POWER OF WORDS

-Ancient Roman Coin Legends

BEKIRCAN TAHBERER - November 2015

PERSONIFICATIONS

ABUNDANTIA-ABUNDANCE

ANNONA-CORN HARVEST

The images on Roman coins were usually intended to convey a message or suggest a state of being.

AEQUITAS-EQUITY, FAIR DEALING

AETERNITAS-ETERNITY, STABILITY

CLEMENTIA-MERCY, CLEMENCY

CONCORDIA-HARMONY, CONCORD

PERSONIFICATIONS

FORTUNA-FORTUNE

GENIUS-SPIRIT

JUSTITIA-JUSTICE

FECUNDITAS-FERTILITY

FELICITAS-HAPPINESS, PROSPERITY

FIDES-GOOD FAITH, CONFIDENCE

PERSONIFICATIONS

HONOS-HONOR

LAETITIA-JOY

LIBERALITAS-LIBERALITY

LIBERTAS-FREEDOM

VICTORIA-VICTORY

SPES-HOPE

VITELLIUS. 69 AD. Æ As (10.16 gm). / FIDES EXERCITVVM (armies), clasped hands.

VESPASIAN. 69-79 AD. AR (3.27 gm). / FIDES PVBL(icum) (the public), clasped hands holding caduceus, poppies, and grain ears.

FIDES - GOOD FAITH, CONFIDENCE

ANTONINUS PIUS. 138-161 AD. Æ Sestertius (22.92 gm). / IMPERATOR II, S C across field, Fides standing right, holding basket of fruit and grain ears.

Maximinus I. AD 235-238. Æ Sestertius (19.42 g). / FIDES MILITVM (soldiers) Fides standing left, holding signum in each hand.

Aes Rude: Cast lumps from 500 – 400 BC; exchanged by weight. 36.40 g.

Aes Signatum: Bronze bars cast in moulds with images. 280-260, Æ 1461 g.

Aes Grave - Circular Cast Coinage – ca. 289 BC. As 295.45 g. Head of Janus, bearded / Prow of galley right, mark of value I above.

Greek style struck coins ca. 300 BC. AR Didrachm 7.29 g. 22 mm. Head of Mars, oak-spray. / Head of horse on tablet inscribed ROMANO; ear of corn, behind.

Early Republican Coinage 225-215 BC. AR Didrachm - Quadrigatus 6.69 g. Laureate head of Janus. / Jupiter in quadriga driven by Victory, holding thunderbolt and sceptre; ROMA.

Coinage came into the Roman world very late!

Pompeius Magnus and Calpurnius Piso 49 BC. AR Denarius 4.21 g. Bearded head of Numa Pompilius (second king of Rome), wearing diadem inscribed NVMA. R. Prow.

MAGN

PRO·COSPRO·Q(uaestor)

NVMANuma Pompilius

CN·PISO

JULIUS CAESAR- L. Aemilius Buca. Denar. 44 BC. Laureate head of Caesar. R. Fasces and Caduceus crossed, in quarters, axe, globe, clasped hands and; L BVCA.

CAESAR

DICT.

PERP

ETVO

In the Roman calendar, the Ides of March fell on the 15th day of the Roman month of Martius.

42 BC. Mint moving with Brutus in northern Greece. AR Denarius 3.60 g. L. Plaetorius Cestianus, magistrate. Bare head of Brutus; L. PLAET. CEST BRVT IMP. / Pileus between two daggers; EID MAR (Eidibus Martius, the Ides of March).

IMP. L.

PLA

ET.

CEST

BRVT.

EID(idibus)

MAR(tius)

Octavian 28-27 BC. AR Cistophorus 11.87 g. Ephesus.

IMP

CAESAR

DIVI F(ili) COS VI

LIBERTATIS

VINDEX (defender)

IMP CAESAR DIVI F COS VI LIBERTATIS P R VINDEX Son of devine imperator Caesar, 6 times consul, protector of freedom of people of Rome!

P(opules) R(omanum)

R. Inscribed Cippus

AUGUSTUS. 27 BC-14 AD. AR Denarius (3.58 gm). Struck 16 BC. L. Vinicius L.f., moneyer. Equestrian statue of Augustus on inscribed pedestal before walls of a city.

Senatus Populusque Romanus, Imperatori Caesari, quod viae munitae sunt ex ea pecunia quam is ad aerarium detulit

The Senate and Roman People to Caesar because the roads have been paved out of the money which he contributed to the Treasury.

SPQR

IMP / CAE

QVOD V M S EX

EA P QIS

AD A DE

TIBERIUS 14–37. AE Sestertius (26,92 gm.) Rome 21 – 22. Tiberius laureate, enthroned, holding patera and sceptre.

Tacitus wrote that in the year 770 of Rome (AD 17) a number of cities in Asia had been destroyed by an eathquake. Twelve of the cities were rebuilt by Tiberius at his own expense. (Ann. II. 47)

CIVITATIBVS

ASIAE

RESTITVTIS= Cities

= Restored

= Asia

TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST P M TR POT XXIIII; S. C.

Caligula, 37-41. AE Quadrans (17 mm, 3.18 gm). Struck AD 39, Rome. Pileus between S – C.

THE FIRST TAX REMISSIONAugustus had imposed a tax of one denarius in a hundred on all sales (the first GST!). Tiberius had reduced the tax to one denarius on two hundred (AD 17). But in the year 39 the whole tax was taken off by Caligula.

remissa ducentesima = removal of 1/200” [tax]

PON M = Pontifex Maximus

TR P III = TRIBUNICIA POTESTAS

COS DES III = Consul Designatus=elected

C CAESAR

PRON(epos = great grandson) AVG

DIVI AVG

The removal of this burden on the people is symbolized by the pileus (cap of freedeom).

CC (200) = double C = ducentesima

CALIGULA, 37-41. AE Sestertius (37 mm 26.96 gm.). Laureate head. R. Caligula, on low podium, chair behind, addressing to five soldiers, each with helmet, sword, shield; behind, four standard.

*Caligula led a large army to Gessoriacum (Boulogne) with alleged intention of making an attack on Britain in 40 AD. The troops were ordered to fill their helmets with shells on the Gallic shore, as the spoils of the ocean.

COH(ortium)

ADLOCVT(io)

C CAESAR DIVI AVG PRON AVG PM TR P IIII P P

*No S C! Theese sestertii are thought to have been a special distribution issue for the Praetorian Guard funded out of the emperor's own purse.

The troops are

addressed!

Claudius. AD 41-54. AV Aureus (18mm, 7.79 gm.). Rome mint. Struck AD 41-42. Laureate head. R. Inscription within wreath.

EX S C OB CIVES SERVATOS = A decree of the Senate bestowed for having saved the lives of citizens.

EX : S C CIVES

SERVATOS

OB

By a Decree of the Senate

on account of

preserver

citizens

!?TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P

Titus (AD 79-81), Denarius (3.38 g), 79-80. Laureate head of Titus. R. Bonus Eventus standing left, holding patera in his right hand and grain ears and poppy in his left.

Titus completed the construction of Amphitheatrum Flavium and generously relieved the suffering caused by two disasters, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and a fire in Rome in 80.

After barely two years in office, Titus died of a fever on 13 September 81 .

If anything turned out well, it was attributed to Bonus Eventus.

BONVS EVENTVS AVGVSTI

good success of the Augusti

IMP TITVS CAES VESPSIAN AVG PM

THE ROMAN COIN –the newspaper of its time! TRAJAN. 98-117. AR Denarius 3.33 g. Laureate bust right, wearing aegis. / Virtus standing right, holding spear and parazonium, foot resting on helmet.

OBV: IMPERATOR TRAJANUS AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS DACICUS PONTIFEX MAXIMUS TRIBUNICIA POTESTAS CONSUL V PATER PATRIAE =

REV: SENATUS POPULUSQUE ROMANUS OPTIMI PRINCIPI = “The Most Perfect Prince of the Senate and the People of Rome"

AVG = Augustus

GER= Germanicus

TR P = TRIBUNICIA POTESTAS

COS V = CONSUL V

PP = PATER PATRIAE

IMP = imperator

OPTIMI PRINCIPI

S.P.Q.R. = SENATUS POPULUSQUE ROMANUS

TRAIANO = Trajanus

PM = Pontifex

Maximus

"The supreme commander Trajan, Victor over the Germans and Dacians, High Priest, Tribune of the People, Consul for the fifth time, Father of the Country"

DAC= Dacicus

THE LONGEST LEGEND: 52 + 44 = 96 letters

IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P IMPERATOR CAESAR NERO TRAIAN OPTIMO AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS DACIUS PARTHICUS PONTIFEX MAXIMUS TRIBUNICIA POTESTATE

ARMENIA ET MESOPOTAMIA IN POTESTATEM P R REDACTAE S C (=Armenia and Mesopotamia placed under the control of the Roman people)

Trajan. 98-117. AE Sestertius 24.55 g. 35 mm. Rome, 116-117. Trajan standing, holding spear and parazonium; at his feet Armenia seated left wearing tiara, flanked by the river gods Tigris and Euphrates, each holding reed and reclining on urn from which water flows.

ARMENIA

POTESTATEM = power

ET

MESOPOTAMIA

IN

REDACTE = reduced

PR = Populus Romanus

The short-lived capture of Armenia and Mesopotamia, the moment of the Roman Empire's greatest territorial expansion.

MARCUS AURELIUS, 161-180 AD. As (11.86 gm) as Caesar, 145. Bare head / “IVVENTVS SC” within oak-wreath.

youth – youthfulness, used to define the prime time of a man between 14 and middle 40ies

IVVENTVS

Faustina Junior. Augusta, AD 147-175. Æ Sestertius (26.33 gm). / FECVND AVGVSTAE, S C across field, Fecunditas standing facing, head left, holding an infant in each arm; a child standing to either side, grasping her tunic.

FECVND AVGVSTAE = Fertility of the empress.

In their thirty years of marriage, Faustina bore Marcus Aurelius 13 children.

Septimius Severus. AD 193-211. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.49 gm). SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head of Septimius. / PACATOR ORBIS, radiate and draped bust of Sol.

Pacifier of the Earth

PACATOR ORBIS

S. Severus 193-211. Aureus 7.26 g. Draped bust of J. Domna, between, laureate bust of Caracalla and bare-headed bust of Geta; FELICITAS SAECVLI.

FELICITAS SAECVLI Felicity of their age

Regalianus. Usurper, AD 260. AR Antoninianus (20mm, 2.97 g). Carnuntum mint. IMP C P C REGΛLI[AN]VS ΛVG, radiate and draped bust right / ORIENS ΛVGG (the rising Augustus), Sol standing left, raising right hand and holding whip in left.

ORIENS

The Rising Augustus

ΛVGG

Julia Domna, Augusta 194 - 8 April 217 A.D. Emesa mint, (18.9 mm 2.94 gm)

IVLA DOMNA AVG

IOVLIA

FURTHER READING:

-A DICTIONARY OF ROMAN COINS by Seth W. Stevenson (First published 1889)

-A DICTIONARY OF ANCIENT ROMAN COINS by John Melville Jones – 1990

-DICTIONARY OF ROMAN COIN INSCRIPTIONS by Stewart J. Westdal - 1995

-ROMAN COINS by C. H. V. Sutherland - 1974