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What ancient ruler do you identify with the most?


Ryro

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While I'm waiting on some exciting coins to do write ups on in the mail, I thought it would be fun for us to share which ancient King/Emperor/ruler do you identify with most. NOT who you wish you could be, but following your life's trajectory, your personality, temperament etc do you most feel that you are like. 

As much as I'd love to say, Alcibiades to this question, *whimpers reminiscing of wilder times passed, though I'm a bit of a nomad, I've yet to knocked up a Spartan queen. That and while he was moving around, aside for when he was with the Spartans, he was staying with kings and satraps (I was staying in apartments, trailer parks and the like, 22 different "homes" by the time I was 20). My life has been a run of conquering everything around me or utter failure and then trucking along until my next adventure came along. It's kinda my jam. If I get beat up, kicked out or fired I pick up the pieces and move on. 

So, I'm going with Pyrrhos King of Epiros.

YpmBhgrRcvj9Yld3MKaemQ.jpg.9ae62f4d4b29e8f7445eb25b35a9b20c.jpg

Like me, the guy was on the move ever since he was a baby! Though, he was forced to flee Epiros in a truly dramatic fight due to enemies of his family coming to kill the infant, narrowly escaping them with his nurse carrying him across a raging river!

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He has been described as the most handsome man since, his first cousin once removed, Alexander The Great. Though, according to Plutarch "In the aspect of his countenance Pyrrhus had more of the terror than of the majesty of kingly power. He had not many teeth, but his upper jaw was one continuous bone, on which the usual intervals between the teeth were indicated by slight depressions."

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Thick lips, perfect nose lol, great head of hair and an upper jaw that was just one long tooth. Check, check, checkity check and check! 😉

Throughout his life Pyrrhos was King of Epiros, Macedon, the Molossians and tyrant of Tarentum (just found the name of my metal group) and Syracuse! He also nearly conquered Athens and defeated the Romans in 2 of 3 or 1 of 3 engagements. Due to the mass of reserves Rome had in its provinces they were always able to recover quickly from a loss. This and their methodical killing machine  known as the Phalanx, would lead Pyrrhos to utter the words that would stay with his name through the ages. As one of his generals was congratulating him on a victory against the Romans, looking at the cost it had on his army, Pyrrhos was supposed to have said:

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Hopefully my end won't be so utterly absurd. While engaged in street fighting in a town he'd besieged, supposedly one of the soldiers he was fighting against grandmothers dropped a large tile on top of his head from high above. It is believed this knocked him out giving his enemies a chance to cut off his head, or even more embarrassing it was also said that his own men in the confusion slew him while unconscious for his enemies to severe his head later. 

Thankfully, unlike Alcibiades, Pyrrhos left us a treasure trove of coinage! Here's a hair of the dog:

(Note the retrograde Greek spelling of King on this one)

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Pyrrhos (of Epiros) 287-285 BC and 274-273 BC. Æ 18mm (3.17 g, 8h). Uncertain Macedonian mint. Macedonian shield with monogram of Pyrrhos in central boss / BAΣI and Pyrrhic monogram retrograde, Macedonian helmet; labrys below; all within oak-wreath. SNG Alpha Bank 971. VF, green patina, a little porous. Very rare

 

Former: Savoca

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Pyrrhos of Epiros

as King of Macedon (287-285 and 274-273 BC). AE17 (4.81 g), Macedonian mint.

Obv. Macedonian shield with king´s monogram on boss.

Rev: BAΣI, Macedonian helmet within oak wreath, star below.

SNG Alpha Bank 971.

 

 

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Pyrrhus

(278-276 BCE) Sicily, Syracuse, AE 23mm 10.25 gr, head of young Herakles left, wearing lion's skin, rev. Athena Promachos advancing right w/owl to right of foot (SNG ANS 852), attractive smooth green patina, good very fine

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SICILY, Syracuse

Pyrrhos. 278-276 BC. Æ Litra 21mm. Head of Herakles left, wearing lion skin; [cornucopia behind] / Athena Promachos right; wreath to left.

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Pyrrhus

EPIRUS. AMBRAKIA. Kings of Epirus., 297-272 BCE AE (5.15g, 20 mm). Obv .: Head of Zeus left Reverse: lightening bundle in oak wreath between B and Pyrrhus monogram. SNG Cop. 102; BMC 44; HGC 3.1 271.

 

 

So please tell us who do you identify with?

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Edited by Ryro
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While I'd like to be a mastermind like Augustus or brave and daring as Alexander, I know I'm neither of those. Tbh I'm a pragmatist with a hint of exploring new things in life, that's why I feel more close to Trajan. 

IMG-2544.jpg.1c4dd69ce7d49edb3f38c3efe3d47098.jpg

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Me? I'm not very adventurous. I'm a homebody, not being one to travel. I avoid conflict and don't like a lot of drama. I think of myself as a capable, competent administrator. I feel a strong sense of duty to others. People would say I'm boring. I am proud of my children and am happy to report a grandbaby on the way! 🙂

I am Antoninus Pius!

[IMG]
Antoninus Pius, AD 138-161.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 23.46 g, 32.3 mm, 12 h.
Rome, December 159 - December 160.
Obv: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XXIII, laureate head, right.
Rev: PIETATI AVG COS IIII, Pietas, standing facing, head left, holding globe in extended right hand and child on left arm; on either side of her, small girl standing, raising one hand.
Refs: RIC 1031; BMCRE 2088-90; Cohen 621; Strack 1192; RCV 4205.

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@RyroAre you sure "incuse" is the word you're looking for in your first illustration? I've blown it up enormously and squinted every which way, but I'm just not seeing the reverse inscription as anything but raised. (Not to be too much of a know-it-all, just a tiny one, but is it possible you meant to say "retrograde"?)

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17 minutes ago, Phil Davis said:

@RyroAre you sure "incuse" is the word you're looking for in your first illustration? I've blown it up enormously and squinted every which way, but I'm just not seeing the reverse inscription as anything but raised. (Not to be too much of a know-it-all, just a tiny one, but is it possible you meant to say "retrograde"?)

Lol. Nailed it. Sorry for the confusion.  Retrograde is what my brain meant. 

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 I seem to identify with the stoic philosophy. One of my favorite lines in Latin was from Seneca, "Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt" or "the fates lead the willing and drag the resisting". There are no coins of Seneca , and his student Nero certainly was not very receptive to his teachings. But we do have a great leader who was  - Marcus Aurelius. His Meditations are relevant to this day.

 

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I think being the "first" Roman Ruler would be cool => Augustus 

 

Ummm, I probably like A-Pius' coins the best, but being Numero-Uno-Ruler-Augustus would be pretty hard to beat

 

 

Augustus AE As Celsa Bull.jpg

augustus ax.jpg

augustus bx.jpg

Augustus Elephant Sestertius.jpg

 

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... however, I'm pretty sure that the mods think I'm a bit more like Caligula (sigh)

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Edited by Steve
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"While I'm waiting on some exciting coins to do write ups on in the mail, I thought it would be fun for us to share which ancient King/Emperor/ruler do you identify with most. NOT who you wish you could be, but following your life's trajectory, your personality, temperament etc do you most feel that you are like." 

Thanks, @Ryro, for an inspired OP, replete with your admirably nuanced criteria.  And I'm Needing the Snoop Dogg, with the sustained allusion to George Clinton.

...Um,there have to be two.  No, three.  All for different reasons.  And since you posted this in 'General,' I'm hoping you're okay with European medieval.

C:\Users\alan\Pictures\Henry II Tealby London penny.jpg

 

Henry II, King of England 1154-1189.

AR penny of London, Cross-crosslet / ‘Tealby’ coinage, class A2 (c. 1158-1161).
Obv.  Henry facing, crowned, holding a sceptre surmounted by a cross in his right hand.  (His hand, and the jewelled left /right-hand edge of his cloak, extend to the lower part of the outer edge.)
[From 8 o’clock:]  +h[EN]rI rE[X] ANG  (‘HENRI REX ANG[LIE];’ Henry, King of England).
Rev.  Cross; St. Andrew’s crosslets in each angle.
[From 11 o’clock:]  +SWETM[AN ON L]VN  (‘SWETMAN ON LVN[DE];’  the moneyer Swetman, in London.)
North 952 /2 (and p. 218, ‘Tealby Coinage: Mints and Moneyers’); Spink 1137.

What I have to like about Henry II is that, along with his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, he was literate.  Which, for rulers in western Europe as of the mid-12th century, was, well, exactly nothing you could count on.  And that, while he had some aptitude for it, he didn't  enjoy war, preferring diplomacy (and castle building) whenever they looked to him like viable alternatives.  (Cf. W. L. Warren's old but good biography, in the UC /Berkeley 'English Monarchs' series.)

http://www.vcoins.com/ancient/lodgeantiquities/store/catalog/3595LG.jpg

This is his grandson and namesake, H #3.  (Here I'm mostly copying and pasting from an older document, which has never seen the light of day.)  AR penny of London, long cross type, Class IIa, 1248.  Ex Brussels Hoard.
Obv.  Henry facing, crowned.  
[With ellisions of the letter ‘R’:] *hEN2ICVS REX TE2CI’  (“HENRICVS REX TERCI[VS];” King Henry the Third).
Rev.  Voided long cross, three pellets in each angle.
[From 1 o’clock:]  HIC [/] OLE [/] ON L [/] VND (“NICOLE ON LVND[E];” [the moneyer] Nicole of London).
North 985/1 (and p. 228 for mint and moneyer); Spink (2009) 1361 (and p. 146 for mint and moneyer); Stewartby pp. 80-82. Attributed to the Brussels Hoard by the seller, in the UK.  ...Right, their two cents, for what they're worth.


C:\Users\alan\Pictures\IIIb,OXFORD,obv.jpg C:\Users\alan\Pictures\III B OX 1 REV.jpg King John with an unsteady crown, depicted in a manuscript of 'Abbreviatio chronicorum Angliae', an abridged version of the chronicle of Matthew Paris, produced in St Albans 1250-59

AR penny of Oxford, long cross type, Class IIIb, c. 1248-1250.  (Weakness of strike obscuring some elements of the legends and designs.)

Obv.  Henry facing, crowned.

*hEN2ICV[S RE]X III’  (“HENRICVS REX III[VS];” King Henry III[rd]).  

Rev.  Voided long cross, three pellets in each angle.  

[From 1 o’clock:]  A)A [/] MO\I [/  O]XO [/] NFO  (“ADAM ON OXONFO[RD];” Adam [Feteplace, moneyer] in Oxford).

North 987 (and p. 228 for mint and moneyer); Spink (2009) 1363 (and p. 147 for mint and moneyer); Stewartby pp. 82-3, 86 (for mint and moneyer).

This example provides an amusing evocation of political developments within a few years of its issue.  Relative to the alignment of the eyes and nose (although not the initial star in the legend), Henry’s crown seems to be slightly askew.  (Of this class, North notes only that the portrait is “usually of coarse work.”  See p. 226, entry for 987 /Class 3b.)  A contemporary instance of similar visual rhetoric (above, right) is found in a manuscript illustration of Henry's father, King John.  (Matthew Paris, Abbreviatio chronicorum Angliae, 1250-59.  Picture from the website for the UK magazine, History Today: http://www.historytoday.com/graham-e-seel/good-king-john.)   

What I need about Henry II's grandson, No. III, is that he combined a lively interest in the arts (notably architecture, both ecclesiastical and secular military), and a resonantly affectionate family life, with his father's effectively total incompetence where politics (um, kind of a thing, if you're the king) were concerned.  --As someone on the Autism spectrum, I have to identify with this seemingly contrasting set of dynamics.

Right, saving the best for last.

Aksum /Axum, Ezana the Great, AR unit, c. 330 CE.

image.jpeg.2e7595de8a9a736455b52934a53fcc5e.jpeg

Obv.  Ezana facing right, with an earring (cf., hmm, Byzantine emperors of the Comnenan period, along with Hendrix at Woodstock), wearing a do rag headcloth, tied in back. 

Obv. (From 8 o'clock:) HZA [star and crescent; a common religious device in the Middle and Near East from pre-Islamic times...] NAC (Koine Greek: EZA ...NAC; Ezanas.)

Rev. smaller profile.  (The double portrait evokes the commonest, c. 2nd c. CE issues of the neighboring Himyarites in southern Arabia /Yemen.  And, yes, Aksum was primarily a maritime power, with sustained trade contacts at least as far as southwestern India.)

(From 12 o'clock:) the same star and crescent; BACI/\IEY.C (BACILEUS; the King.)

Munro-Hay Type 39.  Cf. Munro-Hay (in African Zion: The Sacred Art of Ethiopia; Yale UP: 1993), p. 107, No. 24.

I can't lie.  I need it that Ezana converted to Christianity, as little as a decade after Constantine I did the same thing. 

From Ezana's extant stone inscriptions, along with his coins (some of which dispense with any religious symbolism), you can get the sense of an interval of ambivalence, regarding his willingness to publicly acknowledge his newfound religious loyalty.  I like to see this In direct comparison to Constantine's very recent precedent.  When you're the monarch of a major regional superpower, ruling a widely diverse set of ethnic and religious demographics, you might want to avoid being too explicit about such matters. 

Aside from Ezana's (rare, corespondingly stratospheric) gold coins, it's mainly from some time later in the 4th century, in conspicuously anonymous AE issues, that crosses become a main part of the motifs.  Here's one.

image.jpeg.bbbc685a86a556fcf7311ec895249bab.jpeg

Anonymous, c. late 4th c.  Obv.  (From 8 o'clock:) BACI(....)/\EVC.

Rev. Voided Latin cross (no inlay).  TOYTOAPECHTTHXWP[A?].  ('May this please the country.')  Munro-Hay pp. 141-2, No. 52, noting numerous variants in the reverse motif and legend.

 

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Lately I feel like Gallienus. Things are a mess, I’m clawing tooth and nail to keep things together but everyone is thinking “well, he’s not very nice.” Haha. I can only hope that, like Gallienus, hindsight leads people to realize, ‘yeah he was handed a pile of turds and did what could be done considering.’

I’m working toward a more Trajanesque status. Forward!

1064800704_GallienusMilanRICV-1-467c2.JPG.344c061ff6d28749af4e5f7e6ab7ec86.JPG

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Something easy to like about Gallienus, in spite of the fact that his world was going to Hell, Too, is his patronage of Plotinus.  Effectively the  founder of 'Neo-Platonism,' a somewhat mystical philisophical take on the Classical variety --which was already that much more 'right brain' than Plato's more proto-Empirical student, Aristotle. 

...Which proceeded to give Augustine, the theologian and eventual saint, a lot of the philosophical infrastructure that he leaned on for his own stuff.

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I think I identify myself with Vespasian. Although I am getting older and more boring, my sense of humor was my best thing that defined me.

[quote]By 79 AD, Vespasian was dying, but his sense of humor remained intact. "Oh dear!" he joked, mocking the Roman tendency to turn dead emperors into gods, "I think I'm becoming a god."  [/quote]

It seems I also start to resemble Vespasian physically, sooner or later I will be bald and let's just say my shape is not exactly fit. 

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Right now I am enjoying a quasi-retirement and growing my cabbages coin collection.  I like to organize people, reform things, and bring an end to the crisis of the third century.  I think sharing with your friends is important (cf. the tetrarchy).  I don't like mess and sympathize with the elimination of provincial coinage in favour of a uniform system (though I hasten to add, wearing my collector's hat, that mess can be mighty fine in its place!)  I'm slow and methodical but I get the job done.  Well, usually... sometimes my solutions are a bit impractical! (cf. the Edict on Maximum Prices of 301.)  If you want a well-functioning society, a talented, transparent bureacracy is a necessary evil (Wikipedia: "he effected a large increase in the number of bureaucrats at the government's command" and "it was most likely at this time that judicial records became verbatim accounts of what was said in trial, making it easier to determine bias or improper conduct on the part of the governor.")   Sadly, this requires taxation, especially on the rich ("from at least 297 on, imperial taxation was standardized, made more equitable, and levied at generally higher rates...)  

Hopefully it doesn't all fall apart after I'm gone, like it did for him!

I also have a beard and my favourite colour is purple ("forbade the use of purple cloth to all but the emperors" - I guess sharing can go too far? 😆)  Is this why I like Diocletian's coins so much? 😄

Disavowing: heavy-duty autocracy (though my kids may be skeptical of this disavowal 😆) and those persecutions!!  Missing: I like @Roman Collector's choice of Antoninus Pius ("the One Good Emperor of the alleged Five?) – a generous and competent family man who was generally a nice guy!  I at least strive to meet this standard, so I'll tack on an A. Pi coin at the end...

One of Diocletian's first coins, an antoninianus from Antioch:

image.jpeg.4e6a5808caadaf81aa959468f81505a9.jpeg

The end of provincial coinage (a tetradrachm from Alexandria, Egypt, year 10 = 293-94):

image.jpeg.bd094a9d2cfd4af1916ae7a017020d4c.jpeg

A tiny laureate from the initial phase of the coinage reform, probably worth 1 denarius communis:

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And a later nummus/follis:

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Finally, giving flowers to his wife:

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^an abdication follis, Rome mint.  Diocletian was the first emperor to voluntarily abdicate (due to illness).

But since he's not really giving flowers to his wife, here's an actual family man tacked on at the end!

image.jpeg.64e79d67806741b0fbb00cc9b10f1c16.jpeg

 

 

Edited by Severus Alexander
wife, not wire!
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6 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

I am Antoninus Pius!

An emperor like a blank slate. I haven't noticed him in a positive or negative way. He was simply there. No one noticed...

4 hours ago, Octavius said:

Marcus Aurelius. His Meditations are relevant to this day.

The man was already too stoic for me. He was so stoic that he made me lose my cool. Moreover, it is his fault that the successful system of the adoptive emperors was interrupted. For me, he stands for the beginning of the end of the Roman 

4 hours ago, Steve said:

I think being the "first" Roman Ruler would be cool => Augustus 

Since I watched the series "ROME", I can't like him anymore. Ok - it's only a fictional series - but in the second season he was so badly played and also portrayed by the directors - something stuck. Even though I know it's a lot of fiction. But this series has destroyed my image of Augustus.

1 hour ago, ambr0zie said:

I think I identify myself with Vespasian.

Finally, someone with taste here... 😉

 

Hey guys - this is just for fun - no personal attacks 😉 ... don't be angry with me ... 😄 

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Ok. Then I would like to have a go, even if it scares me a bit.

 

Caligula_sestertius_RIC_33_680999.jpg

Since the ancient sources describe Caligula almost unanimously as an insane tyrant and numerous scandalous stories surround the person of the emperor, he has become the subject of fiction and popular science treatments like hardly any other ruler personality of antiquity.

Something draws me to this ruler. Perhaps I am also a little insane and crazy. Maybe because I don't like humanity very much. Maybe because I'm a bit of a misanthrope. I think Caligula was perhaps mad to a conscience degree - but I also think - he deliberately wanted to expose all the mendacity, ambiguity, corruption and lust for power of the ruling class and hold a mirror up to them.

It is a pity that his collecting area is very limited - and very expensive - and there are hardly any real good affordable pieces for a large collection. Or let's put it this way. I also have other hobbies than building up my fortune for a pure Caligula collection. Too bad, because Caligula would actually be my desired collecting area. 

 

Nuremberg_chronicles_f_143r_3.jpg

A second person - and she is also female - to whom I feel personally drawn historically is Amalaswintha. And I don't even know why. Maybe in former lives one was sometimes male, sometimes female. I don't know. Something connects me to her and her tragic story. That would be my connection to my feminine side...

 

Mr Meier, there's something wrong with "Hasi".... (German joke)

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Marcus Aurelius

I read the meditations, and his philosophy fits with mine.  Moreover, he was the husband of Faustina II. :classic_cool:

However, I fear that in reality I would probably be one of the boring emperors.

 

normal_Marcus_Aurelius_6.jpg.75896ece1eaf6745ba4dff2ac73d86a9.jpg

Marcus Aurelius
AR Denar, Rome
Obv.: AVRELIVS CAES ANTON AVG PII F, head bare
Rev.: TR POT XIII COS II, Spes advancing left, holding flower, raising skirt
Ag, 3.32g, 16.2mm
Ref.: RIC III (A.P.) 479

 

 

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It seems I'm not like any emperor. If I'm honest, I'm probably more like Verica, ruler of the Atrabates tribe in Iron Age Britain (in whose homeland I happen to live). He inherited his throne from his rebel leader father, then endeared himself to his people by importing Roman wine, and generally being pro-European in the interests of prosperity. He was quite happy to cede a little power to Rome for that purpose. When the warmongering Catuvellauni occupied his northern capital, he fled to Rome, seeking the support of Claudius. That served as the pretext for the Roman invasion of Britain in AD43.

Verica Minim, AD10-40image.png.0a861cd32fe9ceb896478e7590ab7719.pngSilchester or Chichester, Atrebates tribe. Silver, 7mm, 0.35g. Wine cup; REX above. Eagle right; VERICA COMMI F around (S 159).

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When in high spirits, Hadrian. Who wouldn't want to be like him? A cultivated, capable, open-minded an foresightful man who was endeared to all things beautiful and loved to travel and see the world. Also, he unreservedly preferred peace and prosperity to conflict and glory, albeit without acting like a pushover. I can look up to that.

1226160079_RomHadrianAsSalus.jpg.8ad5928cb115a01e423a977bc21c4650.jpg

Hadrian, Roman Empire, AE as, 125–128 AD, Rome mint. Obv: HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS; bust of Hadrian, laureate, r. Rev: COS III; Salus, draped, standing r., feeding snake out of patera; in fields flanking, SC. 26mm, 10.2g. Ref: RIC II Hadrian, 669c.

 

In darker hours, Julian II. He was cerebral but stubborn, and his attempt to turn back the tide and return Roman culture and politics to classical philosophy was a lost cause right from the beginning. He tried his best, though.

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Julian II, Roman Empire, AE1, 361–363 AD, Antioch mint. Obv: DN FL CL IVLIANVS PF AVG; diademed, draped, cuirassed bust of Julian II r. Rev: SECVRITAS REIPVB; bull standing r., two stars above; mintmark (branch) ANT (branch). 27.5mm, 8.54g. RIC VIII Antioch 216.

Edited by Ursus
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I've always felt an affinity with the complex character of Constantius II

I feel that I have come to be an adult in quite a tumultuous time. The economy is wavering, major conflicts appear on the horizon, the socioreligious order of things has recently changed, and the hegemony of my geopolitical sphere appears precarious but is currently holding on. Any lustre remaining from the previous golden age has all but gone, and the situation although not disastrous yet, appears bleak. Like Constantius' eastern front, I sometimes feel that life is on a treadmill and a lot of effort is being expended to remain in the same place. I have often been accused of being aloof and hard to reach by anyone I am not very close with, much like Constantius' political court. 

Furthermore, I tend to be quite a practical individual and work actively to solve issues. Like Constantius in 337 to a (much :classic_biggrin:) lesser degree, I tend to prefer heavy handed approaches that don't leave room for uncertainty. However, as indicated by Julian's testimony, like Constantius, I can be quite sensitive to the fallout and can fall into rumination. 

I enjoy theological/philosophical discussion and trying to manipulate ideas to find suitable compromises, like Constantius' official position regarding the Arian controversy. I am principled, like Constantius was in defence of the dynasty against Magnentius, even though he'd had his run ins with Constans. However, common sense approach that causes the least hassle will always prevail in my mind, such as when Constantius made Julian his heir, despite his declaration of war. 

Lastly, Ammianus declared that Constantius never ate fruit. As much as I love my greens and veg, I cant' stomach fruit either. 

 

IMG_20220318_023058.jpg

Edited by Steppenfool
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10 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

Me? I'm not very adventurous. I'm a homebody, not being one to travel. I avoid conflict and don't like a lot of drama. I think of myself as a capable, competent administrator. I feel a strong sense of duty to others. People would say I'm boring. I am proud of my children and am happy to report a grandbaby on the way! 🙂

I am Antoninus Pius!

[IMG]
Antoninus Pius, AD 138-161.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 23.46 g, 32.3 mm, 12 h.
Rome, December 159 - December 160.
Obv: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XXIII, laureate head, right.
Rev: PIETATI AVG COS IIII, Pietas, standing facing, head left, holding globe in extended right hand and child on left arm; on either side of her, small girl standing, raising one hand.
Refs: RIC 1031; BMCRE 2088-90; Cohen 621; Strack 1192; RCV 4205.

CONGRATS on the Grandbaby on the way!!!

Edited by Alegandron
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Alexander aside; it was his FATHER, PHILIP II that built the Makedon state from a ruined country, created a first Nationalized State in Europe, built an incredibly effective and innovative phalanx Army, and built an incredibly effective Cavalry. He went on to unify most of Greece, pacified Thrace, and mined wealth in Gold and Silver to finance the means to attack and conquer Persia. He started this process BEFORE Alexander III was born, he masterminded unifying Greece when Alexander was too young, and he developed the plans to conquer Persia well before Alexander was mature enough to participate. Philip was cut down too Early.

With Philip's Plans; Philip's innovative, tried, and seasoned Army and Cavalry; Greece pacified and unified at his back; Thrace pacified behind his back; owning rich mines that Philip acquired that financed the War efforts; Alexander III was able to execute Philip II's plans and conquered Persia.

and, yes, I am an INTJ...

THE BRILLIANT MASTERMIND, PHILIP II:

Makedon Philip II Tet Pella LIFETIME 353-349 Zeus Horse star spearhd Le Rider 102.JPG 
Makedon Philip II Tet Pella LIFETIME 353-349 Zeus Horse star spearhd Le Rider 102

Edited by Alegandron
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I have nothing of an emperor, and the world is better if I am not since I'm a kind of master procrastinator 😄 , where the rule of the world needs decisions and choices (the only place I can take quick decisions is at work, which is what is expected from a GP sometimes, I guess).

But since you ask @Ryro I would go with Hadrian, because I love to travel and to look at the world from a distance. The bit I don't take is Antinoos, as, unlike Hadrian I really love my wife 🙂

Hadrian and Salus

18dcaa6b49624580b016e93caa5588bc.jpg

Hadrian, As - Rome mint, AD 126
HADRIANUS AVGVSTVS, Laureate head of Hadrian right
SALVS AVGVSTI COS III, Salus standing left feeding snake arising from altar. SC in field
11.24 gr
Ref : RCV # 3692, Cohen # 1357

Q

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