| Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 118 | Auction date: 8 April 2024 |
| Lot number: 1007 Price realized: Unsold | |
| Lot description: Marcus Aurelius Æ 33mm of Ephesus, Ionia, in alliance with Sardis, Lydia. AD 161-165. ΑΥ ΚΑΙ Μ ΑΥ ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟϹ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / ΕΦΕϹΙΩΝ ΚΑΙ ϹΑΡΔΙΑΝΩΝ, on left, cult statue of Artemis of Ephesus, wearing kalathos, between two stags; on right, cult statue of Kore of Sardis wearing tall crown surmounted by crescent; OΜOΝOΙΑ in exergue. RPC IV.2 Online 1130 (temporary); BMC 416; Franke & Nollé 342-7. 22.05g, 33mm, 6h. Near Very Fine. Extremely Rare. Estimate: 50 GBP |  |
Match 1:
| Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 114 | Auction date: 23 November 2023 |
| Lot number: 792 Price realized: Unsold | |
| Lot description: Severus Alexander Æ 27mm of Caesarea-Eusebia, Cappadocia. Dated CY 6 = AD 226-227. ΑΥ Κ ϹƐΟΥΗΡΟϹ ΑΛƐΞΑΝΔΡ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right; c/m: uncertain countermark (radiate head of Helios to right?) on cheek / ΜΗΤΡΟ ΚΑΙϹΑΡ, Mount Argaeus between two standards, eagle on summit facing to left with wreath in beak; ƐΤ Ϛ (date) in exergue. RPC VI Online 6815 (temporary); BMC 315. 12.75g, 27mm, 5h. Near Very Fine. From the collection of GK. Estimate: 30 GBP |  |
Match 2:
| Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 117 | Auction date: 22 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 923 Price realized: 80 GBP (Approx. 101 USD / 93 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Caracalla Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 215. M AVREL ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / [P M TR P X]VIII IMP III COS IIII P P, emperor standing to left, foot on crocodile and holding spear, opposite Isis, advancing to right, holding two corn ears and sistrum; SC in exergue. RIC IV 544; BMCRE 288. 18.61g, 30mm, 12h. Near Very Fine; lightly smoothed. Scarce. Ex cgb.fr e-shop; Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 85, 17 June 2021, lot 2063. This type records the infamous visit of Caracalla to Alexandria, the capital of the province of Egypt. Since the conclusion of his campaign against the Alamanni in 213-4, it had become apparent that the emperor was unhealthily obsessed with the great Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great. At this point he appears to have begun openly emulating Alexander in his personal style. Indeed, Cassius Dio (78.7-78.23) relates that "he was so enthusiastic about Alexander that he used certain weapons and cups which he believed had once been his, and he also set up many likenesses of him both in the camps and in Rome itself. He organised a phalanx, composed entirely of Macedonians, sixteen thousand strong, named it 'Alexander's phalanx', and equipped it with the arms that warriors had used in his day." Caracalla's visit in 215 to Alexandria while on his way east should then have been a happy occasion. However the emperor, "hearing that he was ill-spoken of and ridiculed by them for various reasons, not the least of which was the murder of his brother... concealing his wrath and pretending that he longed to see them... first greeted [the leading citizens] cordially... and then put them to death. Then, having arrayed his whole army, he marched into the city, after first notifying all the inhabitants to remain at home and after occupying all the streets and all the roofs as well. And, to pass over the details of the calamities that then befell the wretched city, he slaughtered so many persons that he did not even venture to say anything about their number, but wrote to the senate that it was of no interest how many of them or who had died, since all had deserved to suffer this fate." Estimate: 50 GBP |  |
Match 3:
| Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXX | Auction date: 21 March 2024 |
| Lot number: 499 Price realized: 15,000 GBP (Approx. 19,002 USD / 17,495 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Diocletian AV Aureus. Siscia, AD 286. IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing facing, head to left, nude but for chlamys on back, holding long sceptre in left hand and thunderbolt in right. RIC V.2 247; C. 149; Depeyrot 1/2 (this coin). 5.37g, 20mm, 12h. Near Mint State. Extremely Rare; no other examples offered at auction in the past 20 years. This coin cited in G. Depeyrot, Les monnaies d'or (Wetteren, 1995-1996); Ex Hess-Divo AG, Auction 328, 22 May 2015, lot 268 (hammer: CHF 26,000); Ex Münzen und Medaillen AG Basel, Auction 43, 12 November 1970, lot 437. It would ultimately be religious legitimisation, not military achievements, that would elevate Diocletian above his predecessors. The quasi-republican ideals of Augustus' 'primus inter pares' system were abandoned for all but the tetrarchs themselves. Diocletian took to wearing a gold crown and jewels, and forbade the use of purple cloth to all but the emperors. His subjects were required to prostrate themselves in his presence (adoratio); the most fortunate were allowed the privilege of kissing the hem of his robe (proskynesis). The reverse of this coin further alludes to the quasi-divine aspects of the new 'dominate' system of government. Around 287 Diocletian assumed the title Iovius, and his colleague Maximian assumed the title Herculius; these grandiose new titles not only reflected the working dynamic between Diocletian and Maximian (while the one acted as supreme strategist, the other enforced imperial will by brute force), but more importantly by taking on divine attributes Diocletian intended to make the person of the emperor inviolate as the gods' representative on earth. Diocletian's administrative and bureaucratic reforms encompassed far more than the decentralisation of imperial power. Some of his most enduring changes were to the Roman military. Instituting systematic annual conscription for the first time since the days of the Republic, Diocletian increased the overall size of the Roman army by roughly 33%, and more than doubled the number of legions and auxiliary units by creating smaller, more mobile detachments. A massive upgrade of the empire's defensive infrastructure was undertaken across great swathes of the borders including new fortifications and roads. Centralised fabricae were introduced to provide arms and armour for the army on an industrial scale. The most significant change to the Roman military structure was the establishment of large personal escort armies (comitatus praesentales) which typically comprised 20-30,000 elite palatine troops. These highly mobile armies were designed to quickly reinforce the border defences or crush potential usurpers. Indeed, while they proved highly effective during Diocletian's reign, in his retirement he would live to see them misused by his successors, who now each had a substantial comitatus at their disposal to enforce their claims. Estimate: 10000 GBP |  |
Match 4:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61379 | Auction date: 27 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 24030 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: Ancients LYDIA. Hypaepa. Caracalla (AD 198-217). AE (28mm, 12.22 gm, 6h). NGC Choice Fine 4/5 - 3/5, countermark. ΑΥ Κ Μ•ΑΥ•-ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟC, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Caracalla right, seen from behind; countermark of facing cult statue of Artemis Anaitis within shallow oval punch in left field / ΥΠΑΙ/ΠΗΝΩΝ Caracalla standing facing (on left), head left, with patera in right hand sacrificing over altar to left, being crowned by Nike advancing left (on right), with wreath in raised right hand. BMC 43. Howgego countermark 233. From The James Lomiento, Jr. Collection. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-provincial/ancients-lydia-hypaepa-caracalla-ad-198-217-ae-28mm-1222-gm-6h-ngc-choice-fine-4-5-3-5-countermark/a/61379-24030.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61379-05272024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
Match 5:
| Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXX | Auction date: 21 March 2024 |
| Lot number: 461 Price realized: 14,000 GBP (Approx. 17,735 USD / 16,329 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Lucius Verus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 165. L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / TR P V IMP III COS II, emperor on horseback to right, spearing fallen enemy below. RIC III 544 (Aurelius); C. 275; BMCRE 391; Biaggi 964; Calicó 2184. 7.29g, 19mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine; an attractive portrait in high relief, with beautiful reddish tone around the devices. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica - Jesús Vico S.A, Auction 119, 6 October 2020, lot 126 (hammer: CHF 20,000); Previously privately purchased from Lopez in 1977. Lucius Verus, co-emperor with his better-known adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius from 161 until his death from disease in AD 169, was the eldest son of Lucius Aelius Caesar, Hadrian's first intended heir who died in AD 138. Verus was adopted by Antoninus Pius alongside Marcus Aurelius and thus eventually became one of the first co-rulers of the Roman Empire, a system for the division of responsibilities which became more commonplace towards the end of the second century. Their partnership was cemented by Lucius Verus' marriage to Marcus Aurelius' daughter in AD 164. Verus' portrait follows the Antonine mode with a long face, tightly curled hair and pointed beard, emphasising continuity between emperors and a united front with Marcus Aurelius through visual likeness even though there was no biological dynastic link. He is portrayed cuirassed, which by the time of Hadrian had become the dominant costume of imperial portraiture, emphasising the emperor's role in ensuring military security throughout the empire. Verus indeed spent much of his reign shoring up the eastern boundaries of the Roman Empire. The obverse and reverse legends denote the titles with which he was honoured: Armeniacus (ARM) in AD 163 after the capture of the Armenian capital Artaxata, and Parthicus Maximus (PARTH MAX) after the invasion of Mesopotamia in AD 165, which led to his acclamation as imperator by the army for the third time. The rare reverse type of this attractive aureus is particularly arresting: an image of the emperor on horseback, the horse rearing as he spears a fallen enemy below. The group is dynamic, the horse's tail and Lucius Verus' cloak emphasising decisive movement. Such images of the emperor mounted in combat had come into favour during the reign of Trajan; this type bears a striking similarity to the heroic image of the un-helmeted emperor on horseback trampling a fallen barbarian below, his cloak billowing out behind him, used extensively on Trajan's coinage as well on the Great Trajanic Frieze (c.117-120), which was later reused to decorate the Arch of Constantine. This image of the emperor as a military figure looked back beyond the Julio-Claudian preference for static imperial images which emphasised religious piety and civic authority to the Hellenistic taste for heroic representation and strong gestural poses. This reverse type of Lucius Verus emphasises personal charisma and military success, but belies the truth: the successes attributed to the emperor, for which he received so many titles, were all due to his experienced generals - Verus himself is not believed to have ever seen active combat. Estimate: 15000 GBP |  |
