YOTHR Coins of the Day: 11/13/2023, TWO BOOKS

[David Atherton]

The last coin has a very nice late period 'eyes to heaven' portrait. Hopefully all of them will go to good homes and will be appreciated for the revealing insights they provide for one emperor's obsession.

Edited June 10, 2023 by David Atherton

[Prieure de Sion]

On 6/10/2023 at 9:00 AM, David Atherton said:

The last coin has a very nice late period 'eyes to heaven' portrait.

Thanks for that information David...

 

[Prieure de Sion]

Tiberius, Gold Aureus with Livia as Pax (?) at the Reverse

 

Tiberius Iulius Caesar Augustus

Aureus of the Roman Imperial Period 14/37 AD; Material: Gold; Diameter: 17/18mm; Weight: 7.84g; Mint: Lugdunum, Gallia; Reference: RIC I (second edition) Tiberius 25; Obverse: Head of Tiberius, laureate, right. The Inscription reads: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS for Tiberius Caesar Divi Augusti Filius Augustus (Tiberius Caesar, son of divine Augustus, Augustus); Reverse: Female figure (Livia as Pax?), draped, right, seated, right on chair with plain legs, holding branch and long sceptre; below chair, a double line. The Inscription reads: PONTIF MAXIM for Pontifex Maximus (High priest).

 

You can find the Tiberius Aureus here in my VCoins Shop

You can find the Tiberius Aureus here in my MA Shop

 

The obverse of this gold coin portrays the head of Emperor Tiberius to the right, laureate. The reverse possibly portrays Livia as Pax, enthroned on a chair with scepter in right hand, branch in left. The inscription on the front of this coin, TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVTVS (“Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of divine Augustus”), was important to marking the transition of power in the early Roman Empire. The title helped Tiberius to advertise his inherited right to rule, as Augustus’ heir and deified first Roman Emperor. The back design showing a female figure is frequently assumed to be Livia, Tiberius’s mother and Augustus’s wife of fifty-three years. Livia is depicted as the Roman deity for peace, Pax. The inscription around her, “PONTIF MAXIM”, refers to the title of Pontifex Maximus, a title held by each of the Roman Emperors and signified the religious authority held by the Roman Emperor.

 

 

 

Livia Drusilla, the (over) powerful mother

 

 

Livia Drusilla (born 30 January 58 BC; died 29 AD in Rome), usually called Livia for short, was the long-time third wife of the Roman Emperor Augustus. After his death she was called Iulia Augusta and was the first Roman woman to bear the imperial title Augusta. Elevated to goddess by her grandson, Emperor Claudius, after her death, she was called Diva Augusta from 42 AD. In 38 BC, under circumstances that many Romans considered scandalous, Livia Drusilla married the triumvir Gaius Caesar, later Augustus, who was then the second most powerful man in Rome after Marcus Antonius. This placed her at the centre of the military and political disputes of the time. The rise of the young Caesar Octavian from triumvir to princeps and thus the most powerful man in the Roman Empire was also her own. The fact that the marriage lasted 52 years until Augustus' death was extraordinary for the time, especially since Livia was unable to fulfil Augustus' wish for a child due to a premature birth associated with serious complications. Therefore, even if the marriage may have been determined by political motives, mutual affection and respect were decisive for its continuance. Despite or because of the stormy beginning of their union, Livia was concerned with her reputation as a good wife and exemplary mother. In the context of Augustan propaganda of the restored republic, she virtually acted as a living incarnation of social and moral renewal from 27 BC onwards. Augustus honoured this role with tributes, especially in 9 BC, and granted her political influence, for he used to discuss important questions of politics with her and seek her advice. Four emperors descended from Livia: she was the mother of Tiberius, the grandmother of Claudius, the great-grandmother of Caligula and the great-great-grandmother of Nero.

 

Livia was adopted into the Julian family on the basis of Augustus' will on about 3 or 4 September 14 AD and received the title of Augusta. Her official name was henceforth Iulia Augusta. She was the first woman to use the female form of the honorific name Augustus. After the adoption, Livia's special political and social position, which she already held as "emperor's wife", was further enhanced by the distinction of being the "emperor's mother" of the new princeps Tiberius. This was entirely in keeping with Augustus' dynastic intention. But this special status was never institutionalised and endowed with political influence. On the other hand, she had already received divine veneration in the east of the Roman Empire during Augustus' lifetime, and after his death and her elevation to Augusta this began to spread more and more in the west as well. In Antequaria (Anticaria) in the southern Spanish province of Baetica, for example, she was cultically worshipped as genetrix orbis (= bearer of the earth). Livia did everything to strengthen the reputation of the deified Augustus through honours. In this context, the Greek historian Cassius Dio speaks of her as an autokratrix ("self-ruler"), converting the Latin imperial title Imperator into the feminine gender and transferring it into Greek. Pontius Pilate, the prefect of Iudaea, during whose term of office Jesus was crucified, had coins minted in the year of Livia's death with the inscription Tiberius Caesar on the obverse and, analogously for Livia, Iolia Kaisaros, "Iulia (of) Caesar" on the reverse. The wording shows that Empress Livia was regarded as equal in rank to Emperor Tiberius. In fact, Livia's activities increasingly penetrated from the private sphere into the public sphere as well. She reached the peak of her power in 22 AD. As a priestess of Augustus, she dedicated a statue to Divus Augustus at the Marcellus Theatre on 23 March of that year, according to the festival calendar from Praeneste: "A statue for the deified Augustus, the father, was erected by Iulia Augusta and Ti(berius) Caesar at the theatre of Marc[ellus]." The entry in the calendar proves that this was no longer a private dedication. And it contained a serious affront to Tiberius. Livia took advantage of his absence from Rome and put her own name before that of her son, the reigning princeps. No wonder Tiberius was very displeased; for the hierarchy of the imperial house would have corresponded to that order, which was correctly observed a year later by the cities of the province of Asia. They petitioned through their provincial assembly for a temple to Tiberius, his mother (Livia) and the deity of the Roman Senate. Tiberius agreed for this province to his divine worship first and that of his mother second.

 

In 25 AD, the provincial council of the Spanish province Hispania ulterior applied to the Senate to be allowed to erect a temple to Tiberius and his mother, following the example of the province of Asia. When this was discussed in the Senate, Tiberius rejected the Spanish request with a speech of principle. The emperor justified this by saying that his consent to the erection of a temple for him in the province of Asia, following the example of Augustus, had only been an exception. He assumed that while the one-time acceptance of such honours had met with understanding, "to allow oneself to be worshipped in statues of the gods in all provinces is ambitious and arrogant." No senator will have missed the criticism that Tiberius, without explicitly mentioning her name, levelled at his mother: in her "ambition" she promoted the tendency to be worshipped as a goddess throughout the entire Roman Empire. One gets the impression that Tiberius rejected numerous other requests to establish a cult for him because they also included Livia. In any case, in his reply to the city of Gytheion/Achaia, which wanted to provide him and Livia with images of the gods and altars, he refused to do so for his person and at the same time sarcastically remarked that Livia would decide and express herself. When it was suggested that the month of September should be renamed Tiberius after him and the month of October Livia after Livia, Tiberius again refused in order not to have to accept an equal status with his mother. His argument, which he also constantly used elsewhere, was that one must "limit the honours for women moderately". This was in line with his way of thinking, as he also rejected excessive honours for himself. The majority of scholars interpret the sources to mean that the domineering Livia had been an unbearable burden on Tiberius' reign. However, these authors overlook the great advantage Tiberius derived from Livia's reputation and her skilful dealings with old and new friends of the imperial clientele, especially in the first ten years of his reign, when his principate was not yet consolidated and had to survive the change of leadership. Since protection and the patron's help could only be activated at the client's request, the patron had to be accessible for this system of mutual support to work. Augustus had for good reason placed the popular Livia at the side of his adopted son, whose shy and dismissive nature was well known to him. Only through her could the important system of internal relations between people, factions and the imperial house continue to be maintained, thus consolidating Tiberius' still fragile principate. As can also be seen on this aureus of Tiberius, Emperor Tiberius - if not directly obvious - used Livia's reputation for his coin propaganda.

 

In two stages, however, Tiberius later tried to limit his mother's power. First, he deprived her of "any influence over public affairs, but left her in charge of domestic affairs", as Cassius Dio reports. At the latest since 26 AD, when Tiberius withdrew permanently to Capri and entrusted the Praetorian prefect Seian with the administration of the Roman Empire, the second stage of Livia's disempowerment began: by withdrawing from his mother's influence, Tiberius also severely shook her power. Suetonius analyses this strategy as follows: "Because he felt constrained by his mother Livia, since in his view she claimed an equal share in the exercise of power (potentia), he avoided frequent meetings with her and longer conversations in private, so that it would not appear that he was being ruled by her advice". When Livia died in Rome three years later at the age of 86 and was buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus, Tiberius refused to leave Capri and attend the public funeral. So deep did the rift between mother and son go that Tiberius even refused to accept Livia's official elevation to deity, which the Senate had proposed. Sueton's account can hardly be surpassed in drama:

 

Quote

In any case, during the entire three years she was still alive after he left, he only saw his mother once on one day, and even then only for very few hours. When she fell ill soon after, he did not bother to visit her. And then, when she had died, he nourished the hope that he would come, but then, when her body, disfigured by several days' delay and passed into decay, had finally been buried, he forbade her elevation to the deity.

 

With a great deal of skill and charisma, Augustus had succeeded in effectively transforming the Republic, which was ruled by the Senate and the people of Rome, into a monarchy. His successor and stepson Tiberius, as the new Augustus and emperor, was thus not only confronted with an outsized role model, but also had to come to terms with his not yet fully established role as the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Tiberius therefore retained many of the innovations of the first emperor, not least in the field of coinage. The mint in Lugdunum, today's Lyon, which had already been very productive under Augustus, became the sole place of minting for all precious metal coins during the reign of his successor, while the minting of bronze nominals remained in Rome. The choice of pictorial motifs was also not exactly characterised by a love of experimentation: On the reverse of all the aurei of Tiberius there is an enthroned female figure who, on the basis of her attributes, a sceptre and an olive branch, can be addressed as the goddess of peace Pax. Often, however, it is also interpreted as a representation of Livia Augusta, wife of Augustus, mother of Tiberius and thus a family link between the old and the new emperor. 

Although the general depiction of this type of aureus did not change during the entire reign of Tiberius, the increasing decoration of the throne, for example, probably allows us to reconstruct a chronological sequence of the mintmarks. The image on the obverse provides an additional clue to the minting period of the denarius: During his last years of reign, the coin portrait of Tiberius appears more wrinkled on the neck, nose and cheeks. Unlike his predecessor Augustus, this emperor, or at least his portraitist, apparently did not shy away from ageing his likeness (Sonja Hommen).

  

 

Edited June 12, 2023 by YOTHR

[Kaleun96]

On 6/9/2023 at 4:16 PM, YOTHR said:

MINERVA
 

 

Minerva is an ancient Italic goddess of probably Etruscan origin. In the more recent Capitoline triad of gods, she was assigned the cella on the right of Iuppiter (Iuno on the left). Her functions were gradually adapted to those of the Greek Athena. She was the patroness of craftsmen, guilds and trades, as well as artists, teachers and doctors. The basic meaning lay in the divine power of the mind, of sensible thinking and inventing. Already in the Etruscan cult, she was regarded as the lightning-slinging goddess of the heights and of all sensual inventions, especially also of sacred flute music. Although Rome also knew the lightning-slinging and warlike Minerva, the Greek Pallas, her peaceful qualities predominated until Minerva finally became quite unilaterally the goddess of all inventions and of all art and science. She also brought the art of weaving, chariot-making, harrows and ploughs to mankind. She was also regarded as the city goddess of Rome. Minerva also seemed to be connected with the sea in particular. This was evident at the first lectisternium (hosting of the gods) of 217 BC, where she appeared together with Neptune. Minerva had not only reached Italy by ship, but had also built the first ship, the Argo. It is therefore hardly surprising that depictions show the goddess in connection with shipbuilding (especially sails).

Varro counts Minerva among the deities that the Romans adopted from the Sabines. An ancient temple of Minerva is said to have been located in the castle courtyard of the Sabine city of Orvinium. However, there is little further evidence of the Sabine origin of the Minerva cult. In general, there are only scanty references to the worship of Minerva in Italy. A Minerva sanctuary in Bruttium, allegedly founded by Odysseus, was of Greek origin and the same is true of the temple at Surrentum in Campania, which is also traced back to Odysseus. The very numerous inscribed proofs of their worship in Latium and Lower Italy all belong to the imperial period and betray Roman influence. There are also references to a Minerva cult in Eturia, where she played a role in the Etruscan doctrine of lightning. The tradition assumes that Minerva originated in Falerii, a city which, due to its location and history, occupied a mediating position between Etruscan and Latin culture. There is also evidence of the veneration of Minerva for Falerii in very early times. Minerva probably found her way into Rome through Faliscan (or southern Etruscan) craftsmen. There is no reason to assume that this view of the goddess had already been formed under the influence of Greek ideas; rather, the similarity of this goddess of craftsmanship will have led to the equation of Minerva with Athena.

Symbols of the goddess were the owl, snake and the olive wreath or olive tree. Since cunning and wisdom were just as important as courage and endurance for a general in war, Minerva was also depicted with a helmet, shield and armour. The owl in particular represented the wisdom of the goddess. She is often depicted with her right arm raised. Seated images of Minerva are rarer, but nevertheless widespread. The best-known image of Minerva stood in an unknown city Roman temple and is made of Lusensian marble and a robe of reddish-yellow alabaster; the hair was made of black basalt. The statue from the early imperial period represented the peaceful part of Minerva, because numerous craftsmen were needed to build the empire. The visual arts never made the Roman Minerva into a type of its own, but rather consistently used representational forms of the Greek Athena, which were transferred to her without any special modifications.

Minerva was only really incorporated into the Roman state cult in the form of the Capitoline Triad. At least, there is no evidence of a separate cult of Minerva in Rome at a later date. On the Capitol, her cella was located to the right of Iuppiter. The fact that she preferably represented the spiritual principle, intelligence and inventiveness on the Capitol can be seen from the use of hammering the yearly nail into the wall between her cella and Iuppiter's cella, because the number was considered to be an invention of Minerva. Details of the ritual of the Minerva's service are not known. According to some accounts, calves were sacrificed to her. Minerva, like Diana, was a virgin goddess (Greek Athena Parthenos) and mercilessly punished all those who came too close to this virginity. In a religion dominated by men, she played an important role for women. Numerous finds suggest female puberty rites. In this sense, she also watched over law and order. The cult of Minerva Medica and her sanctuary on the Esquiline belong to the Republican period. The idea of her as a goddess of healing probably originated purely on Italic-Roman soil and has to do with her function as the patron goddess of doctors, which immediately made her a goddess of healing herself. From the 3rd century BC onwards, Minerva was thoroughly Hellenised. At the great lecisternium of 217 BC, Minerva appears for the first time, as mentioned above, paired with Neptunus-Poseidon in the Greek manner.

Unlike other ancient deities in Rome, Minerva did not originally possess a flamen (she only received this with Augustus). This is because the goddess had nothing to do with the old peasant religion of the native inhabitants of Latium. It is therefore not surprising that Minerva is associated with only one plant: the olive tree. This was only introduced to Rome under the Tarquinians. Numerous olive oil vessels from that time bore the coat of arms of Athens with Pallas Athena (imported Attic quality oil). As with some cult images of Hera or Artemis, her statue was also decorated with appropriate branches on holidays. Pompey consecrated a sanctuary to Minerva, in whose dedicatory inscription he ostentatiously depicted his war fleet, thus almost presenting her as the victory-bringing goddess. Varro calls Minerva the protector of the olive tree. Cicero worshipped Minerva as the protector of the city and after his banishment donated the image of this goddess to the Capitol.

Domitian, who boasted the very special favour of Minerva, celebrated the Quinquatrus annually at his Albanum with a splendid festival at which, apart from venationes and gladiatorial and stage games, there were also competitions of poets and orators. However, it was considered sacrilegious that Domitian also called himself the son of Minerva, a goddess whose youthfulness was always emphasised. Domitian also had numerous altars erected to her. The forum, completed by his successor Nerva, was also dedicated to her. Her popularity also seemed to have spilled over into the population, for more and more images (e.g. on bricks) appeared. In the sanctuary of Vesta on the Roman Forum, the Palladium (i.e. Palladion), a cult image of the lance-bearing Athena supposedly originating from Troy, was kept. The image was supposed to vouch for the security of the Roman state. Unlike most other archaic representations of the gods, the Palladium was not simply a rigid figure, but worked through movement and flowing garments.

The feast of Quinquatrus on 19 March already had the addition of Minerva in the pre-Caesarian calendar. Old calendar notes show that the goddess displaced Mars from this day. The craftsmen celebrated the festival on the fifth day after the Ides of March and added four more days, so that the festivities lasted until 23 March. When this celebration was made a five-day one, gladiatorial games were held on the later (not the actual holiday) days, in addition to other amusements, since Augutus. These were also the few holidays that applied to pupils and teachers. On this day the teachers received their wages. Ovid listed numerous other occupations that celebrated the quinquatrus: Wool and flax spinners, weavers, walkers, washers, dyers, shoemakers, carpenters, physicians, painters, sculptors, toreutes (artists who chased and drove metal) as well as poets and actors. The latter were only allowed to take part in the festivities from 207 BC as thanksgiving for a choral song composed by Livius Andronicus for the successful reconciliation of the gods. Minerva was also especially honoured at guild festivals, such as Quinquatrus minusculae on 13 June.

A preserved altar refers to the establishment of the Minerva cult by Augustus. The statue of Minerva donated by him stood on a column in front of the temple. From the 1st century AD, it became a reference point in military diplomas. Many of these documents were attached to a wall near the statue. The proximity made sense, as many veterans settled there as craftsmen. From Nero onwards, the congiarium (imperial grain donation) was distributed near a minerva statue (with an owl on its right hand). Perhaps this was the same statue. East of Rome, a minerva temple was excavated that had already existed in the 2nd half of the 6th century BC. Numerous terracotta statues up to life-size from the 4th century BC were recovered from this temple. A mineral image from around 400 BC has particularly terrifying features. A three-headed snake coils around its right arm, a reptile counting many heads around its body. Serpents also dominate helmet ornaments and a round shield supported by a tritonic (sea deity) demon. Here, too, Minerva's connection to the sea is evident. As Minerva Medica, doctors also paid homage to her in a temple on the Esquiline. As the city goddess of Rome, she had a temple on the Aventine since Etruscan times; very close to the sanctuary of Diana. The temple was the main sanctuary of the tradesmen organised in collegia. Augustus renewed it, perhaps even by building a new temple. From this time on, the goddess also had her own flamen. A sacellum of Minerva was situated on the lower slope of the Caelius, towards the plain between it and the Carinae, which was probably erected in 241 BC, probably because of the capture of Falerii. The goddess on the Caelius was called Minerva Capta, the meaning of which, however, was doubtful. Minerva's proximity to handicraft and artistic work is the reason for her appearance in numerous Lararia. The bronze and silver statuettes of the imperial period were probably preceded by examples carved from wood (possibly olive tree) in the Republic (source: imperium-romanum).

 

Today there is no "Coin of the day" - today there is a whole series of new Domitianus & Minerva denarii in my shop.

A particular devotee of Minerva was the Emperor Domitian, who often had her depicted on the reverse of his coins (as on the denarius presented here). Hardly any Roman emperor had his favourite patron deity minted on coins as frequently as Domitian: Minerva, the goddess of war and wisdom, perhaps appealed to this ruler particularly because she came third within the Capitoline triad of gods after Jupiter and Juno, just as Domitian was the third emperor of the Flavian dynasty after his father Vespasian and brother Titus. Only a few years after his accession to power, he had four types of representations of the goddess made, which subsequently became the dominant coin motif of his silver coinage. But I am not an expert on Domitian and his preference for Minerva, here @David Atherton can certainly say more about it as an expert.

 

 

Titus Flavius Domitianus, as Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus
Denarius of the Roman Imperial Period 88/89 AD; Material: Silver; Diameter: 19mm; Weight: 3.50g; Mint: Rome; Reference: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 669; Obverse: Head of Domitian, laureate, right. The Inscription reads: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII for Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Octava (Imperator, Caesar, Domitian, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, high priest, holder of tribunician power for the eighth time); Reverse: Minerva standing left, holding thunderbolt and spear; shield at side. The Inscription reads: IMP XIX COS XIIII CENS P P P for Imperator Undevicesimum, Consul Quartum Decimum, Censor Perpetuus, Pater Patriae (Imperator for the 19th time, consul for the 14th time, censor for life, father of the nation).

Klick here for showing the coin at my VCoins Shop and here at the MA-Shop

 

 

Titus Flavius Domitianus, as Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus

Denarius of the Roman Imperial Period 88/89 AD; Material: Silver; Diameter: 19mm; Weight: 3.21g; Mint: Rome; Reference: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 670; Obverse: Head of Domitian, laureate, right. The Inscription reads: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII for Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Octava (Imperator, Caesar, Domitian, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, high priest, holder of tribunician power for the eighth time); Reverse: Minerva standing left, holding spear. The Inscription reads: IMP XIX COS XIIII CENS P P P for Imperator Undevicesimum, Consul Quartum Decimum, Censor Perpetuus, Pater Patriae (Imperator for the 19th time, consul for the 14th time, censor for life, father of the nation).

 

Klick here for showing the coin at my VCoins Shop and here at the MA-Shop

 

 

 

Titus Flavius Domitianus, as Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus

Denarius of the Roman Imperial Period 90/91 AD; Material: Silver; Diameter: 19mm; Weight: 3.51g; Mint: Rome; Reference: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 719; Obverse: Head of Domitian, laureate, right. The Inscription reads: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P X for Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Decima (Imperator, Caesar, Domitian, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, high priest, holder of tribunician power for the tenth time); Reverse: Minerva advancing right, holding spear and shield. The Inscription reads: IMP XXI COS XV CENS P P P for Imperator Vicesimum Primum, Consul Quintum Decimum, Censor Perpetuus, Pater Patriae (Imperator for the 21st time, consul for the 15th time, censor for life, father of the nation).

 

Klick here for showing the coin at my VCoins Shop and here at the MA-Shop

 

 

 

Titus Flavius Domitianus, as Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus

Denarius of the Roman Imperial Period 93/94 AD; Material: Silver; Diameter: 19mm; Weight: 3.78g; Mint: Rome; Reference: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 763; Obverse: Head of Domitian, laureate, right. The Inscription reads: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P XIII for Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Tertia Decima (Imperator, Caesar, Domitian, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, high priest, holder of tribunician power for the 13th time); Reverse: Minerva standing left, holding thunderbolt and spear; shield at side. The Inscription reads: IMP XXII COS XVI CENS P P P for Imperator Secundum Vicesimum, Consul Sextum Decimum, Censor Perpetuus, Pater Patriae (Imperator for the 22nd time, consul for the 16th time, censor for life, father of the nation).

 

Klick here for showing the coin at my VCoins Shop and here at the MA-Shop

 

 

 

Titus Flavius Domitianus, as Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus

Denarius of the Roman Imperial Period 95/96 AD; Material: Silver; Diameter: 19mm; Weight: 3.55g; Mint: Rome; Reference: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 787; Obverse: Head of Domitian, laureate, right. The Inscription reads: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P XV for Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Quinta Decima (Imperator, Caesar, Domitian, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, high priest, holder of tribunician power for the 15th time); Reverse: Minerva advancing right, holding spear and shield. The Inscription reads: IMP XXII COS XVII CENS P P P for Imperator Secundum Vicesimum, Consul Septimum Decimum, Censor Perpetuus, Pater Patriae (Imperator for the 22nd time, consul for the 17th time, censor for life, father of the nation).

 

Klick here for showing the coin at my VCoins Shop and here at the MA-Shop

 

 

 

Titus Flavius Domitianus, as Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus

Denarius of the Roman Imperial Period 95/96 AD; Material: Silver; Diameter: 19mm; Weight: 3.27g; Mint: Rome; Reference: RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Domitian 790; Obverse: Head of Domitian, laureate, right. The Inscription reads: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P XV for Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Quinta Decima (Imperator, Caesar, Domitian, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, high priest, holder of tribunician power for the 15th time); Reverse: Minerva standing left, holding spear. The Inscription reads: IMP XXII COS XVII CENS P P P for Imperator Secundum Vicesimum, Consul Septimum Decimum, Censor Perpetuus, Pater Patriae (Imperator for the 22nd time, consul for the 17th time, censor for life, father of the nation).

 

Klick here for showing the coin at my VCoins Shop and here at the MA-Shop

 

 

 

 

This is a bit off-topic but I hope you don't mind if I share this feedback here.

I noted that at some point a few months ago you began processing your Vcoins/Ma-Shops photos a bit differently and these Domitian examples above illustrate this new processing quite well. The processing, or at least I assume that it is processing that is being done in editing software rather than in-camera, seems to soften the details and texture of the photo substantially. I think this is often done by changing editing options called "clarity" or "texture" or similar (at least in Lightroom).

Personally, it makes it more difficult for me as a buyer to accurately assess the coin's details and surfaces as this "information" is degraded by the post-processing methods. When you post videos for your Vcoins/MA-Shops listings this isn't an issue as I can judge these qualities from the video alone but when there is no video, I'm apprehensive to purchase based on the photos alone due to the softness of the photo. While the editing that is now being done makes the coins "pop" really well in the small thumbnail images, when you open the full-sized image it's easy to see the softness introduced from the editing.

This is just my own subjective opinion though and wanted to share here in case anyone else has thought the same or if I'm alone in my preferences! You may have good reasons for editing photos this way, or perhaps you're not even editing them yourself (or it's being done automatically by some app etc), but in any case it's been on my mind for awhile and wanted to mention it in case you find this feedback useful 🙂

I've found one of your older photos to compare the difference I've noticed. These aren't the same coin but I think illustrate the change quite well:

Photo from one of your older sold listings:

 

Photo from one of your newer listings:

[Prieure de Sion]

11 minutes ago, Kaleun96 said:

This is just my own subjective opinion though and wanted to share here in case anyone else has thought the same or if I'm alone in my preferences! You may have good reasons for editing photos this way, or perhaps you're not even editing them yourself (or it's being done automatically by some app etc), but in any case it's been on my mind for awhile and wanted to mention it in case you find this feedback useful 🙂

Constructive feedback - whether positive or negative - is always welcome. On the contrary - I am always happy when someone writes to me that something is perhaps not so good. Because that gives me the opportunity to get better. 

But you have noticed it correctly. I currently have the pictures taken elsewhere. I'm waiting for a Photo Station - then I'll be able to take new photos of all my coins and put them online. With videos, of course. Unfortunately, I currently have to have the pictures taken somewhere else.

[kapphnwn]

Aureus of Tiberius struck at Lugdunum  Obv Head right laureate Rv Pax seated right holding olive branch in outstretched left hand. RIC 29 7.79 grms 20 mm Photo by W. Hansen 

My coin was struck some decades after the one featured by @YOTHR. In fact it probably is one of the last struck during his reign. This can be discerned by the style of the portrait which depicts a much older individual with sharp features and a large staring eye, The reverse also is different as the chair features rather ornate legs and Pax has her feet resting on a footstool.  

[Prieure de Sion]

7 minutes ago, kapphnwn said:

My coin was struck some decades after the one featured by @YOTHR. In fact it probably is one of the last struck during his reign. This can be discerned by the style of the portrait which depicts a much older individual with sharp features and a large staring eye, The reverse also is different as the chair features rather ornate legs and Pax has her feet resting on a footstool.  

Fantastic coin!

And yes - the neck is much more wrinkled! And as you say, on the reverse the chair is clearly more ornate. This points to one of the last issues of this type.

[Prieure de Sion]

Caracalla Bimetallic (medallion-like) Sestertius

 

Caracalla, Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus

Sestertius (medallion-like) of the Roman Imperial Period 214 AD; Material: Bimetallic; Diameter: 32mm; Weight: 32.71g; Mint: Rome; Reference: Vgl. RIC IV Caracalla 525c var. (draped bust); Banti 59; Obverse: Bust of Caracalla, laureate and cuirassed, right. The Inscription reads: M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS FELIX AVG for Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Felix Augustus; Reverse: Caracalla, in military attire, standing right on platform, accompanied by two officers, and haranguing officer and two soldiers, all standing left; behind, vexillum. The Inscription reads: P M TR P XVII IMP III COS IIII P P S C for Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Septima Decima, Imperator Tertium, Consul Quartum, Pater Patriae, Senatus Consultum (High priest, holder of tribunician power for the 17th time, Imperator for the third time, consul for the fourth time, father of the nation. Decree of the senate).

 

 

Before a battle, or on parade, the emperor would address his troops in an event known as an adlocutio cohortium (address to the cohorts). This was an important opportunity for the emperor to be present among his troops and inspire morale and esprit de corps among them. A sestertius of Gaius (Caligula), issued on behalf of a donative for the Praetorian Guard, was the first to employ the adlocutio as a reverse type. Similar subsequent issues were minted to emphasize the emperor's perceived, if not actual, role as military commander. The present specimen commemorates Caracalla's victory against the Germans and his preparations for a Persian war. Caracalla idolized Alexander the Great and, as other emperors before him, wished to recreate his successes in the east. Thus, in 214 AD, after having been proclaimed "Alexander" at Philippopolis in Thrace, he assembled his troops, who had been outfitted as Macedonians, and proceeded into Asia Minor. Caracalla's ambitions were, however, hampered by his own unfit physical and mental state; over the next three years the campaign degeneratged into near-chaos and ended with Caracalla's murder (written by CNG, 2003).

 

Find the Caracalla medallion-like Bimetallic Sestertius in my VCoins Shop

Find the Caracalla medallion-like Bimetallic Sestertius in my MA-Shop

 

 

 

Today I would like to introduce you to this extremely unusual specimen. This type was very probably issued as a New Year's gift on 01 January 214 AD. There is a series of these bimetallic sesterces which were issued on special occasions (different reverse designs). However, most of them are exclusively worldwide in the larger museums and do not come into the trade! A similar bimetallic specimen (Caligula in a quadriga on the reverse) of this series was sold at the Lanz auction 100 (lot 82) on 20.11.2000 and fetched a price of about 20.000 DM!  This is the only example I know of that has been sold at auction in recent decades - and no other example of this series has ever been offered since.

 

This coinage shows a special technical feature, which was increasingly used in the production of medallions since the last years of Commodus' reign: After the inner ring with the actual coin image, which consisted of softer copper, had been set with a ring of harder brass of a different colour, the stamping of the whole firmly joined the two metal bodies together; in this way, presentation pieces were obtained which were clearly distinguished from the mass coinage by their two-colouring.

 

 

 

[Dwarf]

Nice coin with a good pedigree

https://www.coinarchives.com/a/openlink.php?l=716602|1324|863|b586e7b62eca60ac9fbe5c02ac34ecef

 

[John Conduitt]

Interesting coin.

[CPK]

What an extraordinary medallion!

[Prieure de Sion]

Gold Solidus
Leo V the Armenian and his son Symbatios Constantinos 

 

Leo V the Armenian, with his son Symbatios Constantinos

Reign: Leo V; Mint: Constantinopolis; Date: 813 AD; Nominal: Solidus; Material: Gold; Diameter: 22mm; Weight: 4.46g; Reference: Sear 1627; Reference: DOC 2a; Reference: Berk 240; Pedigree: Ex European Ambassador Collection, formed in the 1950s and 1960s; Obverse: Facing bust of Leo V, with slight beard, wearing crown and chlamys, cross potent in right hand, akakia in left; Inscription: • LЄ On ЬASILЄЧ; Translation: Leo Basileos; Translation: Leo, Emperor; Reverse: Facing bust of Symbatios Constantinos, wearing crown and chlamys, globus cruciger in right hand, akakia in left; Inscription: CONSτ ANτ’ ∂ЄSP’ Є; Translation: Constantinos Despótis; Translation: Constantinos the Despot

 

Find the Leo V Gold Solidus in my VCoins Shop

 

Find the Leo V Gold Solidus in my MA Shop

 

 

 

 

Leo V (born c. 775 AD; died 25 December 820 AD), called the Armenian, was Byzantine emperor from 813 to 820 AD. Leo served as a general under the emperors Nikephoros I and Michael I. After Leo had distinguished himself in the service of Michael I in the campaign against the Arabs in 812 AD, he was charged with a campaign against the Bulgarians in 813 AD. He abandoned Michael at the battle of Adrianople, took advantage of the discontent of the troops and, together with the allied generals Michael Psellos and Thomas, led a successful revolt against Michael and his son Theophylaktos. Leo legitimised his rule by repeated victories over the Bulgarians, who unsuccessfully attempted the siege of Constantinople (814-817 AD). He concluded a thirty-year peace treaty with the Bulgarian Khan Omurtag (ruled 814-831 AD) in 816 AD, thus ensuring peace on this imperial frontier for the time being. Leo resumed the iconoclastic (anti-image) policy of the Syrian emperors, who had been extremely successful militarily. From the end of AD 814, Leo took action against the image worshippers, who had gained increasing influence at court and among the clergy under Michael I (see Byzantine Image Controversy). It seems that Leo benefited from the fact that there was indeed an anti-image sentiment in larger parts of the population of Constantinople and that the doctrine of the Paulicians had spread in Asia Minor. Patriarch Nikephoros was even deposed in 815 AD.

 

However, the emperor's new religious policy also met with rejection; several clergymen went into exile or were imprisoned, including Theodore Studites. Soon the fronts hardened, so that on the one hand the imperial church endured the emperor's policy, and on the other hand a larger pro-faith opposition formed. Although a conspiracy by his friend Michael Psellos had been foiled by the incarceration of the leaders, Michael's allies seized the opportunity and became active against the emperor. Leo was murdered in the palace chapel on Christmas Eve 820 AD, and Michael ascended the throne in his place. The lives of his wife Theodosia (a daughter of Arsaber) and his four sons, including the heir to the throne and co-emperor Constantine (Symbatios), were spared. In order to exclude them as possible heirs to the throne, however, they had to be castrated. Leo's youngest son died as a result of the castration.

 

Symbatios Konstantinos (born between 800 and 810 AD; died after 820 AD on Proti) was Byzantine co-emperor from 813/14 to 820 AD under the name Constantinos. Symbatios was the eldest son of the later Emperor Leo V and Theodosia, a daughter of the usurper Arsaber. He had three brothers Basileios, Gregorios and Theodosios. When Leo was elevated to basileus in a revolt against Michael I on 11 July 813 AD, Symbatios advanced to the throne. Soon after his father, he was crowned co-emperor while still a child and at the same time assumed the throne name Constantinos, which also appears on the coins issued for him. In 815 AD, Symbatios Konstantinos nominally presided alongside Leo V at the iconoclastic Council of Constantinople, which ushered in a new phase of the iconoclastic controversy. After the murder of his father on 25 December 820 AD, he was exiled with his mother and brothers to the princely island of Proti in the Sea of Marmara. There the brothers were castrated and shorn into monks. The new Emperor Michael II, however, allowed the family to keep some of their confiscated goods as well as some servants.

 

 

 

 

The Byzantine Image Controversy was a period of passionate theological debate in the Orthodox Catholic Church and the Byzantine imperial family during the early 8th and mid-9th centuries over the proper use and veneration of icons. The two parties were later referred to as iconoclasts (icon destroyers) and iconodules (icon worshippers). Any evaluation of the iconoclastic dispute is fundamentally complicated by the fact that the writings of anti-iconoclastic authors were destroyed by the iconodules after their victory. Thus, almost only biased accounts of the victors have survived as sources, which may have distorted the motives of the anti-images and exaggerated the extent of the destruction. Modern research revises many judgements of the older doctrine. The causes that led to the iconoclastic controversy are still debated today. Various theories are discussed: From Islamic influence to the Jewish commandment "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" to the personal motives of Byzantine emperors.

 

The first phase of the image dispute. In older research, Emperor Leo III (717-741 AD) was considered a convinced iconoclast, based on the surviving pro-image sources. It was speculated that he might have been influenced by oriental-Islamic ideas due to his Syrian origin. According to this, Leo III was of the opinion that it was impossible to capture the "divine being" in pictures (aperigraptos). In 726 AD (according to other sources 730 AD), after the eruption of Santorini, which caused a terrible seaquake in the Aegean and darkened the sky for several days, he is said to have removed the large golden icon of Christ from the Chalke Gate of his imperial palace in a demonstrative act. According to later sources, this allegedly led to an initial uproar among the population. Some usurpations were also placed in this context earlier (see Cosmas and Tiberios Petasius). In 730 AD, Leo is said to have forbidden the veneration of the icons of Jesus, Mary and the saints and ordered their destruction. All the sources in this regard are very problematic: in the Latin sources (Liber Pontificalis) the texts are later insertions, while the surviving Byzantine (image-friendly) sources were written with some time lag. It is therefore unclear what actions Leo actually took. It is clear, however, that the cross was preferred by Leo as a symbol, i.e. a symbol that all Christians could accept without difficulty. Leo was quite capable of imposing this new policy, if he pursued it systematically, because of his personal popularity and his military triumphs, for he had gained the goodwill of Constantinople by defeating the siege army of the Umayyad Caliph (717 to 718 AD). The accounts of the professed iconodule Germanos even suggest that the conflict over icon worship was not instigated by the emperor. There may have been criticism of the icons, but there was probably no systematic iconoclasm under Leo III.

 

Leo's son Constantine V (741-775 AD) was also long regarded as a fierce iconoclast. However, this view has given way to a more differentiated view in more recent research. Constantine V was obviously not a supporter of image worship and wanted to curb it; however, many of the accusations made against him in the sources are problematic and not without polemic. Whether there really were bloody persecutions of image worshippers during Constantine's reign is questionable, since almost only sources from the perspective of the iconodules have survived. The Council of Hiereia, convened by the emperor in 754 AD, at which image worship was condemned and John of Damascus and Germanos of Constantinople excommunicated, was not followed by any overly drastic measures, as might have been expected. Constantine's actual approach was probably less harsh in matters of religious policy and, moreover, was not connected with the iconoclastic controversy, as has often been assumed due to the tendentious, image-friendly tradition. Constantine's successor, Leo IV (775-780 AD), was also an opponent of image worship, but moderate in its implementation. His wife Irene was one of the iconodules. Later sources tendentially portrayed Leo quite negatively, in order to illustrate the contrast with the subsequent image-friendly period.

 

After Leo's death, Irene became regent for her minor son Constantine VI. She ended the first phase of the icon controversy by convening the Second Council of Nicaea of 787 AD. As a result, the veneration of icons was permitted under certain conditions, but their worship was expressly forbidden. This was justified by the doctrine of the Incarnation as formulated by John of Damascus: because God became flesh in Jesus Christ and took on a concrete, human form, a physical representation is possible. The saints, in their individual way, embody the Holy Spirit. Christ and the saints could now be represented figuratively. This is in contrast to the Second Commandment, which applied before the incarnation of Jesus Christ. However, it was also decided that all icons should have inscriptions on them to prevent icon worship from becoming an object in its own right, without regard to the saint depicted. Even the Pope in Rome, although the images of the saints had never been seriously questioned by the Curia, supported these decisions.

 

The second phase of the image dispute. The issuer of the Gold Solidus presented here - Emperor Leo V - initiated a second phase of the image dispute in 815 AD, presumably also due to the memory of the military successes of the iconoclastic emperors, which were not repeated by the iconodule emperors. This phase was probably conducted quite sharply at times. Unlike the first phase of the iconoclastic controversy, which had only affected a minority (see above), the provinces were probably also more affected. However, several churchmen apparently supported the new imperial policy. Under Leo's successors Michael II and his son Theophilos, the iconoclastic controversy continued (see also Council of Constantinople 815 AD). However, it was primarily the public commitment to imperial policy that was important: there is evidence that punishment was refrained from and veneration was hardly disturbed as long as it was not done publicly. The example of the professed icon worshipper Methodios, who became a close confidant of Emperor Theophilos, shows that there was no complete suppression of image worshippers. The iconoclastic controversy was ended under Michael III in AD 843.

 

After the death of Emperor Theophilos, his widow Theodora, together with the eunuch Theoktistos, took over the government for the minor heir Michael III. Like Irene 50 years before her, Theodora mobilised the iconodules and pursued the restoration of the icons at the Synod of Constantinople in AD 843. She also ordered the persecution and destruction of the Paulicians in order to put an end to iconoclasm once and for all. Since then, the decree of 843 AD has been celebrated annually on the first Sunday of Lent in the Orthodox Church as the Feast of Orthodoxy.

 

 

 

 

 

Special offer for forum users until 31 July 2023!

 

If you discover one or more coins in the shop and would like to order them - please write me a PN ( or @Prieure de Sion ) here in the forum.

 

Until 31.07. there is a discount of 3% AND free shipping (including tracking and insurance) for forum members.

 

Take a look at our new products: click here

 

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by YOTHR

[Prieure de Sion]

Agrippina the Elder
Wife of Germanicus, Mother of Gaius Caligula

 

Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus

 

Vipsania Agrippina (born 14 BC; died 18 October 33 AD on Pandateria), often called Agrippina maior (Agrippina the Elder) for short, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and mother of the Roman Emperor Caligula. Agrippina was a daughter of Augustus' friend and son-in-law Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Iulia, the emperor's daughter. She was probably born in Mytilene while her parents were travelling in the eastern provinces. After her father's death in 12 BC and her mother's remarriage to Tiberius, she grew up with her four siblings at the imperial court. Augustus himself, as with all his grandchildren, exerted great influence on their upbringing according to the ancient Roman virtues. According to Suetonius, he praised her talents and good dispositions in a letter. While Augustus always had a good relationship with Agrippina, he banished her mother Iulia as early as 2 BC, allegedly because of her immoral lifestyle, a fate that also befell two of her children, Agrippa Postumus and Iulia, a few years later. Agrippina's two older brothers, Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar, whom their imperial grandfather had adopted as his successors, died in 2 and 4 AD respectively, whereupon Augustus adopted Tiberius, the son of his wife Livia Drusilla, who in turn had to adopt his nephew Germanicus as his son.

At Augustus' instruction, Agrippina was married to the potential emperor's successor Germanicus, who was one year older, no later than 5 AD. With him she had a total of nine children, of whom Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar, Gaius (the later Emperor Caligula), Agrippina the Younger (the wife of Claudius and mother of Nero), Drusilla and Iulia Livilla survived infancy. She accompanied her husband to Germania during the years 14 to 16 AD, where she was held in great esteem by the soldiers because of her exemplary virtue and loyalty to Germanicus, but also because of her indomitable will. When during the battle of the Pontes longi a Germanic force threatened to cross the Rhine bridge, she herself took command of the troops and prevented the destruction of the bridge, so that the troops of Aulus Caecina Severus could retreat to the left bank of the Rhine. After Germanicus' death, Caecina nevertheless spoke out in favour of prohibiting governors from taking their wives into the provinces. She also played a decisive role in suppressing the mutiny of the Rhine legions after Augustus' death, which earned her the envy of Tiberius. After Augustus' death in 14 AD, Germanicus was recalled to Rome and honoured with a triumph. In 17 AD he was sent to the east of the empire. Agrippina also accompanied him on this journey and gave birth to her last child, Iulia Livilla, on the island of Lesbos. In 19 AD Germanicus died under mysterious circumstances in Antioch on the Orontes.

Agrippina brought Germanicus' ashes back to Rome. She held the governor of the province of Syria, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, and his wife Munatia Plancina, a friend of the Empress Livia, responsible for her husband's death and thus ultimately accused the Emperor himself, as Tacitus also assumed, of having eliminated the popular competitor. From then on she fought for her sons' claim. Her relationship with Tiberius remained strained, even after the emperor adopted her two eldest sons as successors in AD 23, following the death of his own son Drusus. He refused her permission to remarry. In 26 AD, the praetorian prefect Lucius Aelius Seianus, who was increasingly seizing power in Rome, made an indirect attack on Agrippina by getting Gnaeus Domitius Afer to accuse her friend and cousin Claudia Pulchra of witchcraft and fornication for allegedly poisoning the emperor. Despite Agrippina's protest to Tiberius, Claudia was convicted and sent into exile, from which she did not return to Rome. In AD 27, Seianus persuaded Agrippina that Tiberius wanted to poison her. Tiberius did not forgive her this insult and kept her under house arrest for the following years.[10] In 29, after Tiberius had retired to Capri and Livia had died, Agrippina was accused of conspiracy together with her eldest son Nero Caesar and banished to the island of Pandataria, where her mother had already spent some years of her exile. Tiberius did not forgive her this insult and kept her under house arrest for the following years. In AD 29, after Tiberius had retired to Capri and Livia had died, Agrippina was accused of conspiracy together with her eldest son Nero Caesar and banished to the island of Pandataria, where her mother had already spent some years of her exile. Her second son, Drusus Caesar, was imprisoned a year later. After the death of her two eldest sons, Nero in 30 AD on Pontia and Drusus in 33 AD in Rome, who starved to death in prison, Agrippina also died of starvation voluntarily on the island of Pandateria in 33 AD at the age of 47.

Of her sons, only Gaius Caesar, later called Caligula, had survived, who succeeded Tiberius after his death in AD 37. He then had her urn and those of his brothers buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus, minted coins with her portrait and organised celebrations and circus games in her memory. According to Suetonius, her daughter Agrippina (the younger) wrote her biography. Tacitus attributed to Agrippina a passionate mind, but also purity of morals and love in marriage. As a mother, she carried out her duties even in the remote army camps on the Rhine. Several deeds speak of great self-reliance and, although unusual for Roman women, were mostly viewed positively. However, her trait is also said to have led to problems in some provinces.

 

-------------------------------------

Today I would like to present you this (from my point of view) beautiful fantastic sestertius of Agrippina. Beautiful is certainly always subjective. But I think the sestertius shows a wonderful, beautiful and detailed portrait of Agrippina. Wonderfully centred, great dark patina colour. And at almost 38mm and around 30 grams, it is a real sestertius in the hand.

 

Vipsania Agrippina (or Agrippina Senior, Agrippina Maior, Agrippina the Elder), Mother of Gaius Caligula
Reign: Claudius; Mint: Rome; Date: 42/42 AD; Nominal: Sestertius; Material: AE Bronze; Diameter: 37.61mm; Weight: 29.33g; Rare: R2; Reference: RIC I (second edition) Claudius 102; OCRE Online: https://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.1(2).cl.102; Obverse: Bust of Agrippina the Elder, bare-headed, draped, right, hair in long plait; Inscription: AGRIPPINA M F GERMANICI CAESARIS; Translation: Agrippina Marci Filia Germanici Caesaris; Translation: Agrippina, daughter of Marcus [Agrippa], [spouse] of Caesar Germanicus; Reverse: Legend surrounding S C; Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P IMP P P; Translation: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Imperator, Pater Patriae; Translation: Tiberius Claudius Caesar, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, high priest, holder of tribunician power, Imperator, father of the nation

 

You can find the Sestertius of Agrippina here in my VCOINS Shop

You can find the Sestertius of Agrippina here in my MA-SHOP Shop

 

 

  

As always, a special offer is also made whenever I present a coin. All coins in the shop are FREE OF SHIPPING (with tracking and insurance) for forum members. If you are interested in a coin in the shop, just write me a personal message here in the forum or to the mail address: mail@yothr.me - then I can activate the voucher.

[Roman Collector]

1 hour ago, YOTHR said:

Agrippina the Elder
Wife of Germanicus, Mother of Gaius Caligula

 

Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus

 

Vipsania Agrippina (born 14 BC; died 18 October 33 AD on Pandateria), often called Agrippina maior (Agrippina the Elder) for short, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and mother of the Roman Emperor Caligula. Agrippina was a daughter of Augustus' friend and son-in-law Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Iulia, the emperor's daughter. She was probably born in Mytilene while her parents were travelling in the eastern provinces. After her father's death in 12 BC and her mother's remarriage to Tiberius, she grew up with her four siblings at the imperial court. Augustus himself, as with all his grandchildren, exerted great influence on their upbringing according to the ancient Roman virtues. According to Suetonius, he praised her talents and good dispositions in a letter. While Augustus always had a good relationship with Agrippina, he banished her mother Iulia as early as 2 BC, allegedly because of her immoral lifestyle, a fate that also befell two of her children, Agrippa Postumus and Iulia, a few years later. Agrippina's two older brothers, Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar, whom their imperial grandfather had adopted as his successors, died in 2 and 4 AD respectively, whereupon Augustus adopted Tiberius, the son of his wife Livia Drusilla, who in turn had to adopt his nephew Germanicus as his son.

At Augustus' instruction, Agrippina was married to the potential emperor's successor Germanicus, who was one year older, no later than 5 AD. With him she had a total of nine children, of whom Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar, Gaius (the later Emperor Caligula), Agrippina the Younger (the wife of Claudius and mother of Nero), Drusilla and Iulia Livilla survived infancy. She accompanied her husband to Germania during the years 14 to 16 AD, where she was held in great esteem by the soldiers because of her exemplary virtue and loyalty to Germanicus, but also because of her indomitable will. When during the battle of the Pontes longi a Germanic force threatened to cross the Rhine bridge, she herself took command of the troops and prevented the destruction of the bridge, so that the troops of Aulus Caecina Severus could retreat to the left bank of the Rhine. After Germanicus' death, Caecina nevertheless spoke out in favour of prohibiting governors from taking their wives into the provinces. She also played a decisive role in suppressing the mutiny of the Rhine legions after Augustus' death, which earned her the envy of Tiberius. After Augustus' death in 14 AD, Germanicus was recalled to Rome and honoured with a triumph. In 17 AD he was sent to the east of the empire. Agrippina also accompanied him on this journey and gave birth to her last child, Iulia Livilla, on the island of Lesbos. In 19 AD Germanicus died under mysterious circumstances in Antioch on the Orontes.

Agrippina brought Germanicus' ashes back to Rome. She held the governor of the province of Syria, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, and his wife Munatia Plancina, a friend of the Empress Livia, responsible for her husband's death and thus ultimately accused the Emperor himself, as Tacitus also assumed, of having eliminated the popular competitor. From then on she fought for her sons' claim. Her relationship with Tiberius remained strained, even after the emperor adopted her two eldest sons as successors in AD 23, following the death of his own son Drusus. He refused her permission to remarry. In 26 AD, the praetorian prefect Lucius Aelius Seianus, who was increasingly seizing power in Rome, made an indirect attack on Agrippina by getting Gnaeus Domitius Afer to accuse her friend and cousin Claudia Pulchra of witchcraft and fornication for allegedly poisoning the emperor. Despite Agrippina's protest to Tiberius, Claudia was convicted and sent into exile, from which she did not return to Rome. In AD 27, Seianus persuaded Agrippina that Tiberius wanted to poison her. Tiberius did not forgive her this insult and kept her under house arrest for the following years.[10] In 29, after Tiberius had retired to Capri and Livia had died, Agrippina was accused of conspiracy together with her eldest son Nero Caesar and banished to the island of Pandataria, where her mother had already spent some years of her exile. Tiberius did not forgive her this insult and kept her under house arrest for the following years. In AD 29, after Tiberius had retired to Capri and Livia had died, Agrippina was accused of conspiracy together with her eldest son Nero Caesar and banished to the island of Pandataria, where her mother had already spent some years of her exile. Her second son, Drusus Caesar, was imprisoned a year later. After the death of her two eldest sons, Nero in 30 AD on Pontia and Drusus in 33 AD in Rome, who starved to death in prison, Agrippina also died of starvation voluntarily on the island of Pandateria in 33 AD at the age of 47.

Of her sons, only Gaius Caesar, later called Caligula, had survived, who succeeded Tiberius after his death in AD 37. He then had her urn and those of his brothers buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus, minted coins with her portrait and organised celebrations and circus games in her memory. According to Suetonius, her daughter Agrippina (the younger) wrote her biography. Tacitus attributed to Agrippina a passionate mind, but also purity of morals and love in marriage. As a mother, she carried out her duties even in the remote army camps on the Rhine. Several deeds speak of great self-reliance and, although unusual for Roman women, were mostly viewed positively. However, her trait is also said to have led to problems in some provinces.

 

-------------------------------------

Today I would like to present you this (from my point of view) beautiful fantastic sestertius of Agrippina. Beautiful is certainly always subjective. But I think the sestertius shows a wonderful, beautiful and detailed portrait of Agrippina. Wonderfully centred, great dark patina colour. And at almost 38mm and around 30 grams, it is a real sestertius in the hand.

 

Vipsania Agrippina (or Agrippina Senior, Agrippina Maior, Agrippina the Elder), Mother of Gaius Caligula
Reign: Claudius; Mint: Rome; Date: 42/42 AD; Nominal: Sestertius; Material: AE Bronze; Diameter: 37.61mm; Weight: 29.33g; Rare: R2; Reference: RIC I (second edition) Claudius 102; OCRE Online: https://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.1(2).cl.102; Obverse: Bust of Agrippina the Elder, bare-headed, draped, right, hair in long plait; Inscription: AGRIPPINA M F GERMANICI CAESARIS; Translation: Agrippina Marci Filia Germanici Caesaris; Translation: Agrippina, daughter of Marcus [Agrippa], [spouse] of Caesar Germanicus; Reverse: Legend surrounding S C; Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P IMP P P; Translation: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Imperator, Pater Patriae; Translation: Tiberius Claudius Caesar, Augustus, conqueror of the Germans, high priest, holder of tribunician power, Imperator, father of the nation

 

You can find the Sestertius of Agrippina here in my VCOINS Shop

You can find the Sestertius of Agrippina here in my MA-SHOP Shop

 

 

  

As always, a special offer is also made whenever I present a coin. All coins in the shop are FREE OF SHIPPING (with tracking and insurance) for forum members. If you are interested in a coin in the shop, just write me a personal message here in the forum or to the mail address: mail@yothr.me - then I can activate the voucher.

That is a beautiful coin, indeed!! You might want to edit the title, though. It's the 4th of SEPTEMBER, not August. 😉

 

Agrippina I, wife of Germanicus, 14 BCE - 33 CE.
Roman orichalcum sestertius 27.92 gm, 34.8 mm, 7 h.
Rome mint. Struck under Claudius, 42-54 CE.
Obv: AGRIPPINA M F GERMANICI CAESARIS, bare-headed and draped bust right.
Rev: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P IMP P P around large SC.
Refs: RIC I 102 (Claudius); BMCRE 219 (Claudius); Cohen 3.

[Romancollector]

Here's my example of the same type, AE Sestertius of Agrippina the Elder rv. SC, struck under Claudius.

[Prieure de Sion]

 

The Halloween voucher is valid in my shop from October 21st, 2023 up to and including October 31st, 2023.

15 Euro voucher - from an order value of 100 Euros - can be used more often

 

 

CODE:
HALLOWEEN23

 

Visit my Shop (Link)

 

 

[Prieure de Sion]

 

And the first forum user who uses this voucher AND writes me a PN afterwards - gets this coin as a small gift. This is a rare counterstamp. The coin is catalogued as a template in the RPC.

 

https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/countermark/279 

https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/25060 

 

😉 

[Prieure de Sion]

I don't actually have any books in the shop - but I came across two books by chance - perhaps of interest to one or two collectors. 

Attention - for users of this forum delivery is FREE OF SHIPPING COSTS!

 

 

For lovers of strong Roman women!

Giacosa, Giorgio. Women Of The Caesars, Their Lives and Portraits on Coins.

Milan, Italy, 1977.

Hardcover with dust jacket. 127 pp., 71 plates.
Condition: Like new.

 

VCoins: klick here
MA-Shop: klick here

 

 

 

Lovers of English Coins - a book from 1932

 
Brooke, George C. English Coins: From the Seventh Century to Today [Methuen’s Handbook of Archaeology], 1st edition.

London, 1932.

Hardcover, gilt. 277 pp., 64 plates.
Condition: Used, minor shelf wear and foxing on edges, ex-libris sticker on inside cover.

 

VCoins: klick here

MA-Shop: klick here

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by YOTHR

[Prieure de Sion]

FYI: i will asked @Restitutor to close my "Yothr Forum Account" - because a) its not practicable to use 2 Accounts, b) everyone here now that @Prieure de Sion and @YOTHR the same persons.

 

So in the feature if any questions - please contact / write me at my account @Prieure de Sion 

Thanks!