Prieure de Sion Posted November 30, 2023 · Member Share Posted November 30, 2023 Today is somehow oddity day for me. First the Nero "triumphiral arch" Sestertius with his head to the left which is not in the RIC and now I have caught a Carinus Gold Aureus which is probably unpublished. The standard references only know "laureate and cuirassed" - but not this bust type with "laureate, draped and cuirassed". However, I have to take it with caution, I'll have to research it more closely and more deeply tomorrow. Carinus is, perhaps, one of the most underrated evil-doers of the Roman Empire. If the words of the historian Eutropius are of any value, this emperor's reputation was terrible: "He put to death very many innocent men on false charges, seduced the wives of nobles and even ruined those of his school fellows who had taunted him at school, even with trivial banter." (Breviarium IX.19). The histories are persistent about his seemingly insatiable desire for women. The Historia Augusta reports that he was married and divorced nine times, and that he abandoned some of his wives while they were pregnant. We must, of course temper our view, as it is a fact that history is written by the victor. Considering Carinus was overthrown by Diocletian, who subsequently ruled with unquestioned supremacy for two decades, we might suspect that Carinus was unfairly maligned to add greater justification for the revolt of Diocletian who, after all, was little more than just another usurper when his army hailed him emperor against the legitimate emperor Carinus (NAC Text). Marcus Aurelius Carinus; Gold Aureus, 283-285 AD; Mint: Rome; 3.93g; Obverse: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right; IMP C CARINVS P F AVG; Reverse: Abundantia standing left, emptying cornucopiae onto ground; ABVNDANTIA AVGG; Reference: RIC V-308 var. (bust type); Calicó-4341 var. (same); Possibly Unique; unpublished in the standard references and no examples on Coin Archives or OCRE 9 1 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AETHER Posted November 30, 2023 · Member Share Posted November 30, 2023 Beautiful piece, both of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prieure de Sion Posted December 1, 2023 · Member Author Share Posted December 1, 2023 Now, after a long search, I have found a comparison example. Apparently this bust variant is from Siscia, not Rome. However, the website does not provide any other references or explanations. https://fonsartcreand.com/en/artwork/aureus-cam049/ And to be honest, I don't know who or what "The art collection of Creand" is supposed to be. Seems like an art gallery? But what is the coin doing there? Why is it shown among the other works of art? Who circulated it? But I'm going to sleep - it's late and there's still time tomorrow 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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