Saturday, November 06, 2004
Billon antoninianus, Gallienus, Mediolanum, Göbl 1002r
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right, both ribbons behind | LEG IIII FL VI P VI F, Lion springing right.
Another of the legionary series, this honoring Legio IIII Flavia Felix, raised by Vespasian from the remnants of Legio IIII Macedonica.
We think of the lion as an animal of the African grasslands, but it was present throughout Europe and Asia Minor until it was exterminated there. The realistic portrayals of the animal on the coinage of the time clearly originated from personal observations.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Æ26, Viminacium in Moesia Superior, Mariniana, Sear GIC 4521
DIVAE MARINIANAE, Veiled draped bust right | P M S C_OL VIM, Moesia standing, head left, with bull right in left field and lion left in right field. AN [XVI?] in exergue.
Yesterday I posted an imperial coin of Mariniana, today the only provincial issue in her name, from Viminacium (today Kostalac). The imperial issues all feature a peacock reverse, but this has the normal reverse for provincial issues of Viminacium: a figure representing the provinces of Moesia standing between the legionary badges of Legio IV Flavia and Legio VII Claudia.
Viminacium also issued an imperial coin for Mariniana, which suggests to me that they were simultaneously issuing imperial gold, billon silver, and minor Æ, and provincial Æ at the beginning of the joint reign Valerian and Gallienus, though both kinds of Æ were soon discontinued.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Billon antoninianus, Gallienus, Mediolanum, Göbl 1018c
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate head left | LEG XIII GEM VII P VII F, Victory walking right holding wreath aloft in right hand and palm over left shoulder. Lion walking left to meet her.
The "Legionary Series," a series of coins that honor the legions that fought alongside Gallienus in the West, fascinate me more than any other imperial issues of the family. The coins show the badges of the legions on the reverse, and these may be accurate representations of those badges that would have looked right to the legionaries themselves.
While features of the designs are familiar, they're often seen in designs not seen on any other Roman coin, as the Victory and lion scene here.
Also interesting is Legio XIII Gemina, who'd crossed the Rubicon with Caesar in 49 BCE. It's reasonable, I think, to imagine the story was taught to every new recruit.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Æ29, Tyre in Phoenicia, Gallienus, BMC 294, 492var...
(reverse legend, murex shell in left field)
IMP C P LIC GALLIENVS AV, Radiate draped cuirassed bust right | COL TVR_O MET, Eagle holding wreath in beak, standing right, head left, in front of vexillum marked LEG / III / GAL in three lines, murex shell to right.
Like Friday's coin, from the unhappy city of Tyre.
The reverse shows the name of Legio III Gallica, a legion stationed at Tyre, not mentioned in the “Legionary Series” of imperial coins issued at Mediolanum.
IMP C P LIC GALLIENVS AV, Radiate draped cuirassed bust right | COL TVR_O MET, Eagle holding wreath in beak, standing right, head left, in front of vexillum marked LEG / III / GAL in three lines, murex shell to right.
Like Friday's coin, from the unhappy city of Tyre.
The reverse shows the name of Legio III Gallica, a legion stationed at Tyre, not mentioned in the “Legionary Series” of imperial coins issued at Mediolanum.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Billon antoninianus, Gallienus, Mediolanum, Göbl 990r
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right, both ribbons behind | LEG II ADI VI P VI F, Pegasus springing right.
As with all the coins in the "legionary series", the reverse shows the name and badge of a legion loyal to Gallienus in wars against usurpers. The legion here is Legio II Adiutrix, raised by Vespasian in 70 CE.
With their visual connection to emblems carried by the legions, the legionary coins are favorites with both Gallienus specialists and more-general collectors alike.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Billon antoninianus, Gallienus, Mediolanum, Göbl 1022r
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right | LEG IIXX VI P VI F, Capricorn springing right.
Odd, odd. While LEG IIXX isn't a conventional use of Roman numerals, it seems that the legion being honored here is Legio XXII Primigenia pia fidelis also honored on this contemporary coin which uses a more expected LEG XXII form of the legend.
Göbl attests, unexpectedly, a total of 90 examples of this reverse, making it one of the commonest legionary coins of Gallienus, and only 26 examples of the LEG XXII version.
While I'm also especially fond of the coins of Cyzikus as an intriguing series that I've made a dent in, I'm even more intrigued by the “legionary series” with its badges of the legions being honored. These are the symbols, or at least someone's representation of the symbols, under which the legionaries marched. If all ancient coins offer a chance to touch the past, some coins, like these, give us just a glimpse into the minds of the Romans.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Billon antoninianus, Gallienus, Mediolanum, Göbl 993o
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right, holding spear in left hand over left shoulder | LEG II ITAL VII P VII F, She-wolf standing left, suckling twins.
Of all the coins of Gallienus, I find this legionary series most interesting, the badges of the legions making it clear that these had a particular place in a particular time.
Information on the history of Legio II Italica Pia.
While the VI P VI F (six times loyal, six times faithful) coins that honor the legion's loyalty during the rebellion oof Ingenuus are the most common legionary issues, this has the VII P VII F legend, issued after the defeat of the usurper Regalianus, which is relatively rare. The combination of this reverse and this martial bust is attested by Göbl in only a single example. The plate shows that this isn't that example, so there are doubtless more examples than Göbl knew, but there aren't many.
Amend the constitution, overturn Kelo v. New London.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Billon antoninianus, Gallienus, Mediolanum, Göbl 990n
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right, one ribbon behind, one forward across shoulder | LEG II ADI VI P VI F, Pegasus springing right.
Another of my special favorites, the "Legionary series," coins that specially honor the legions that served under Gallienus. The legion on this coin, Legio II Adiutrix, was raised from naval forces by Vespasian.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
AR denarius, Roman imperatorial period, 32-31 BCE, travelling military mint, Marc Antony, Crawford 544/16
ANT·AVG III·VIR R·P·C, Galley being rowed right | LEG IIII, Legionary eagle between two standards.
After the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE, civil war at Rome was averted for a time by the establishment of the second triumverate, with a 10-year term. With the experation of that term Octavian, at Rome, and Antony, at Alexandria, were ready to contest each other for domination of the Roman world.
Octavian had Agrippa. Antony had Cleopatra. Still, fun while it lasted and all, and before things were done Antony issued a very collectable legionary series of slightly underweight denarii. This one is in the name of Legio IIII Macedonica.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Billon antoninianus, Gallienus, Mediolanum, Göbl 996n
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right | LEG II PART VI P VI F, Centaur standing left, one foreleg raised, holding globe left, cloak flying right.
As Monday's coin did, this too represents one of my collecting weaknesses: the Legionary series of Gallienus, which honors dutifulness and fidelity of the various legions serving Gallienus against various European usurpers, and which features the badges of those legions.
Back in November of last year, I posted this coin, which, like today's coin, honors Legio II Parthica for the sixth pietas et fidelitas. The reverse design there, a centaur leaping right, brandishing club, was used on this legion's late VI P VI F coins, and for all their VII P VII F coins.
The design on today's reverse, a centaur standing left, one foreleg raised, holding globe left, cloak flying right, was used on all their V P V F coins, and their early VI P VI F coins.
I've no idea if the legion actually changed their emblem at this time, or if it's just artistic license.
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Billon antoninianus, Gallienus, Mediolanum, Göbl 988r
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right | LEG I MIN VI P VI F, Minerva standing facing, head left, holding Victory left and spear right. Shield at feet right.
Another coin of the "legionary series", this one honoring Legio I Minervia, founded by the emperor Domitian. I posted an Alexandrian dichalkon of Domitian yesterday, and will have a nice denarius of him for Wednesday coming.
Minerva was particularly favored by Domitian (or he by her), so it's no surprise that a legion he raised would be named for her.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Billon antoninianus, Gallienus, Mediolanum, Göbl 992r
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right | LEG II ITAL VI P VI F, She-wolf standing left, suckling twins.
As noted here, the wolf suckling Romulus and Remus was part of the Roman foundation myth, and here we see that it was used as the emblem of Legio II Italica "Pia", raised in Italy c.165 by Marcus Aurelius.
The coin itself is horribly worn, recognizable mostly by the left-facing she-wolf, but coins of the legionary series are hard to find, and it'll do for now. It was part of an eight-coin lot on eBay and perhaps could have sold for about what the entire lot realized if it had been worth the seller's effort.
On rereading this, the last sentence isn't clear: the effort to sell this as a single may simply not have been worth it. To some extent this coin is a sow's ear, and finding a suitable buyer would be by no means certain.
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Billon antoninianus, Mediolanum, Gallienus, Göbl MIR 36, 709b
Göbl MIR 36, 709b
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right / LEG II PART VI P VI F, Centaur leaping right, brandishing club.
As mentioned earlier, Gallienus issued coins at Mediolanum honoring his legions, featuring their emblems. This one was issued for Legio II Parthica.
