A new Hadrian denarius with a unique reverse type: TELLVS STABIL

[DonnaML]

One would think that with 43 Hadrian coins already (25 Imperial and 18 Provincial) -- by far the  most of any emperor -- I wouldn't need any more of them. But there always seem to be unusual and interesting Hadrian reverses to add, and this was one of them. Not only is the specific reverse apparently unique to Hadrian, but it features a goddess or personification -- Tellus -- whom I admit I'd never previously heard of, and had to look up. Here's my write-up, with a footnote relying largely on our own @Sulla80's blog for the various interpretations of the type:

Hadrian AR Denarius, Rome Mint 133-c. 135 AD. Obv. Laureate head right, HADRIANVS – AVG COS III PP / Rev. Tellus (Earth) standing left, tunic to her knees, holding a plough-handle with her right hand and a rake (or hoe) over her left shoulder, two ears of grain growing from ground behind her, TELLVS – STABIL [an abbreviated form of TELLVS STABILITA, loosely translated as “the Earth securely established”; see footnote]. RIC II.3 Hadrian 2052 & Pl. 38 (2019 edition) [noting that some specimens of the type have no rake or no ears of grain]; old RIC II Hadrian 276 (1926 ed.); RSC II Hadrian 1427; Sear RCV II 3543 (obv. portrait var.); BMCRE III Hadrian 741; Strack 275 [Strack, Paul L., Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil II: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Hadrian (Stuttgart, 1931)]. 17.7 mm., 2.72 g. Purchased from Odysseus Numismatique [Julien Cougnard], Montpellier, France, 4 Nov. 2023; ex Fraysse & Associés Auction Numismatique, 19 April 2023, Collection Y.K. [Yves Kolb], Hôtel Drouot, Paris (Sabine Bourgey, Expert), (part of) Lot 190 .*

Or perhaps a white background sets it off better? (Thinking of the recent thread on image backgrounds):

* Pedigree: Yves Kolb (1903-1979) and his father Dr. Pierre Kolb (1875-1949) were both prominent French collectors of ancient coins, and long-time members of the Société Française de Numismatique. Yves inherited a large part of his father’s collection after the latter’s death, and after his own death in 1979 his heirs retained his collection until the April 2023 auction referenced in text. Here is a copy of his father Pierre Kolb’s obituary from the October 1949 Bulletin of the Société, mentioning Yves Kolb as well:

Note the presence of M. Babelon (Jean, not Ernst). I wonder if Pierre Prieur was related to Michel Prieur.

Tellus Stabil: Regarding the reverse of this type, see John Melville Jones, A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (Seaby, London 1990), entry for “Tellus” at p. 300: “Tellus. ‘Earth’, both in the sense of ‘ground’ and of the inhabited world. From Hadrian to Commodus some coins and medallions were issued with the legend TELLVS STABILITA [here abbreviated as TELLVS STABIL] claiming that the world was, as it were, securely established by the emperor. Tellus is represented as a female figure with the attributes of plough-handle, rake, ears of grain, cornucopiae, globe, vine-branch or basket of fruit.”

See also the detailed discussion of the Hadrian types depicting Tellus at the blog of @Sulla80 at https://www.sullacoins.com/post/hadrian-s-stable-earth . Among other things, @Sulla80 quotes this description of Tellus in the book Dictionary of Roman Religion by Lesley Adkins (1996) (available at https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofroma0000adki/mode/2up ) :

As @Sulla80 points out, citing @Valentinian's website (see augustuscoins.com/ed/unique/unique4.html#TELLVS), this particular reverse is unique to Hadrian, although both Hadrian and Commodus issued coins with a reclining Tellus on the reverse. He proceeds to summarize the varying interpretations of the type that different authorities have advanced:

“There are various interpretations and connections made for this reverse:

Does it refer to Roman desire for Italian agricultural self-sufficiency? Is it a welcoming coin as Hadrian returns to Rome? Is it a reference to the many provinces of Rome and the expanse of Rome's peaceful territory? Does it recognize Hadrian's generosity in his travels in the Roman provinces? Is there an earthquake connection? Could it be a 20th Anniversary Coin?

Does it recognize Hadrian's largess in his travels in the Provinces?

In my older copy of RIC (1926) Mattingly and Sydenham summarize as: issued between his return to Rome in 134 and his death in 138, "Tellus Stabilita sums up the results of his beneficient activities in the Empire".

Does it refer to Roman desire for Italian agricultural self-sufficiency?

A Sutherland review published in 1937 of the Mattingly Volume III of "Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum" published in 1936 comments:

"Hadrian's twofold Tellus Stabilita type (vol. iii, p. cxlviii) might refer to the desired role of Italy as a self-sufficient corn-growing area, within which viticulture was, nevertheless, not to be neglected (if Domitian's edict is correctly interpreted thus)"

-Sutherland, JRS Book Review, 1938

The reference to Domitian's edict on viticulture is explained by Suetonius:

"Once upon the occasion of a plentiful wine crop, attended with a scarcity of grain, thinking that the fields were neglected through too much attention to the vineyards, he made an edict forbidding anyone to plant more vines in Italy and ordering that the vineyards in the provinces be cut down, or but half of them at most be left standing; but he did not persist in carrying out the measure."

-Suetonius, The Life of Domitian, 7.2 

 Is there an earthquake connection ?

 There is certainly a possibility that the type of this coin is influenced by earthquakes in Rome and in the provinces and Hadrian's generous rebuilding programs. Trajan and Hadrian were together in a destructive earthquake in AD 115 in Antioch, during Trajan's reign (AD 112-117). The excellent and well researched blog, "Following Hadrian", mentions :

"On 13 December AD 115, Hadrian survived a violent and devastating earthquake while wintering in Antioch during Trajan’s campaign in the east. Hadrian had been in Syria since January AD 114 as imperial legate (envoy to the emperor) and, as such, had taken up residence in Antiochia ad Orontem (Antioch on the Orontes). The city served as headquarters for the Parthian wars. Trajan had returned from a campaign in Armenia when disaster struck on the morning of 13 December AD 115."

-Carole Raddato, Following Hadrian

One ancient source is Cassius Dio:

While the emperor was tarrying in Antioch a terrible earthquake occurred; many cities suffered injury, but Antioch was the most unfortunate of all. Since Trajan was passing the winter there and many soldiers and many civilians had flocked thither from all sides in connection with law-suits, embassies, business or sightseeing, there was no nation or people that went unscathed; and thus in Antioch the whole world under Roman sway suffered disaster.

-Cassius Dio Roman History, 24.1

There were also at least 3 substantial earthquakes during the reign of Hadrian that are documented in the well documented catalog of major earthquakes edited by Emmanuela Guidaboni:

(Catalog #111 ) AD 117-138 Italy - supported only by a vague reference by Cassius Dio

During his (Hadrian's) reign there were famines, pestilence, and earthquakes. The distress caused by all these calamities he relieved to the best of his ability, and also he aided many communities which had been devastated by them. There was also an overflow of the Tiber. To many communities he gave Latin citizen­ship, and to many others he remitted their tribute.

-Historia Augusta, Life of Hadrian, 21.5

(Catalog # 112) AD 120/128 Aoria, Cyzicus, Nicea, Nicomedia

Eusebius is again a source along with other inscriptions:

"There was an earthquake, Nicomedia collapsed in ruins, and many parts of the city of Nicea were destroyed. For their restoration, Hadrian gave generously from the public purse." . . . .

 Could it be a 20th Anniversary Coin?

 Foss in Roman Historical Coins, 1990 connects this coin with Hadrian's 20th anniversary of reign (AD 137, coin # 126, page 121): 

[To me, the 20^th anniversary interpretation seems the least likely of all, given that that anniversary occurred in AD 137, whereas the new edition of RIC II.3 agrees with Sear and other authorities in  attributing this issue to the 133-135 period, like all the COS III P P types.]

Is it a welcoming coin as Hadrian returns to Rome?

Mattingly (1936) makes a connection to Annona and classifies this coin as an "Adventus Augusti" type, celebrating Hadrian's return to Rome (by 5 May AD 134).

"We might think of "Tellus" as a presentation of that "re-established Earth" of which Hadrian boasts in a later issue. But, as the attributes of Tellus there are quite distinct, it seems better to regard this as a specialized type of Annona. The meaning will be much the same. The good government of Hadrian ensures that the earth gives freely of her increase. Pagan antiquity made little cleavage between spiritual and material blessings. ’The blessing of heaven on good government was expected to reveal itself in good harvests and fertile flows.'

-Mattingly, Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum v.3 p. cxxxv  . . . .

Perhaps many if not "all of the above", this coin could recognize Hadrian's return to Rome (in 5 May AD 134), the stability of the Roman Empire, the "Earth" that he made through his broad travels, and recognize Hadrian's impact across the wide-reaching Roman provinces.”

One other possible interpretation is that the type commemorates the 400^th anniversary in AD 132 of the dedication of the Temple of Tellus in Rome, supposedly in 268 BCE. See the entry for that temple in the Adkins Dictionary of Roman Religion, cited above:

“Tellus, Temple of  Vowed by Publius Sempronius Sophus when an earthquake occurred during a battle with the Picenes. It was dedicated in 268 B.C. The temple was situated in Rome on the Carinae (the western end of the Oppius near the church of San Pietro in Vincoli). It may have been a rebuilding of an earlier temple. The Senate met at the temple once, when it was summoned there by Mark Antony the day after Julius Caesar’s assassination.”

 Please post anything you think relevant, whether it's unusual reverses of Hadrian, or unique reverses of any emperor, or anything else.

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by DonnaML

[Roman Collector]

Coingratulations, @DonnaML on the new acquisition to your numophylacium! I have long had a Tellus coin on my wish list. I have virtually all of the various deities and personifications, but still do not have this one.

 

[AETHER]

I like the dark background. Nice Hadrian as per usual 🙂

[CPK]

Outstanding! I've lately been on the lookout for a nice, interesting Hadrian denarius - yours is a great combination of quality and scarcity! Thanks for posting.

For what it's worth, I think I prefer the white background on this coin. Just seems to set off the darker toned surfaces a bit better.

 

[Curtisimo]

Excellent coin with a wonderful provenance. I will admit I didn’t know about Tellus either. Your photos are excellent as well.

I have used different backgrounds for my photos over the years. I used to use plain white. Then I decided to use a more complicated greyscale background with a water effect. I liked it partly because I used to rely on the text I wrote at the top to help organize my collection. I finally settled on a simpler black background.

My thoughts on background are that black looks the best but white is probably the most practical. For example, if you want to print your photos onto flips or use processing software (such as ACsearch), white works best. I decided that I prefer the look of the black background enough to deal with the drawbacks.

[Sulla80]

Congrats on the nice coin + provenance.  I am not surprised that you would add this as #44.  Although Hadrian is not a typical add to my collection I found this type intriguing.

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/hadrian-s-stable-earth

Edited November 15, 2023 by Sulla80

[Curtisimo]

On an unrelated note, does anyone else have an issue seeing photos on NF sometimes? It seems to happen at random to me. Most of the time I refresh the page and the image shows up but when I look at Donna’s OP the second image just shows a “?” no matter how many times I refresh.

Anyone else having this problem? Below is what I see.

[Valentinian]

6 minutes ago, Curtisimo said:

Most of the time I refresh the page and the image shows up but when I look at Donna’s OP the second image just shows a “?” no matter how many times I refresh.

Anyone else having this problem? Below is what I see.

Me too. 

[Roman Collector]

9 minutes ago, Curtisimo said:

On an unrelated note, does anyone else have an issue seeing photos on NF sometimes? It seems to happen at random to me. Most of the time I refresh the page and the image shows up but when I look at Donna’s OP the second image just shows a “?” no matter how many times I refresh.

Anyone else having this problem? Below is what I see.

I am unable to see the image, either.

[DonnaML]

I will try to post the image of the obituary in a different format in a little while. It was a screenshot rather than a saved image; maybe that explains why people can't see it.

[Ocatarinetabellatchitchix]

1 hour ago, Curtisimo said:

when I look at Donna’s OP the second image just shows a “?” no matter how many times I refresh.

I do not have this problem, except I don’t understand the link between the image and this thread…… here is the picture I can see:

 

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by Ocatarinetabellatchitchix

[DonnaML]

Can people see the Kolb obituary now?

[DonnaML]

1 hour ago, DonnaML said:

Can people see the Kolb obituary now?

I also fixed it in the original post so there's no future confusion. Hopefully enough of you read French that it was worth the effort. The source was gallica.bnf.fr, naturellement!

Edited November 15, 2023 by DonnaML

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

It's a very handsome coin and a solid provenance.  Wow, 43 Hadrians!

I also found the writeup to be very intresting, highlighting a type which I was unaware of.

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Never heard of this style/type with that inscription - really cool.

[DonnaML]

2 hours ago, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

It's a very handsome coin and a solid provenance.  Wow, 43 Hadrians!

I also found the writeup to be very intresting, highlighting a type which I was unaware of.

Another bow in @Sulla80's direction for his fascinating blog post discussing the many different interpretations of the reverse. Most of which would never have occurred to me otherwise!

Edited November 15, 2023 by DonnaML

[PeteB]

On 11/14/2023 at 2:47 PM, DonnaML said:

One would think that with 43 Hadrian coins already (25 Imperial and 18 Provincial) -- by far the  most of any emperor -- I wouldn't need any more of them. But there always seem to be unusual and interesting Hadrian reverses to add, and this was one of them. Not only is the specific reverse apparently unique to Hadrian, but it features a goddess or personification -- Tellus -- whom I admit I'd never previously heard of, and had to look up. Here's my write-up, with a footnote relying largely on our own @Sulla80's blog for the various interpretations of the type:

Hadrian AR Denarius, Rome Mint 133-c. 135 AD. Obv. Laureate head right, HADRIANVS – AVG COS III PP / Rev. Tellus (Earth) standing left, tunic to her knees, holding a plough-handle with her right hand and a rake (or hoe) over her left shoulder, two ears of grain growing from ground behind her, TELLVS – STABIL [an abbreviated form of TELLVS STABILITA, loosely translated as “the Earth securely established”; see footnote]. RIC II.3 Hadrian 2052 & Pl. 38 (2019 edition) [noting that some specimens of the type have no rake or no ears of grain]; old RIC II Hadrian 276 (1926 ed.); RSC II Hadrian 1427; Sear RCV II 3543 (obv. portrait var.); BMCRE III Hadrian 741; Strack 275 [Strack, Paul L., Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil II: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Hadrian (Stuttgart, 1931)]. 17.7 mm., 2.72 g. Purchased from Odysseus Numismatique [Julien Cougnard], Montpellier, France, 4 Nov. 2023; ex Fraysse & Associés Auction Numismatique, 19 April 2023, Collection Y.K. [Yves Kolb], Hôtel Drouot, Paris (Sabine Bourgey, Expert), (part of) Lot 190 .*

Or perhaps a white background sets it off better? (Thinking of the recent thread on image backgrounds):

* Pedigree: Yves Kolb (1903-1979) and his father Dr. Pierre Kolb (1875-1949) were both prominent French collectors of ancient coins, and long-time members of the Société Française de Numismatique. Yves inherited a large part of his father’s collection after the latter’s death, and after his own death in 1979 his heirs retained his collection until the April 2023 auction referenced in text. Here is a copy of his father Pierre Kolb’s obituary from the October 1949 Bulletin of the Société, mentioning Yves Kolb as well:

Note the presence of M. Babelon (Jean, not Ernst). I wonder if Pierre Prieur was related to Michel Prieur.

Tellus Stabil: Regarding the reverse of this type, see John Melville Jones, A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (Seaby, London 1990), entry for “Tellus” at p. 300: “Tellus. ‘Earth’, both in the sense of ‘ground’ and of the inhabited world. From Hadrian to Commodus some coins and medallions were issued with the legend TELLVS STABILITA [here abbreviated as TELLVS STABIL] claiming that the world was, as it were, securely established by the emperor. Tellus is represented as a female figure with the attributes of plough-handle, rake, ears of grain, cornucopiae, globe, vine-branch or basket of fruit.”

See also the detailed discussion of the Hadrian types depicting Tellus at the blog of @Sulla80 at https://www.sullacoins.com/post/hadrian-s-stable-earth . Among other things, @Sulla80 quotes this description of Tellus in the book Dictionary of Roman Religion by Lesley Adkins (1996) (available at https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofroma0000adki/mode/2up ) :

As @Sulla80 points out, citing @Valentinian's website (see augustuscoins.com/ed/unique/unique4.html#TELLVS), this particular reverse is unique to Hadrian, although both Hadrian and Commodus issued coins with a reclining Tellus on the reverse. He proceeds to summarize the varying interpretations of the type that different authorities have advanced:

“There are various interpretations and connections made for this reverse:

Does it refer to Roman desire for Italian agricultural self-sufficiency? Is it a welcoming coin as Hadrian returns to Rome? Is it a reference to the many provinces of Rome and the expanse of Rome's peaceful territory? Does it recognize Hadrian's generosity in his travels in the Roman provinces? Is there an earthquake connection? Could it be a 20th Anniversary Coin?

Does it recognize Hadrian's largess in his travels in the Provinces?

In my older copy of RIC (1926) Mattingly and Sydenham summarize as: issued between his return to Rome in 134 and his death in 138, "Tellus Stabilita sums up the results of his beneficient activities in the Empire".

Does it refer to Roman desire for Italian agricultural self-sufficiency?

A Sutherland review published in 1937 of the Mattingly Volume III of "Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum" published in 1936 comments:

"Hadrian's twofold Tellus Stabilita type (vol. iii, p. cxlviii) might refer to the desired role of Italy as a self-sufficient corn-growing area, within which viticulture was, nevertheless, not to be neglected (if Domitian's edict is correctly interpreted thus)"

-Sutherland, JRS Book Review, 1938

The reference to Domitian's edict on viticulture is explained by Suetonius:

"Once upon the occasion of a plentiful wine crop, attended with a scarcity of grain, thinking that the fields were neglected through too much attention to the vineyards, he made an edict forbidding anyone to plant more vines in Italy and ordering that the vineyards in the provinces be cut down, or but half of them at most be left standing; but he did not persist in carrying out the measure."

-Suetonius, The Life of Domitian, 7.2 

 Is there an earthquake connection ?

 There is certainly a possibility that the type of this coin is influenced by earthquakes in Rome and in the provinces and Hadrian's generous rebuilding programs. Trajan and Hadrian were together in a destructive earthquake in AD 115 in Antioch, during Trajan's reign (AD 112-117). The excellent and well researched blog, "Following Hadrian", mentions :

"On 13 December AD 115, Hadrian survived a violent and devastating earthquake while wintering in Antioch during Trajan’s campaign in the east. Hadrian had been in Syria since January AD 114 as imperial legate (envoy to the emperor) and, as such, had taken up residence in Antiochia ad Orontem (Antioch on the Orontes). The city served as headquarters for the Parthian wars. Trajan had returned from a campaign in Armenia when disaster struck on the morning of 13 December AD 115."

-Carole Raddato, Following Hadrian

One ancient source is Cassius Dio:

While the emperor was tarrying in Antioch a terrible earthquake occurred; many cities suffered injury, but Antioch was the most unfortunate of all. Since Trajan was passing the winter there and many soldiers and many civilians had flocked thither from all sides in connection with law-suits, embassies, business or sightseeing, there was no nation or people that went unscathed; and thus in Antioch the whole world under Roman sway suffered disaster.

-Cassius Dio Roman History, 24.1

There were also at least 3 substantial earthquakes during the reign of Hadrian that are documented in the well documented catalog of major earthquakes edited by Emmanuela Guidaboni:

(Catalog #111 ) AD 117-138 Italy - supported only by a vague reference by Cassius Dio

During his (Hadrian's) reign there were famines, pestilence, and earthquakes. The distress caused by all these calamities he relieved to the best of his ability, and also he aided many communities which had been devastated by them. There was also an overflow of the Tiber. To many communities he gave Latin citizen­ship, and to many others he remitted their tribute.

-Historia Augusta, Life of Hadrian, 21.5

(Catalog # 112) AD 120/128 Aoria, Cyzicus, Nicea, Nicomedia

Eusebius is again a source along with other inscriptions:

"There was an earthquake, Nicomedia collapsed in ruins, and many parts of the city of Nicea were destroyed. For their restoration, Hadrian gave generously from the public purse." . . . .

 Could it be a 20th Anniversary Coin?

 Foss in Roman Historical Coins, 1990 connects this coin with Hadrian's 20th anniversary of reign (AD 137, coin # 126, page 121): 

[To me, the 20^th anniversary interpretation seems the least likely of all, given that that anniversary occurred in AD 137, whereas the new edition of RIC II.3 agrees with Sear and other authorities in  attributing this issue to the 133-135 period, like all the COS III P P types.]

Is it a welcoming coin as Hadrian returns to Rome?

Mattingly (1936) makes a connection to Annona and classifies this coin as an "Adventus Augusti" type, celebrating Hadrian's return to Rome (by 5 May AD 134).

"We might think of "Tellus" as a presentation of that "re-established Earth" of which Hadrian boasts in a later issue. But, as the attributes of Tellus there are quite distinct, it seems better to regard this as a specialized type of Annona. The meaning will be much the same. The good government of Hadrian ensures that the earth gives freely of her increase. Pagan antiquity made little cleavage between spiritual and material blessings. ’The blessing of heaven on good government was expected to reveal itself in good harvests and fertile flows.'

-Mattingly, Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum v.3 p. cxxxv  . . . .

Perhaps many if not "all of the above", this coin could recognize Hadrian's return to Rome (in 5 May AD 134), the stability of the Roman Empire, the "Earth" that he made through his broad travels, and recognize Hadrian's impact across the wide-reaching Roman provinces.”

One other possible interpretation is that the type commemorates the 400^th anniversary in AD 132 of the dedication of the Temple of Tellus in Rome, supposedly in 268 BCE. See the entry for that temple in the Adkins Dictionary of Roman Religion, cited above:

“Tellus, Temple of  Vowed by Publius Sempronius Sophus when an earthquake occurred during a battle with the Picenes. It was dedicated in 268 B.C. The temple was situated in Rome on the Carinae (the western end of the Oppius near the church of San Pietro in Vincoli). It may have been a rebuilding of an earlier temple. The Senate met at the temple once, when it was summoned there by Mark Antony the day after Julius Caesar’s assassination.”

 Please post anything you think relevant, whether it's unusual reverses of Hadrian, or unique reverses of any emperor, or anything else.

 

I have three examples on my web site, but far from Donna's condition.

http://akropoliscoins.com/page4c.html

[happy_collector]

Great addition, Donna. Thanks for sharing a coin with such unique reverse type. Never heard about Tellvs before. 🙂 

[Sulla80]

On 11/15/2023 at 1:47 PM, DonnaML said:

Another bow in @Sulla80's direction for his fascinating blog post discussing the many different interpretations of the reverse. Most of which would never have occurred to me otherwise!

Thanks, @DonnaML, gald you found the post interesting.  I also found the connection to this coin as a "Tellus type" from Mattingly interesting.  Aegyptos as an Earth goddess reclining:

 

Edited November 16, 2023 by Sulla80

[DonnaML]

55 minutes ago, Sulla80 said:

Thanks, @DonnaML, gald you found the post interesting.  I also found the connection to this coin as a "Tellus type" from Mattingly interesting.  Aegyptos as an Earth goddess reclining:

 

It's an interesting theory, and Hadrian's Aegyptos is one of my favorites in his Travel Series, and Egypt was obviously associated with grain, but I'm not 100% sure I buy the connection. Not every reclining goddess or personification is necessarily the same, and the references on the Aegyptos coin are, at most, only indirectly associated with agriculture (the basket?). In any event, as my own Tellus coin indicates, Tellus was depicted standing just as often as reclining.

[thejewk]

Lovely coin Donna, and an excellent write up.  In another life I could happily devote my whole collection to Hadrian denarii.

[Sulla80]

21 hours ago, DonnaML said:

It's an interesting theory, and Hadrian's Aegyptos is one of my favorites in his Travel Series, and Egypt was obviously associated with grain, but I'm not 100% sure I buy the connection. Not every reclining goddess or personification is necessarily the same, and the references on the Aegyptos coin are, at most, only indirectly associated with agriculture (the basket?). In any event, as my own Tellus coin indicates, Tellus was depicted standing just as often as reclining.

If you consider Tellus as the Roman Mother Earth (Tellus) it seems quite reasonable to consider that the provinces are closely related to Tellus in attributes, posture and as symbols of agricultural prosperity.  What figures better to represent a Tellus-type than the grain rich region of Egypt and Alexandria that Romans relied on for grain?

Edited November 17, 2023 by Sulla80

[DonnaML]

@Sulla80, Given that Hadrian was the first Emperor to portray Tellus on his coins, and did so infrequently, with the standing figure of Tellus more common than her reclining figure, how likely is it that people would have associated the reclining figure of Aegyptos -- conceding that her basket probably symbolized Egypt as the "grain basket" of the Empire -- specifically with Tellus? 

Interestingly, the Introduction to RIC II.3 -- the 2019 revised Hadrian volume -- provides additional insight into the Tellus coins introduced by Hadrian, just as it does for the ROMVLVS CONDITORI coins he introduced (see my addition yesterday to my thread on that subject). 

It turns out that Hadrian first issued bronze medallions/coins (a medallic dupondius and an as) depicting a standing Tellus with plough and rake, two grain ears growing behind her (RIC II.3 2836-2837, ill. Pl. 205) -- virtually identical to the scene on the reverse of my TELLVS STABIL denarius --  back during the AD 124-127 period,  as what the new RIC categorizes as one of Hadrian's many "Golden Age" types issued during that period. See RIC II.3 Introduction, pp. 38-39, noting (see n. 196) that the first edition of RIC II, published in 1926, "strangely" failed to identify the figure of Tellus as such, presumably because the reverse legend doesn't name Tellus, reading only "COS III" (see old RIC II 699).

To the extent that the various interpretations set forth above and in @Sulla80's blog directly associate the TELLVS STABIL types with specific events or anniversaries in the early or mid-130s, perhaps the fact that the type appears not to have been new or unique to that period may vitiate the specific connection with some or all of such events. Instead, the RIC II.3 Introduction associates the Tellus issues of the mid-120s with the festival of the Parilia.  Thus, the Introduction at p. 38 explains that "April 21 was the day traditionally held as the 'birthday' of the city and coincided with the festival of the Parilia -- to the pastoral deity of uncertain gender, Pares [usually spelled Pales] -- providing important Arcadian overtones in Hadrian's quest for Golden Age significance." At page 39, the Introduction proceeds to draw a connection between the Parilia festival and Hadrian's first issuance of coins portraying Tellus:

At page 55, the Introduction's discussion of the TELLVS STABIL types issued in the mid-130s simply refers back to the discussion at p. 39, stating that the Tellus and Annona types from that period, as well as "a small medallic type showing the four seasons in the classic motif of four little boys playing (with the legend TEMPORVM FELICITAS, "a typical Golden Age message"), portray "interrelated themes of the produce of the fertile earth -- Tellus has already been discussed as part of Golden Age symbolism."

For more regarding the Parilia festival, see the Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parilia :

"The Parilia is an ancient Roman festival of rural character performed annually on 21 April, aimed at cleansing both sheep and shepherd. It is carried out in acknowledgment to the Roman deity Pales, a deity of uncertain gender who was a patron of shepherds and sheep.

Ovid describes the Parilia at length in the Fasti, an elegiac poem on the Roman religious calendar, and implies that it predates the founding of Rome, traditionally 753 BC, as indicated by its pastoral, pre-agricultural concerns. During the Republic, farming was idealized and central to Roman identity, so the festival took on a more generally rural character. Increasing urbanization caused the rustic Parilia to be reinterpreted rather than abandoned, as Rome was an intensely traditional society. During the Imperial period, the date was celebrated as the "birthday" of Rome (dies natalis Romae) . . . . 

Over time, and under the influence of several Roman rulers, the structure of the Parilia changed. First, after Julius Caesar heard the news of Roman Victory at Munda in 45 BC (around the date of the Parilia), he added games to the ceremony. At these games, the citizens would wear crowns in Caesar’s honor. Caligula instituted into the celebration a procession of priests, noblemen, boys and girls of noble birth singing of his virtues while escorting the Golden Shield, previously bestowed upon him by the citizens of Rome, to the Capitol.[citation needed] At this time the Parilia became Rome's birthday celebration rather than the rural festival it had once been. In 121 AD, Hadrian founded a new temple of Venus and Roma and changed the festival’s name to Romaea. This temple was ruined in the 9th century.

Ceremony

The pastoral structure of the festival is carried out by the shepherd himself. After the sheep pen had been decorated with green branches and a wreath draped on the gate, the remainder of the ceremony took place in sequence. At the first sign of daylight, the shepherd would purify the sheep: by sweeping the pen and then constructing a bonfire of straw, olive branches, laurel, and sulfur. The noises produced by this burning combination were interpreted as a beneficial omen. The shepherd would jump through this flame, dragging his sheep along with him. Offerings of millet, cakes, and milk were then presented before Pales, marking the second segment of the ceremony. After these offerings, the shepherd would wet his hands with dew, face the east, and repeat a prayer four times. Such prayers requested Pales’s assistance in freeing the shepherd and the flock from evils brought about by accidental wrongdoings (e.g. trespassing on sacred grounds and removing water from a sacred water source). The final portion of the rural festival made use of the beverage burranica, a combination of milk and sapa (boiled wine). After consumption of this beverage, the shepherd would leap through the fire three times, bringing an end to the ceremony.

The urban form of the Parilia, on the other hand, is blended with other Roman religious practices and carried out by a priest. Ovid personally participated in this form and describes his experiences in the Fasti. While the central actions of the rural ceremony carry over, the urban form adds two ingredients from other religious festivals: the Fordicidia and the October Horse. The Fordicidia sacrifices a pregnant cow to the deity Tellus to promote cattle and field fertility. The unborn calf is then removed from the womb and burnt. The October Horse is the right hand horse of the team that won a particular chariot race on October 15 of the previous year. Together, the ashes of the unborn calf and the blood from the head of the October Horse are mixed by the Vestals and are added to the burning bean straw of the bonfire. Dumézil questioned whether the Equus October provided the horse blood, since the two ancient sources that mention the ingredient omit identifying the victim.

(Footnote references omitted; boldfaced emphasis added.)

Edited November 18, 2023 by DonnaML

[Coinmaster]

Wow Donna, congrats!

I wonder why this coin is so scarce? Any thoughts? I like the earthquake suggestion as opposite to 'TELLVS STABIL'

[Sulla80]

 

@DonnaML, I think we share an enjoyment of the quest to better understand the people, images, and context for ancient coins.  My thoughts often turn to the question "how do we know what we know?" as I write up my notes on ancient coins.  You might enjoy Mary Beard's book "How do we look"

https://www.amazon.com/How-Do-We-Look-Civilization-ebook/dp/B07BLL24RV

The following comment from Mary Beard comes to mind as we try to imagine how an ancient Roman would see the figure of Tellus represented by Hadrian or whether a reclining figure of Mother Earth would be recognizable as Tellus-type to an ancient Roman.  How was the goddess of fertile mother Earth recognized in the eye's of a second century CE Roman?

"So much depends on who is looking, from ancient master or ancient slave to eighteenth-century connoisseur or twenty-first-century tourist.  And so much depends on the context in which they look, whether ancient cemetery or temple, English stately home, or modern museum.  I am not sure that is is ever possible entirely to recreate the views of those who first saw classical art, I am not sure it is the be all end all of our understanding (the changing ways these objects have been see through the centuries is an important part of their history too)."

-Mary Beard, How do we look

We can try to piece together bits of the context from their times and look at how contemporaries described - this for me is the fascination of reading for myself contemporary authors and not just their interpreters over the centuries.  And even there we have the writings of so few - can we fully know their position in society and how that might have reflected "How they look" at the people and society around them?

Mattingly's "Tellus type" applied to the reclining provincial images of Aegyptos and Africa recalls "Mother Earth" with attributes aligned and given the bountiful agricultural needs served by these provinces, that would perhaps not be surprising to Roman's. Mattingly also references often Toynbee's monograph which describes the Hadrianic personification of provinces in a very different way than the many "captured" provinces under Vespasian and Trajan:

- The Hadrianic School: a chapter in the History of Greek Art. By Jocelyn M. C. Toynbee. Cambridge University Press, 1934.

It is interesting to add that the Temple of Tellus was where the Roman leadership gathered after the assassination of Julius Caesar - 17 March 44, the first meeting after Julius Caesar's assassination.  The Republic was about to come apart at the seams.  Would this connection be in the minds of Roman citizens? A striking link between the stability of the Republic and Tellus.

"Hoping, as I did, that the Republic had at last been restored to your guidance and authority, I took the view that I ought to stay on a vigil, so to speak, of the sort that befits a consular and a senator. In fact, from that day on which we were summoned to the Temple of Tellus, neither did I withdraw anywhere from, nor did I take my eyes off public affairs. In that temple, so far as was in my power, I laid the foundations of peace and revived the ancient Athenian precedent, even adopting the Greek term [amnestia] that was used by that community in laying their quarrels to rest at that time; that is, I proposed that all recollection of disputes should be obliterated and forgotten for all time."

-Cicero, Philippic I

From the time of Augustus, Virgil calls to Tellus - there is an association with hard work and the ploughman

0 fortunatos nimium, sua si bona norint, agricolas, quibus ipsa procul discordibus armis fundit humo facilem victum iustissima Tellus!
"Earth is a hard mistress, but still she is the justest of all created beings"

- VIrgil, Georgics, 2.458ff

We know that Tellus was no minor deity in the Roman Pantheon and not invented by Hadrian:

"Fabius Pictor enumerates these lesser gods, who the flamen Cerealis invokes when offering sacrifice to Tellus and Ceres: Vervactor, Reparator, Imporcitor, Insitor, Obarator, Occator, Sarritor, Subruncinator, Messor, Convector, Conditor, and Promitor."

- Maurus Servius Honoratus, Commentary on the Georgics of Vergil

There is a temple to Tellus Mater on the Esquiline Hill that dated from about 268BC. There are no remains of the Temple of Tellus but it's location is convincingly supported by Dionysius of Halicarnassus and a Severan era map in marble.

For me, there could intention in associating Hadrian with a more ancient and enduring goddess - reinforcing long lasting security and stability. Mattingly sums up this coin nicely: "True prosperity has been secured, public credit stands high, justice rules the state, and citizens and Empire are secure. Rome stands blessed in her ruler, rising above the wrecks of time, and the whole world, established in its foundations, shares in the blessings of the reign"

The search for true understanding (omniscience?) is infinite - in the mean time added evidence is always appreciated.

Edited November 19, 2023 by Sulla80