| Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 117 | Auction date: 22 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 585 Price realized: Unsold | |
| Lot description: Augustus Æ 20mm of Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria. Dated year 25 of the Actian Era = 7/6 BC. Pseudo-autonomous issue, struck under P. Quinctilius Varus, Governor of Syria. Laureate head of Zeus right / ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΩΝ ΕΠΙ ΟΥΑΡΟΥ, Tyche seated to right on rocky outcropping, holding palm branch; EK (date) to right; at feet, half-length figure of river-god Orontes swimming right. RPC I 4252; BMC 59; McAlee 87. 6.19g, 20mm, 12h. Very Fine; scratches. The name of Publius Quinctilius Varus has become synonymous with the ignominious defeat suffered by Rome at the hands of Arminius and his confederation of German tribes in the Teutoburg forest. A son-in-law of the emperor, Varus had been consul in 13 BC (along with the future emperor Tiberius), governor of Syria, where he had sent two legions into Judaea to quell local unrest after the territory was converted to a Roman province, and subsequently governor of Germania. In AD 9, Augustus resolved to shorten Rome's borders by bringing the vast region of Germania across the Rhine under Roman dominion. Varus was tasked with negotiating a peaceful annexation, but the mixed Gauls and Germans of this land were not prepared to accept Roman overlordship. The Cherusci under Arminius, along with other allies, betrayed and ambushed Varus in the dank Teutoburg Forest of northwest Germany as the army marched in extended column, having neglected even to send out scouts. The so called 'Battle of the Teutoburg Forest' or in German, 'Varusschlacht', was fought over an extended area several kilometres long, resulting in the total annihilation of the XVII, XVIII and XIX Roman legions in a brutal series of ambushes that lasted for three days. Varus, sensing defeat, committed suicide, and when Augustus heard of the disaster, he rent his clothes and was seen to repeatedly butt his head against the wall of his palace, screaming 'Quintili Vare, legiones redde!' - 'Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!' Such was the magnitude of this disaster and the profound psychological shock it created, that the 17th, 18th and 19th legions were never reformed. Estimate: 75 GBP |  |
Match 1:
| Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 116 | Auction date: 18 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 555 Price realized: 300 GBP (Approx. 380 USD / 350 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Quintus Labienus or Ventidius Bassus AR Tetradrachm of Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria. In the name and types of Seleucid king Philip I Philadelphus. Dated year 10 of the Caesarean Era, circa 40/39 BC. Diademed head to right / Zeus Nicephorus seated to left; monogram to inner left, I (date) above thunderbolt in exergue; all within laurel wreath. RPC I 4133; McAlee 10 (same obv. die); Prieur 10; HGC 9, 1360g. 14.62g, 27mm, 1h. Near Extremely Fine; some granularity, lightly toned. Extremely Rare. Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 105, 19 January 2023, lot 557. Whereas the Proconsuls of Syria had routinely placed their monogram on the reverse of the pseudo-autonomous tetradrachms in the name and types of Seleucid king Philip I Philadelphus struck at Antioch, Caesar had this replaced with a standard monogram for ANTIOXEON (Antioch) and AYTONOMOY (autonomous), as seen on the present coin. At the same time, the city's calendar was changed from the Pompeian to the Caesarean, and the tetradrachms from thenceforth were dated accordingly, allowing us to date this particular example to the time of the Parthian Occupation of Antioch under Quintus Labienus and Pacorus, son of king Orodes, or perhaps to the rule of Ventidius Bassus, who drove the Parthians from Antioch in the summer of 39 BC. Estimate: 400 GBP |  |
Match 2:
| Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 118 | Auction date: 8 April 2024 |
| Lot number: 783 Price realized: 45 GBP (Approx. 57 USD / 52 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Seleukis and Pieria, Antioch Æ 21mm. Pseudo-autonomous issue, dated year 44 of the Actian Era = AD 13/4. Silanus, legatus Augusti pro praetore. Laureate head of Zeus to right / EΠI ΣIΛANOY ANTIOXEΩN, ram running to right, head to left; star above, ΔM (date) below. RPC I 4269; McAlee 99; BMC 65. 7.44g, 21mm, 11h. Very Fine. Estimate: 25 GBP |  |
Match 3:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61379 | Auction date: 27 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 24068 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: Ancients SYRIA. Antioch. Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). AR tetradrachm (25mm, 15.01 gm, 12h). NGC Choice VF 4/5 - 3/5. Dated Actian Era Year 36 and year 54 of the Caesarean Era (AD 6). ΚΑΙΣΑΡΟΣ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΥ, laureate head Augustus right; bead-and-reel border / ANTIOXEΩN-MHTPOΠΟΛΕΩΣ, Tyche seated right on rock, palm in outstretched right hand; river god Orontes swimming right before; ϚΛ (date) above, ΠΑY monogram and ΔΝ (Cos) over ΑΝΤX monogram in left field; dotted border. Prieur 57. RPC I 4158. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-provincial/ancients-syria-antioch-augustus-27-bc-ad-14-ar-tetradrachm-25mm-1501-gm-12h-ngc-choice-vf-4-5-3-5/a/61379-24068.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61379-05272024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
Match 4:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 2615 Price realized: 170 CHF (Approx. 193 USD / 179 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Gabala. Diadumenian, 218. Tetradrachm (Billon, 24 mm, 14.62 g, 11 h), May-june 218. AYT K AN ΔIA•••ΔYM[...] Laureate and draped bust of Diadumenian to right, seen from behind. Rev. ΔHMAPX ЄΞ Eagle standing facing with spread wings, head turned to left and holding wreath in beak; to right, date palm; between legs, crab. Bellinger -. Prieur 1090 (only 1 example noted, same obverse die as present coin). Extremely rare. Somewhat crudely struck on a short flan, otherwise, very fine. From the Rainer Stoephasius Collection of Syro-Phoenician Tetradrachms, formed over the past four decades. This tetradrachm is quite remarkable in that the titles and the laurel wreath mark it as an issue struck after the revolt of Elagabalus in May 218, when Diadumenian was raised to the rank of Augustus by Macrinus, and also in the unusual addition of a palm tree to the otherwise unvaried standing eagle type of the Syro-Phoenician tetradrachms of the era. Starting price: 75 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 15 | Auction date: 1 June 2024 |
| Lot number: 191 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot | |
| Lot description: SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch. Pseudo-autonomous issue, time of Augustus, 27 BC-AD 14. Trichalkon (Bronze, 19 mm, 7.10 g, 11 h), P. Quinctilius Varus, legate of Syria, CY 27 (Actian Era) = 5/4 BC. Laureate head of Zeus to right; behind, palm frond. Rev. [ΑΝΤΙ]ΟΧΕΩΝ ΕΠΙ ΟΥΑΡΟΥ / ZK The Tyche of Antioch seated to right on rock, holding palm branch in her right hand; below, river-god Orontes swimming right. CNG E-Auction 545 (2023), 429 corr. (same dies, but palm frond not noted). McAlee 87A (same obverse die). RPC I 4252 var. (no palm frond). Extremely rare and of great historical interest. A beautiful example of this interesting issue with very attractive earthen highlights. The reverse struck slightly off center, otherwise, good very fine. Ex Naumann E-Auction 114, 6 March 2022, 599. The extremely unusual palm frond behind the head of Zeus appears only on a single die of Varus from the year 27 after the Actian Era, corresponding to our year 5/4 BC. As a military victory symbol, F. Kovacs associates it with the expedition of the Syrian governor to Jerusalem in 4 BC. The background was Varus' involvement in the inheritance dispute of Herod, who in 5 BC accused his son and heir Antipater of attempted patricide. In his capacity as the governor of Syria, Varus was tasked with overseeing the adjudication of this matter. He sentenced the accused to death, a judgment ratified by Augustus and carried out in March 4 BC, mere days before the passing of Herod the Great. Prior to this, the monarch had designated his son Archelaus, born of his union with Malthake, as his successor. The ensuing inheritance dispute with Herod Antipas and Herod II prompted Varus to send the three brothers to Rome for judgment. In spring 4 BC, the Roman procurator Sabinus traveled to Jerusalem. Defying the governor's directives, he attempted to appropriate Herod's estate and loot the temple treasury, sparking a Jewish rebellion. Sabinus and his retinue soon found themselves besieged by insurgents within a fortress in Jerusalem, only being freed when Varus himself appeared on the scene with a relief force of two Syrian legions. Faced with the spreading revolt, the governor cracked down hard and, according to Josephus, had the uprising crushed and 2,000 Jews crucified. This resounding military success may explain why a palm branch appears as a symbol of victory on our coin, which was likely minted in the summer of 4 BC. Rome remained victorious, but the suppression of the uprising and the mass execution of insurgents undoubtedly fueled hatred against the occupying power and laid another cornerstone for the later Jewish rebellions against the Empire. From a Roman standpoint, however, the quelling of the rebellion marked a resounding success, propelling Varus further along the trajectory of his career. In 7 AD, he became the first governor of the newly established province of Germania. Two years later, instead he gained eternal infamy when he fell victim to the ambush orchestrated by Arminius, which culminated in the devastating Battle of the Teutoburg Forest where Varus' entire army was annihilated. Varus, in despair, met his tragic end by his own hand, marking the abrupt end of his illustrious career and prompting the withdrawal of Roman troops from the new Germanic province. Estimate: 2500 CHF |  |
