A provincial benefactress dedicates coinage to Livia

[seth77]

This is an interesting coinage:


AE14mm 2.55g minted at Eumenea in Phrygia
HPA ΛΕΙΒΙΑ; bare-headed Livia with some drapery
ΕΥΜ / ΕΝΕΩΝ / ΚΑΣΤΟΡΙΣ / ΣΩΤΙΡΑ inside wreath 

There is an interesting symbolic connection here that works two-fold -- between Livia Augusta and Hera and between Kastoris (soteira) and Livia. This is likely the first instance of a woman holding a local magistrature that is important enough (and independent enough) to allow her to be a minting authority. It is likely that Kastoris was part of an institution of local women that became prominent in Phrygia as Livia became more and more involved in the social affairs of Rome as Augustus' wife (and as an example of female virtues for the rest of the women of Rome and the provinces). 

This coinage might be a reference to the way that the ordo matronarum functioned in the late Republic and early Imperial period, with a certain Imperial woman leading it symbolically while the idea spread into Phrygia and beyond. In fact Phrygia already had a Republican local aristocracy, going back to at least the time of Sulla, as most epigraphic dated evidence relates to the Sullan era (The Women of Akmoneia, P. Thonemann 2010), which makes it more likely that social evolution in the local affairs in towns such as Eumenea, Acmonea, Docimeum, etc. paralleled Rome, especially after Octavian became Augustus. 

When can this coinage be dated to? At Acmonea, the aristocratic women had their own 'club' in 6/7AD (according to the monument dedicated to Tatia as high priestess). But for Eumenea there is also a certain Epigonos (RPC suggests that he was the husband of Kastoris) who struck coinage as philopatris, possibly at around the same time (similar die engraving style), and who dedicated coinage to both Augustus and Tiberius. If we couple this with the fact that from 14AD Livia becomes Julia Augusta, there's a distinct possibility that Kastoris soteira had this coinage minted for the symbolic patron of her ordo matronarum at around this point, with a triple parallelism: Zeus-Hera / Augustus-Livia / Epigonos-Kastoris. 

[Finn235]

Nice example!

I pulled this one from a group lot a year ago but didn't think to research it more than attributing it

[Roman Collector]

That's an interesting and historically important coin, @seth77. Informative write-up, too. Thanks! Here is a coin that makes explicit the comparison of Livia to Hera.

Livia, wife of Augustus, and Julia, daughter of Augustus.
Roman provincial Æ 17.2 mm, 3.44 g.
Mysia, Pergamon, 10 - 2 BCE.
Obv: ΛΙΒΙΑΝ ΗΡΑΝ ΧΑΡΙΝΟΣ, draped bust of Livia as Hera, right.
Rev: ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝ ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗΝ, draped bust of Julia as Aphrodite, right.
Refs: RPC I 2359; BMC 15.139, 249; SGI 213; SNG Copenhagen-467; Vagi 370.
 

[Alegandron]

Cool coin and attribution @seth77

I only have one LIVIA that I can offer up:

 

Egypt, Alexandria. Dattari.

In the name of Livia, wife of Augustus Diobol circa 1-2 (year 31), Æ 23.5mm., 7.46g. Draped bust r.

Rev. Athena standing l., holding Nike and leaning on shield; L-ΛA. Dattari-Savio Pl. 3, 60 (this coin). RPC pag. 692, 5 (this coin cited).
Very rare. Nice brown-green tone. Very Fine
From the Dattari collection.

Naville Comment:  In our opinion is correct the interpretation of Dattari on this coin and the date shown on the Rev. is L-ΛA and not LMA as suggested from RPC.