A beautiful aureus showing Circus Maximus coming up for sale

[Bannerknight]

At the Oslo Myntgalleri's November auction, a rare aureus of Caracalla, showing his restoration of the Circus Maximus is coming up for sale, with a starting price of 64 000 $.

The auction catalogue can be downloaded here: https://www.oslomyntgalleri.no/wp-content/uploads/OMG39_web-2.pdf

The Circus Maximus is located in the valley between the Palatine Hill and Aventine Hill in Rome. The circus was the largest of all ancient buildings in Rome and the main arena for chariot races. Gladiator combats and other games also took place in the arena. The first circus was probably built by the Roman king Tarquinius Priscus in 616-579 BC and then upgraded and rebuilt several times during the centuries. Under emperor Trajan (AD 98-117), the entire structure was rebuilt in stone and lavishly decorated. At this time, the building was 620 meters long and could hold up to 150 000 spectators.

The Circus was again restored during the reign of Caracalla and he celebrated the event with an elaborate depiction of the building on his coinage. The building fell out of use in the Middle Ages and has been quarried for building materials until modern times. Even if the layout of the circus is still visible in Rome, most of the surviving structure is buried under several meters of accumulated soil and debris. Below is a picture of what it might have looked like then - and now.

 

 

Edited October 21, 2024 by Bannerknight

[kirispupis]

Beautiful piece!

One small piece of etiquette though is we typically frown on posting auction items that have not yet hammered. There could be bidders on this forum who don't appreciate the extra attention their targets receive.

That being said, IMHO this one is harmless because I'm sure anyone with the capability of winning such a piece is already aware that it's for sale.

[Bannerknight]

9 hours ago, kirispupis said:

Beautiful piece!

One small piece of etiquette though is we typically frown on posting auction items that have not yet hammered. There could be bidders on this forum who don't appreciate the extra attention their targets receive.

That being said, IMHO this one is harmless because I'm sure anyone with the capability of winning such a piece is already aware that it's for sale.

My apologies, I was not aware of that. I will it in mind for future postings. Thanks for letting me know.

[ominus1]

..well don't fret it ...i showed a coin that "I"M bidding on yesterday and if anyone want to bid on the damn thing they can  in fact i DARE them...:)

[Restitutor]

Hopefully one day the Italian government will try and faithfully rebuild some of these fantastic historic sites. While preservation is important, imagine walking through a re-constructed Circus Maximus... I feel like the Ancient Romans would be flabbergasted we've just left it as a giant patch of grass!

And what a coin! If only my couch had enough change in it to afford it 🤣