Friday, May 04, 2007
Æ tetradrachm, Alexandria, Salonina, Emmett 3851(15)
KOPNHΛIA CALωNEINA CEB, Diademed draped bust right | LIE, Eagle standing left, holding wreath. Transverse palm branch behind. Regnal year across fields.
Both provincials this week are from Alexandria, the capitol of Egypt from the time it was founded by Alexander and until c. 640 when Egypt was captured by Arab armies.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Billon antoninianus, Salonina, Antioch, Göbl 1595c
SALONINA AVG, Draped diademed bust right on crescent | PVDICITIA AVG, Pudicitia standing left, one hand towards face, holding transverse scepter.
Pudicitia was the personification of female modesty and chastity. Imagine pairing the modern equivalent with a current woman of note. The mind boggles.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Æ antoninianus, Galeria Valeria, Serdica, RIC 41
GAL VALERIA AVG, Draped bust right | VENERI VICTRICI, Venus standing facing, head left, holding apple in right hand and raising drapery off shoulder with left. * in left field G in right field, .SM.SD. in exergue.
Galeria Valeria was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Diocletian and wife of Galerius. After his death, she refused to marry Maximinus II and was subsequently executed by a mob acting for Licinius.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Æ tetradrachm, Alexandria, Gallienus, Emmett 3806(13)
AVT K Π ΛIK ΓAΛΛIHNOC CEB, Laureate draped bust right | LIΓ, Eagle standing right, wreath in beak, transverse palm behind. Regnal year across fields.
As they usually do, this coin of Roman Egypt is marked with the year minted, expressed as the count of the emperor's years in office. In this case, IΓ, or 13. This was minted in 266-267.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Æ antoninianus, Gallienus, Rome, Göbl 352a
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate head right | PAX AVG, Pax standing left, raising branch in right hand and holding long transverse scepter in left. T in left field.
Not very different from this post of a week ago, which had the reverse marked "V" to indicate manufacture in the fifth officina (workshop), today we see a "T" mintmark to indicate the third officina. Presumably this mattered so that responsibility for poor quality or stock shrinkage could be determined.
