Faustina Friday – A Couple of Provincials from Plotinopolis in Thrace

[Roman Collector]

Friday felicitations, fellow Faustina fanatics. Today we're going to talk about a city in Thrace about which surprisingly little is known, Plotinopolis. With the recent purchase of a second coin of the city depicting Faustina the Younger, I thought I'd show them off and talk a little about the city.

The Coins

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman provincial Æ 23.1 mm, 7.76 g, 1 h.
Thrace, Plotinopolis, c. 156 CE or later.
Obv: ΦΑVϹΤΕΙΝΑ ϹΕΒΑϹΤΗ, draped bust, right, Beckmann Type 1 hairstyle.
Rev: ΠΛΩΤΕΙΝΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ, nude Apollo advancing, right, holding chlamys and laurel-branch over altar.
Refs: RPC IV.1, 17448 (temporary); cf. Varbanov 1827 (no altar).

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman provincial Æ 22.8 mm, 8.92 g, 7 h.
Thrace, Plotinopolis, c. 156 CE or later.
Obv: ΦΑVϹΤΕΙΝΑ ϹΕΒΑϹΤΗ, draped bust, right, Beckmann Type 1 hairstyle.
Rev: ΠΛΩΤΕΙΝΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ, veiled Demeter standing, l., holding two ears of corn and short torch.
Refs: RPC IV.1, 17541 (temporary); Varbanov 1831.
Notes: Exemplar of the type at RPC. The coin is dated based on its obverse inscription, which parallels the FAVSTINA AVGVSTA inscription used on the imperial issues of Faustina the Younger from AD 155 onward. I have previously written about submitting this coin to RPC.

The Matter of Dating the Coins

Dating these coins is problematic, because of conflicting evidence, which is often the case when dealing with the Roman provincial series. The empress is clearly depicted wearing the Beckmann Type 1 hairstyle, which was used on coins of the Roman imperial series from the beginning of Faustina the Younger's coinage in December 147 until it was replaced by the Beckmann Type 2 hairstyle upon the birth of Lucilla in March 149. However, provincial mints often used anachronistic models for Faustina's portraiture and dating provincial coins by hairstyle can be very problematic. For example, dated coins of Neapolis in Samaria or Alexandria in Egypt may depict the empress wearing hairstyles the empress abandoned more than a decade previously. Moreover, the entirety of the Plotinopolis mint's output for Faustina the Younger depicts her in this same coiffure, and it's unlikely that the mint struck coins for her only during the late 140s CE. It seems more probable that the mint intermittently issued coins for her over the course of some years.

The obverse inscription, ΦΑVϹΤΕΙΝΑ ϹΕΒΑϹΤΗ, exactly parallels the FAVSTINA AVGVSTA inscription introduced on coins of the Roman imperial series in 156 CE. While this is the only inscription used for Faustina on coins of Plotinopolis, inscriptions on other provincial mints may parallel those used on earlier coins in the imperial series. I place greater weight on the inscription than I do on the hairstyle for purposes of dating provincial coins and I believe these two coins were produced sometime in or after 156 CE, though this date should be understood to be a matter of conjecture.

Plotinopolis

Ancient Plotinopolis was located in western Thrace, south of Hadrianopolis, near the mouth of the Ergines River in the Hebros Mountains.[1] Remnants of an early settlement on the hill Hagia Petra can be traced to the Neolithic, and on the hill Kales until the early Iron Age. The town was re-founded under Trajan and named Plotinopolis in honor of his wife. In late antiquity, Plotinopolis was one of the most important Thracian cities, as can be clearly demonstrated by spectacular excavation finds.[2] In the seventh century, the city was finally renamed Didymoteichon.[3]

Among the archaeological discoveries in the ancient city were the public baths. Digging where he believes the baths were located, archaeologist Matthew Koutsoumanis has recently unearthed the large and well-preserved mosaic that once covered the bath building's floors.[4] This is illustrated below.[5]

The public bath in Plotinopolis dates to the second half of the second or the early-third century CE. The mosaics on the bath floor show various scenes from Greek mythology, including the stories of Leda and the swan and the labors of Hercules, as well as a great variety of intricate, multicolored geometric patterns.

Do you have any coins of Plotinopolis? Let’s see them! As always, post coins, comments, or anything you feel is relevant!

~~~

Notes

1. "Plotinopolis." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Jan. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plotinopolis.

2. Vărbanov, Ivan Ivanov. Greek Imperial Coins and Their Values: (The Local Coinage of the Roman Empire). 3, Thrace (from Perinthus to Trajanopolis), Chersonesos Thraciae, Insula Thraciae, Macedonia. Adicom, 2007, p. 208.

3. P. Soustal, "Didymoteichon" in Tabula Imperii Byzantini 6: Thrakien. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1991, pp. 240-244.

4. "Digs & Discoveries - Roman Bath Tiles - Archaeology Magazine - March/April 2012." Archaeology Magazine, 8 Aug. 2024, archaeology.org/issues/march-april-2012/digs-discoveries/roman-bath-tiles/.

5. Photos by Matthew Koutsoumannis, Archaeology Magazine, op. cit.

Edited October 29, 2024 by Roman Collector
New photo

[shanxi]

Nice coins and write up. Here is my Faustina/Plotinopolis example, an obverse die match with your first coin.

Faustina Junior
Thrace, Plotinopolis
AE23
Obv: ΦAVCTEINA CEBACTH, Draped bust right.
Rev: ΠΛΩΤΕΙΝΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ, Hera? standing left, holding patera and sceptre.
AE, 8.19g, 22.7mm
Ref.: BMC 5

Edited October 11, 2024 by shanxi

[JAZ Numismatics]

I love me some rugged, crusty provincials!