pretty ones, I'm leaning towards 'no stephane' on that second one. I just don't see that ridge you get with the stephane.

Now I can take it out of the "duplicate" category!

 

Here:

 

Nice denarius, @Roman Collector ...

I see that Stephane hair thing is of Greek origin.

So, a Stephane is not a death symbol, rather with a Veil, it is represented as a death symbol or DIVA?

I have a Faustina I as DIVA, but it does not look like a Stephane...


RI
Faustina Sr
138-140 CE
after 146 CE DIVA
AR Denarius
m Antoninus Pius 1
7.4mm 3.2g
Ceres torch fold
RIC 362 RSC 104
Ex: @Brian Bucklan


I believe this is the only Stephane that I have in my collection.

Roman Republic
C. Hosidius C. f. Geta.
AR Denarius (16-17 mm, 3.75 g),
Roma (Rome), 64 BC.
Obv. III VIR / GETA, draped bust of Diana right, wearing stephane, bow and quiver over shoulder.
Rev. Calydonian Boar standing right, pierced by spear and harried by hound below; C HOSIDI C F in exergue.
Craw 407/2.
Ex: Auctiones

 

I have this T. Decius which may be a stephane garb worn by Abundantia. As you can see, Abundantia is clearly veiled and we all know how Decius was a sucker for the olden times and tried to encourage worship of Roman traditional deities.

 

bare headed Faustina Pietas sestertius:



Sabina wearing a stephane:

 

Faustina Sr. is not wearing a stephane in my only coin of hers, a Diva Faustina denarius:

Diva Faustina I [Senior] (wife of Antoninus Pius) AR Denarius, Obv: Draped bust right, DIVA AVG FAVSTINA / Rev: Ceres standing left, with torch, holding right hand up in greeting, CONSECRATIO. RIC III 382b, RSC II 165a, Sear RCV II 4593. 17 mm., 3.3 g.


But I believe that stephanes are, or may be, depicted on these coins. For some it isn't clear -- they're described in the catalogues as wearing diadems rather than stephanes, but I don't necessarily see any jewels, perhaps because of the wear on the coins. Veils? I couldn't begin to tell you!

Roman Republic, C. Hosidius C.f. Geta, AR Denarius, 68 BCE. Obv. Draped bust of Diana R., wearing crown and stephane[?], with bow and quiver over shoulder, GETA before, III VIR behind/ Rev. Wild boar of Calydon r., pierced in shoulder by spear and attacked by hound beneath, C. HOSIDI C F in exergue. RSC I Hosidia 1 (ill.), Crawford 407/2, Sear RCV I 346 (ill.), Harlan, RRM I Ch. 32 at pp. 189-194, BMCRR Rome 3388. 18 mm., 3.91 g.






Actually, I'm not sure what combination of types of headgear Diana is wearing!

Sabina (wife of Hadrian) AR Denarius. Obv: Draped bust right, wearing diadem or stephane[?], SABINA AVGVSTA / Rev. Concordia seated left, holding patera in right hand and scepter in left hand, cornucopia beneath the throne, CONCORDIA AVG. RIC II 391 (1926 ed.), RSC II 24. 18 mm., 3.2 g.



Sallustia Orbiana (wife of Severus Alexander) AR Denarius 225-227 AD. Rome mint. Special marriage emission of Severus Alexander, AD 225. Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, Draped bust right, wearing stephane/ Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopiae. RIC IV-2 319 (Sev. Alexander); RSC III 1, BMCRE 287 (Sev. Alexander). 19 mm., 3.5 g.



Julia Mamaea (mother of Severus Alexander), AR Denarius. Obv. Bust draped right wearing diadem (stephane), IVLIA MAMAEA AVG/ Rev. Venus stdg. front, head left, holding helmet & scepter, shield leans against her at left. VENVS VICTRIX. RIC IV-2 358, RSC III 76 (ill.), Sear RCV II 8216 (ill.), BMCRE 713. 20.5 mm., 2.88 g.


Gordian III with wife Tranquillina, AE 26 mm., 241-244 AD, Thracia, Anchialus [Pomorie, Bulgaria]. Obv. Confronted busts of Gordian III right, laureate, draped and cuirassed, and Tranquillina left, draped and wearing stephane; ΑVT Κ M ANT / ΓOPΔIANOC AVΓ clockwise around; CEB TPAN // KVΛΛINA in exergue; border of dots/ Rev. Apollo standing left, holding patera in right hand; left arm resting on column; ΟΥΛΠΙΑΝωΝ / ΑΓXΙΑΛEωΝ clockwise around; border of dots. Moushmov 2939 [H. Moushmov, Ancient Coins of the Balkan Peninsula (1912)], Varbanov II 668 [Ivan Varbanov, Greek Imperial Coins And Their Values, Vol. II, Thrace (from Abdera to Pautalia) (English Edition) (Bourgas, Bulgaria 2005)], AMNG II 656 [F. Münzer & M. Strack, Die antiken Münzen von Thrakien, Die antiken Münzen Nord-Griechenlands Vol. II (Berlin, 1912)]. 26 mm., 11.91 g.



Otacilia Severa (wife of Philip I) AR antoninianus AD 248, Rome mint, 4th Officina. Obv. Draped bust of Otacilia Severa right, wearing stephane, crescent behind shoulders, OTACIL SEVERA AVG/ Rev. Hippopotamus standing right, SAECVLARES AVGG; IIII in exergue. RIC IV-3 116(b), RSC IV 63, Sear RCV III 9160 (ill.). 23 mm., 4.52 g. (Games commemorating 1,000th anniversary of founding of Rome.)





Herennia Etruscilla (wife of Trajan Decius) AR Antoninianus, 249-251 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. HER ETRVSCILLA AVG, Draped bust right, wearing stephane, crescent behind / Rev. PVDICITIA AVG, Pudicitia standing left lifting her veil and holding scepter. RIC IV-3 58b, RSC IV 17. 21.77 mm., 3.82 g.

 

I have enjoyed this thread but to be completely honest I still don't know what a "stephane" is?.. or what to look for? Many of the examples shown so far on this thread have just confused me more. The Herennia Etruscilla and Otacilia Severa posted by Donna seem to be clear (if we are pointing to the comb-like "crown" they seem to be wearing?).. however Donna's Sabina and the OPs coin of Faustina do confuse me...

The coin below is described as "draped and diademed"... any thoughts on how to tell the difference?

 

I would like to know how to tell the difference as well. My Sabina and my Hosidius (Diana/boar) are both generally described as "diademed." But a diadem requires jewels, I believe, and I don't see any -- which, as I said above, could simply be a consequence of wear. On the other hand, the stephanes on the five later coins I posted all seem much narrower to me than what Diana and Sabina are wearing. So, don't ask me!

 

@DonnaML .. I kept picturing these things from the '80s/90s...

 

A diadem has a broad semantic range and includes many types of headgear symbolizing power and authority.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diadem

In contrast, a stephane is a metal band like a tiara worn by goddesses and women.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=stephane

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stephane

 

This one is for you RC. My intention was to buy it and give it to you, but I've been outbidded at 32,500 GBP...at least you get the picture.


Simone Bianco marble relief, 1520-1540 AD.

 

Lovely!

 

Thanks. So are the Diana and Sabina I posted wearing diadems or stephanes?

 

Diana is wearing a stephane, but Sabina has a thin, ribbon-like diadem. The stuff rising up above her forehead behind the diadem is her hair, not a stephane. See BMCRE3 932, p.358.


Hair-historian Janet Stephens shows you how Sabina's hair was done.

 

Thank you.