An Infamous Alliance

McAlee 174; Prieur 27. 15.49g, 25mm, 1h.

Extremely Fine; displaying two bold portraits.

Ex Dmitry Markov Coins & Medals - M&M Numismatics Ltd - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles - Sovereign Rarities Ltd, The New York Sale 54, 11 January 2022, lot 181.

This tetradrachm, struck after the return of Antony to the East, proclaims the new political alliance between the triumvir and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Antony’s choice to leave the sister of his rival Octavian was a bold move which completely separated him from his homeland, though the many titles and honours he received when he made this transition are symptomatic of the irresistible allure of the luxurious Eastern world.

Despite Antony having been away for four years, during which time he had married another woman and fathered two daughters, Cleopatra eagerly accepted Antony’s invitation to join him in Antioch, where the two were married and made ostentatious display of their partnership. She had already borne twins for Antony, and the difficulty of maintaining the Ptolemaic Kingdom intact while Rome eyed up her rich and bountiful, but weak, country was no doubt the prime motivating factor. Though this coin confirms their political union, the individual sovereignty of both Cleopatra and Antony is distinctly maintained by their placement on obverse and reverse respectively rather than displaying them in a conjoined bust format.

This issue has been traditionally assigned to Antioch, however R. McAlee points out that the letter forms (C for Σ and ω for Ω) are inconsistent with those on contemporary Antiochene issues. Moreover, Antioch remained in Roman rule despite Antony granting vast tracts of territory to Cleopatra. The placement of Cleopatra, not Antony, on the obverse also points to a mint within Egyptian territory, perhaps in Phoenicia. For this same reason, a military mint moving with Antony appears unlikely. Nonetheless, the dating of the coin suggests that it may well have been issued in support of Antony, and in particular of his Parthian campaign, a great undertaking involving more than 100,000 Roman and allied troops which ultimately proved to be a complete failure that cost the lives of about 25,000 men.

This joint issue coinage (along with the similar denarius type) no doubt contributed to the increasingly prevalent view in Rome that Antony had deserted his Roman values and indeed the Roman people; a view that was shortly thereafter firmly cemented by the Donations of Alexandria, in which ceremony Antony paraded himself dressed as Dionysus and proceeded to distribute Rome’s eastern territories to the children of Cleopatra and grant them many titles. When Octavian obtained Marc Antony’s will from the temple of Vesta, distaste turned to outrage as it was read out in the Senate that Antony wished to be buried with Cleopatra in Alexandria. When the second term of the Second Triumvirate expired on the last day of 33 BC, the Roman world again found itself at war.

Marc Antony and Cleopatra VII AR Tetradrachm of Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria. Circa 36 BC. BACIΛICCA KΛЄOΠATPA ΘЄA NЄѠTЄPA, diademed and draped bust of Cleopatra to right / ANTѠNIOC AVTOKPATѠP TPITON TPIѠN ANΔPѠN, bare head of Marc Antony to right. RPC I 4094; McAlee 174; Prieur 27. 15.07g, 27mm, 12h.

Very Fine. Attractive tone, a well-centred example.

A Magnificent Cistophorus

Augustus AR Cistophorus of Ephesus, Ionia. Circa 25 BC. IMP•CAESAR, bare head to cornucopiae on its back; all within wreath. RPC I 2213, RIC I 477; BN 916. 12.09g, 26mm, 1h. Good Extremely Fine; wonderful old cabinet tone. Rare.

Ex Auktionhaus H. D. Rauch GmbH, Auction 94, 9 April 2014, lot 703; Ex Münzen und Medaillen AG Basel, Auction 81, 18 September 1995, lot 170.

AVGVSTVS,

3,000

The significance of the constellation Capricorn to Augustus is subject to debate, with some ancient sources reporting that it was his birth sign and others relating that he was conceived under the sign - the latter tying in with his official birthday on 23rd-24th September. Although we now view conception and birth as two separate events, the Romans viewed conception through to birth as a continuous process.

Under the tropical zodiac, the sun transits Capricorn from late December to late January, marking midwinter and the shortest day of the year. For this reason, often it was considered a hostile sign but Augustus chose to interpret it positively since it had governed two major events in his life - the granting of imperium to him by the Senate in January 43 BC, and the acceptance of the title Augustus on 16 January 27 BC.

The capricorn is represented as a goat with a fish tail, and is often thought to be a representation of Pan escaping an attack by the monster Typhon. Having jumped into the Nile, the half of Pan’s body which was submerged was transformed into a fish. An alternative interpretation is that the goat is Amalthea, who suckled the infant Zeus after Rhea rescued him from being devoured by his father Cronus. The broken horn of Amalthea transformed into the cornucopiae, which on the present example is carried on the back of the capricorn. It is a symbol of fertility and abundance, and here accompanies the corona civica, awarded to Romans who saved the lives of fellow citizens by slaying an enemy, but in the case of Augustus for having saved the entire Roman citizenry from the horrors of further civil war

In 27 BC, Augustus had declared Ephesus the capital of Asia Minor, promoting the city above the former capital Pergamum. The decision to use such striking imagery alongside his birth sign for issues minted in the new capital reinforced Augustus as the head of the new imperial regime.

Augustus AR Cistophorus of Pergamum, Mysia. 19-18 BC. IMP•IX TR PO V, bare head to right / Hexastyle temple with ROM ET AVGVST inscribed on entablature; COM ASIAE across fields. RPC I 2219; RIC I 506; BMCRE 705 (Ephesus); Sutherland group VII; RSC 86. 11.85g, 27mm, 12h.

Good Extremely Fine; a spectacular portrait and striking old cabinet tone.

Ex Peter Corcoran Collection; Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction XVII, 28 March 2019, lot 634.

1,200

Caligula, with Divus Augustus, AR Drachm of uncertain Cretan mint (Gortyna?). AD 37-41. Γ • KAIΣAP ΣEB • ΓERM • APX • MEΓ • ΔHM EKOY • YΠA, bare-headed bust of Caligula to right, slight drapery over shoulder; sceptre behind / Radiate head of Augustus to left; seven stars around. RPC I 965.38 (this coin); Svoronos, Numismatique 4. 2.69g, 18mm, 12h.

Good Extremely Fine; featuring an attractive old cabinet tone and two wonderful portraits. Rare; especially so in this condition. This coin published at Roman Provincial Coinage Online (rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk); Ex Peter Corcoran Collection; Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Auction 111, 29 May 2019, lot 496.

1,200

Claudius AR Cistophorus of uncertain mint, Asia Minor. AD 41-54. TI CLAVD CAES AVG, bare head to left / Distyle temple inscribed ROM ET AVG on entablature and containing figure of Augustus, standing facing on left, holding spear, being crowned by female figure on right, holding cornucopiae; COM-ASI across fields. RPC I 2221 (Ephesus); RIC I 120 (Pergamum); BMCRE 228 (Ephesus). 11.29g, 26mm, 7h.

Good Extremely Fine; well-centred and lustrous.

Not since the magnificent and varied types of Augustus over sixty years earlier had any cistophori been produced by the Romans. Two brief issues were struck under Claudius, which appear to have been commemorative in nature, and not intended for general circulation. The present type, from the first issue, probably depicts the temple of Roma and Augustus at Pergamum, to which mint this type is sometimes attributed. The authors of RPC note however that the numerous die links between this issue and that depicting the temple of Diana at Ephesus indicate that despite the reverse types, the coins were all produced at a single mint - probably Ephesus, since that is where the second Claudian issue appears to have been made.

Extremely Fine.

From the inventory of a UK dealer.

475.

Vespasian AR Didrachm of Caesarea, Cappadocia. AD 76/7. ΛVTOKPΛ KΛIЄΛP OYCCΠΑCIΑNOC CЄBΑCTOC, laureate head to right / NIKH CЄBACTH, Nike advancing to right, holding wreath and palm. RPC II 1647; Metcalf 1; Sydenham, Caesarea 89. 6.91g, 21mm, 1h.

476.

Vespasian AR Tetradrachm of Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria. Dated ‘New Holy Year’ 2 = AD 69/70. AYTOKPATΩ[P KAICAP CEBACTO]C OYECΠACIANOC, laureate head to right / ETOY[C] NEOY IEPOY B, eagle standing to left on club with wings spread, holding wreath in beak; palm to left. RPC II 1971; McAlee 357; Prieur 135. 14.81g, 25mm, 12h.

Extremely Fine; an exceptional example featuring a superb portrait of Vespasian with a beautiful old cabinet tone, among the very finest specimens of the type to come to auction in the past twenty years.

300 2x 2x

ΔΗΜΑΡΧ • ΕΞ •

ΥΠΑΤ • Γ, head of Zeus-Ammon to right. RPC III 1; Sydenham, Caesarea 177. 1.72g, 16mm, 7h.

477. 300

Extremely Fine.

Trajan AR Tetradrachm of Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria. AD 103-111. AYTOKP KAIC NЄP TPAIANOC CЄB ΓЄPM ΔAK, laureate head to right, set on eagle standing to right; club in right field / ΔHMAPX ЄΞ YΠATЄ, laureate bust of Melkart-Hercules to right, with lion skin tied around neck. RPC III 3528; McAlee 455; Prieur 1495 (Tyre). 15.11g, 27mm, 6h.

Good Extremely Fine; well-detailed. Rare.

Purchased from Dr. Martina Dieterle, 18 February 2005, collector’s ticket included.

Hadrian and Sabina (wife of Hadrian) BI Tetradrachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 17 = AD 132/3. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹ ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ ϹЄΒ, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Hadrian to right / CABINA CЄBACTH, draped bust Sabina to right, wearing stephane; L IZ (date) before. RPC III 5821; Dattari (Savio) 7361; BMC 569; SNG Fitzwilliam 2057; Emmett 886. 12.90g, 25mm, 12h.

Extremely Fine; struck in high relief, a wonderful portrait of Sabina.

From a private European collection.

Antinous (favourite of Hadrian) Æ Drachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 19 of Hadrian = AD 134/5. ANTINOOV HPѠ[OC], draped bust to right, wearing hem-hem crown / Antinous, cloaked and holding caduceus, on horseback to right; L IΘ (date) in right field. RPC III 6062; Dattari (Savio) 2082 (same dies?); Emmett 1346. 20.94g, 32mm, 12h.

Near Very Fine.

From a private European collection.

Antinous’ death by accidental drowning in the Nile in October AD 130 was a severe blow to Hadrian, for the youth had been his close companion and confidant for nearly five years, and had accompanied the emperor throughout his great tour of the empire beginning in March 127. Hadrian’s marriage to Sabina was an unhappy one, and Antinous has been described as the one person who seems to have connected most profoundly with Hadrian throughout the latter’s life (see R. Lambert, Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous, 1984, p.30). It is unsurprising therefore that Hadrian decreed that Antinous should be elevated to the Roman pantheon as a god, and that a city should be built at the site of his death. What was most unexpected however was that he deified the young man without consulting the Senate, and that he ordered Antinous’ image to be placed on coinage across the empire.

The coinage in the name of the deified Antinous was substantial. In all, over thirty cities issued bronzes bearing his image, though none as prolifically as Alexandria in Egypt, where his cult, associated with Osiris, was particularly strong. Hadrian himself, we are told, preferred to associate Antinous with Mercury/Hermes, but across the empire he was far more widely syncretised with the god Dionysus. A great many busts and statues of his were set up in cities across the Roman world, of which numerous examples survive including the iconic ‘Braschi Antinous’, now in the sala rotonda of the Vatican Museums. That statue, on whose head modern restorers placed a sort of pine cone, would have originally been topped with a lotus flower or hem-hem crown, as on the present coin type. To create the myriad busts, statues and engraved images Hadrian turned to Greek sculptors to perpetuate the melancholic beauty and diffident manner of Antinous, in the process creating what Caroline Vout (Power and Eroticism in Imperial Rome, 2007) described as ‘the last independent creation of Greco-Roman art’. All of his images share certain distinct features, including tousled curls, a perfect Hellenic nasion, and a downcast gaze - that allow him to be instantly recognized.

481.

Descended from Spartans

Septimius Severus Æ 31mm of Amblada, Pisidia. AD 193-211. ΑV ΚΑΙ ΛΟV ϹЄΠ ϹЄVΗΡΟϹ ΠЄΡ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / ΑΜΒΛΑΔЄѠΝ ΛΑΚЄΔΑΙΜΟΝΙѠΝ, Tychai of Amblada and Sparta standing, facing each other, clasping hands, each wearing kalathos and holding long sceptre ΦΙΛΟϹΟ to left, ΑΡΤЄΜΙΔ in exergue. Unpublished in the standard references. 20.19g, 31mm, 12h.

Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare.

1,200

This coin published in H. Arroyo-Quirce. “ΦΙΛ(Ο) ΑΡΤЄΜΙΔ. An enigmatic coin legend from Amblada in Pisidia and the philosophos Artemidoros” in Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 216 (2020) 129–132;

Acquired from Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger;

Acquired from Münzhandlung Ritter, 7 January 2009, collector’s ticket included.

The reverse legend of this type proudly proclaims Spartan heritage with the word ‘ΛΑΚЄΔΑΙΜΟΝΙѠΝ’, the ancient name of the Spartan people derived from the mythical king Lacedaemon who founded their city. The reverse type of the Tyches of both Amblada and Sparta clasping hands in a gesture of alliance or friendship points to a connection between the two cities, perhaps of historic descent or in recognition for assistance when threatened by Athens.

Hercules and Lernaean Hydra

Caracalla Æ 35mm of Tarsus, Cilicia. AD 198-217. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ Μ ΑΥΡ CЄΥΗΡΟC ΑΝΤΩΝЄΙΝΟC CЄΒ, laureate head to left; Π-Π across fields, star below / ΑΝΤΩΝΙΑΝΗC CЄΥH ΑΔΡ ΜΗΤ, Hercules, holding lion skin, attacking the Hydra with club to left; ΤΑΡCΟΥ in exergue, Δ Ε Κ in two lines in lower central field. SNG Levante 1051 = Voegtli 2q (same dies); SNG BnF -; SNG von Aulock -. 15.94g, 35mm, 1h.

Good Extremely Fine; an exquisitely detailed rev., highlighting a wonderfully dynamic clash. Very Rare; and seemingly the finest known specimen.

482. 4,500

Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020, lot 802;

Ex Nomos AG, Auction 6, 8 May 2012, lot 177 (hammer: CHF 8,500);

Ex LHS Numismatik AG, Auction 95, 25 October 2005, lot 832.

The reverse of this coin depicts the second of Hercules’ Twelve Labours, the slaying of the so-called Lernaean Hydra, the lake-monster with many snake-like heads of which two would regrow for every one that was cut off. Hercules successfully defeated this creature with the help of his nephew, Iolaus, who burnt the stumps of the monster’s heads after they had been cut off to stop them regrowing. The last, immortal, head of the Hydra was dealt with by burial deep within the ground.

483.

Macrinus, with Diadumenian, as Caesar, Æ Pentassarion of Marcianopolis, Moesia Inferior. AD 217-218. Pontianus, legatus consularis. AVT K OΠEΛ CEVH MAKPEINOC K M OΠEΛ ANTΩNEINOC •, laureate head of Macrinus to right, facing bare head of Diadumenian to left / VΠ ΠONTIANOV MAPKIANOΠOΛEITΩN, city gate with three portals, surmounted by four statues; E (mark of value) to left. H&J 6.24.46.2; Varbanov 1220 var. (obv. legend); for rev. type, Price & Trell 44 (Gordian III). 10.91g, 26mm, 6h.

484. 150

485.

Severus Alexander Æ 31mm of Perinthus, Thrace. AD 222-235. ΑV Κ Μ ΑVΡ CΕV ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟC ΑV, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / ΠΕΡΙΝΘΙΩΝ Δ[ΙC Ν]ΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ, Asklepios standing facing, head to left, leaning on serpent-entwined staff. BMC -; Varbanov 418 var. (obv. legend and bust type); Moushmov 4626var. (obv. legend). 16.45g, 31mm, 2h.

Near Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; no other examples on CoinArchives.

Philip I BI Tetradrachm of Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria. AD 247. AYTOK K M IOYΛI ΦIΛIΠΠOC CЄB, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / ΔHMAPX ЄΞOYCIAC YΠA TO Γ, eagle standing facing, head to right, wings spread and tail to right, holding wreath in beak; ANTIOXIA SC in two lines in exergue. RPC VIII Online Unassigned ID 29035; McAlee 904; Prieur 377. 11.40g, 26mm, 6h.

Good Extremely Fine.

150