Posthumous Roman Provincials?

[Roman Collector]

I recently purchased this Roman provincial from Antioch in Pisidia. You'll notice it was issued posthumously for Faustina the Younger and reads DIVA FAVSTINA.

 

Other than Roman provincials issued posthumously for Augustus, I'm not aware of any other Roman provincials issued posthumously, though I haven't looked very diligently. Do you guys know of any others? If so, I'd love to see them, even if they aren't in your own collection, just to learn more about them.

Edited September 3, 2023 by Roman Collector
New photo

[DLTcoins]

In another forum recently, someone posted an Egyptian tetradrachm of Divus Carus. It took me a little by surprise. The interesting thing, to me at least, is that while Latin has both divus ("apotheosis") and deus ("deity"), Greek has only θεος ("god"). Therefore, rather than DIVO CARO ("to the divine Carus"), the Greek is ΘΕΩ ΚΑΡΩ ("to the god Carus"). Θεος is also of course the word used for God in Christian scripture. Coins such as this must have caused quite a stir among Egyptian Christians of the day. Αφιερωσις on the reverse means "dedication" which I assume is the equivalent of Latin consecratio (image courtesy CNG).

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by DLTcoins

[seth77]

This one is a posthumous issue for Septimius Severus from Odessos in Moesia Inferior. I have discussed it in my post here.

 

 

[Roman Collector]

4 hours ago, DLTcoins said:

In another forum recently, someone posted an Egyptian tetradrachm of Divus Carus. It took me a little by surprise. The interesting thing, to me at least, is that while Latin has both divus ("apotheosis") and deus ("deity"), Greek has only θεος ("god"). Therefore, rather than DIVO CARO ("to the divine Carus"), the Greek is ΘΕΩ ΚΑΡΩ ("to the god Carus"). Θεος is also of course the word used for God in Christian scripture. Coins such as this must have caused quite a stir among Egyptian Christians of the day. Αφιερωσις on the reverse means "dedication" which I assume is the equivalent of Latin consecratio (image courtesy CNG).

 

Cool!

3 hours ago, seth77 said:

This one is a posthumous issue for Septimius Severus from Odessos in Moesia Inferior. I have discussed it in my post here.

 

 

Oh, yes! Thanks for reminding me about that conversation. 

[Finn235]

There are a ton of posthumous provincials. My focus is primarily on people who are only deified on provincials, or at least the provincials are the only way to afford them. Some of mine:

Posthumous Germanicus and Agrippina from Aezanis, issued by Caligula (the overwhelmingly vast majority of Germanicus' coinage was issued posthumously, and all of Agrippina I's was)

 

This curious coin of Octavia contains the curious epithet ΘΕΑΝ, meaning divine and almost always used on posthumous coinage. Given that she was extremely beloved by just about everyone except her husband, it is possible that this was made illegally upon her death (it wasn't public knowledge immediately that Nero had her killed). It is also possible that it means something more akin to "the Divinely Beautiful Octavia" as the epithet was also used on a few other unambiguously lifetime issues of empresses.

 

This issue from Judaea is the only one to depict the deified Poppaea, and the only one to depict their infant daughter Claudia at all (ugly budget version I need to take my own pictures of because it actually looks a little better than this in hand)

Nero also issued at Alexandria the only posthumous coins for Tiberius except for Flavian restitution issues

And although there are imperial Divus Claudius issues, the provincial tetradrachms from Antioch are much more affordable

 

Moving forward a bit, for whatever reason, Trajan only honored Divus Nerva on aureii, but provincials also exist and don't run well into 5 figure hammer prices

 

Likewise, Hadrian didn't see fit to honor the divine Trajan except for aureii, but provincials exist.

This one from Pergamon has the temples of Divus Trajan and Divus Augustus

And I finally acquired a portrait from the last Leu sale

 

The last one I have is the only issue for Galerius Antoninus, the biological son of Antoninus Pius and Faustina I. He died probably before Pius was even elevated to Caesar, and the only coin issue came after Faustina's death, from a mint possibly in Cyprus

 

[Roman Collector]

12 minutes ago, Finn235 said:

There are a ton of posthumous provincials. My focus is primarily on people who are only deified on provincials, or at least the provincials are the only way to afford them. Some of mine:

Posthumous Germanicus and Agrippina from Aezanis, issued by Caligula (the overwhelmingly vast majority of Germanicus' coinage was issued posthumously, and all of Agrippina I's was)

 

This curious coin of Octavia contains the curious epithet ΘΕΑΝ, meaning divine and almost always used on posthumous coinage. Given that she was extremely beloved by just about everyone except her husband, it is possible that this was made illegally upon her death (it wasn't public knowledge immediately that Nero had her killed). It is also possible that it means something more akin to "the Divinely Beautiful Octavia" as the epithet was also used on a few other unambiguously lifetime issues of empresses.

 

This issue from Judaea is the only one to depict the deified Poppaea, and the only one to depict their infant daughter Claudia at all (ugly budget version I need to take my own pictures of because it actually looks a little better than this in hand)

Nero also issued at Alexandria the only posthumous coins for Tiberius except for Flavian restitution issues

And although there are imperial Divus Claudius issues, the provincial tetradrachms from Antioch are much more affordable

 

Moving forward a bit, for whatever reason, Trajan only honored Divus Nerva on aureii, but provincials also exist and don't run well into 5 figure hammer prices

 

Likewise, Hadrian didn't see fit to honor the divine Trajan except for aureii, but provincials exist.

This one from Pergamon has the temples of Divus Trajan and Divus Augustus

And I finally acquired a portrait from the last Leu sale

 

The last one I have is the only issue for Galerius Antoninus, the biological son of Antoninus Pius and Faustina I. He died probably before Pius was even elevated to Caesar, and the only coin issue came after Faustina's death, from a mint possibly in Cyprus

 

That's really interesting and helpful, Finn. It would make for an interesting specialty collection to delve into posthumous provincials.

[Sulla80]

This coin appears to be a provincial issue (postumus) of Germanicus, issued by his brother Claudius.  Claudius hoped that some of his deceased brother's popularity would rub off on him when he was emperor.  Interesting to note that this coin doesn't say "DIVVS GERMANICVS", but then neither do Roman restitution issues for Germanicus under Claudius and Caligula.

More on this coin in my latest Note: The Emperor's Jealousy

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/the-emperor-s-jealousy

Edited September 3, 2023 by Sulla80

[Ryro]

 

Excellent thread and killer Diva Faustina!

Here's a personal favorite of Julia the elder, Augustus only  child whom he banished to a small island for her 'loose living", and was ultimately assassinated by ex husband, Tiberius, upon her father's demise. And the woman who may have done him in, loving wife Julia the original Augustus:

Posthumous Coinage of Augustus

Julia Daughter of Augustus by his first wife Scribonia. Born 39 BC, she was the wife of Marcellus, Agrippa and Tiberius, respectively. Banished by her father to the island of Pandataria in 2 BC, she remained there 5 years and then was allowed to reside in Rhegium, where she died in 14 AD.

Livia and Julia under Augustus. Bronze 10-2 BC, Pergamum/Mysia. LIBIAN HPAN XAPINOS Draped bust of Livia (as Hera) to r. Rev.( IO)YLIAN (AFP)ODIT(HN) Draped bust of Julia (as Venus) to r 18 mm,. 3,79 g. BMC 248. RPC 2359. Vagi 370. Very rare

Ex: Savoca Blue 89

[hotwheelsearl]

Saw this cool one on the latest Roma auction.

[hotwheelsearl]

On 9/3/2023 at 1:09 AM, DLTcoins said:

In another forum recently, someone posted an Egyptian tetradrachm of Divus Carus. It took me a little by surprise. The interesting thing, to me at least, is that while Latin has both divus ("apotheosis") and deus ("deity"), Greek has only θεος ("god"). Therefore, rather than DIVO CARO ("to the divine Carus"), the Greek is ΘΕΩ ΚΑΡΩ ("to the god Carus"). Θεος is also of course the word used for God in Christian scripture. Coins such as this must have caused quite a stir among Egyptian Christians of the day. Αφιερωσις on the reverse means "dedication" which I assume is the equivalent of Latin consecratio (image courtesy CNG).

 

Here's my budget version. A little encrustation on the obv, but I will never complain at $15.

Thanks for the translation of the reverse. I misread the greek into apheresis, which refers to either the removal of blood from the body to separate the blood from plasma; or referring to the loss of a sound from the beginning of the word.

 

I do love the funeral pyre here, it's rather unlike the wedding cake of APi or the pyres of Claudius II. How cool.

 

[hotwheelsearl]

Here's a Divus Caesar. These seem to be be pretty expensive, unless you get a nice delam(?( that kills Ceasar harder than his compatriots did.

[PeteB]

Septimius Severus. 193-211 AD. Odessos, Thrace; Æ 27. Obv: ΔΙVΩ CΕΥΗΡΩ ΠΕΙΩ (Divus Severus Pius). His bare head, r. Rev: ΟΔΗCCΕΙΤΩΝ. The Great God of Odessos stg.facing, hd. l., holding  cornucopia in left arm and patera over altar to his right. Sear GI 2129, where-in Sear states  "Posthumous types are rarely encountered in the Greek Imperial series, other than the issues for Divus Augustus."

[Sulla80]

On 9/3/2023 at 1:09 AM, DLTcoins said:

In another forum recently, someone posted an Egyptian tetradrachm of Divus Carus. It took me a little by surprise. The interesting thing, to me at least, is that while Latin has both divus ("apotheosis") and deus ("deity"), Greek has only θεος ("god"). Therefore, rather than DIVO CARO ("to the divine Carus"), the Greek is ΘΕΩ ΚΑΡΩ ("to the god Carus"). Θεος is also of course the word used for God in Christian scripture. Coins such as this must have caused quite a stir among Egyptian Christians of the day. Αφιερωσις on the reverse means "dedication" which I assume is the equivalent of Latin consecratio (image courtesy CNG).

 

 

Egypt, Alexandria, Divus Carus, died AD 283, potin Tetradrachm (19mm 6.68g), struck under Carinus, circa AD 283-285

Obv: ΘЄⲰ ΚΑΡⲰ CЄΒ, Laureate head right

Rev: AΦIЄPⲰCIC , Flaming altar tied with garland; star to upper left

Ref: Köln 3167-68; Dattari (Savio) 5570-71; K&G 113.5; Emmett 3995