| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 144 with CNG & NGSA | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 1079 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: The Geoffrey Cope Collection of Ancient Greek and Roman Bronzes. The Roman Empire. Antoninus Pius augustus, 138 –161. Description Drachm, Alexandria 144-145 (year 8), Æ 34 mm, 30.15 g. AVT K T AIΛ A?P [ANTω]NЄINOC CЄB ЄV Laureate head r. Rev. Two Zodiac wheels, one inside the other, "Aries" at the top, the signs of both coinciding; in the innermost circle, conjoined busts left of Serapis and Isis (with their typical attributes). Reference Dattari-Savio 2894 Geissen – K&G 35.257 Emmett 1708.8 RPC 834.4 (this coin) Condition Extremely rare and in exceptional state of preservation, undoubtedly the finest specimen known. An issue of tremendous fascination with a very clear and detailed reverse. Dark green patina, a minor flan crack at nine o'clock on reverse, otherwise extremely fine Provenance Bankhaus Aufhäuser sale 7, 1990, 464 Note: Among the most popular of the bronze drachms issued by the provincial mint of Alexandria under Antoninus Pius must be the zodiac series, to which the present coin belongs. While most of the drachms in the series depict individual planets and zodiac signs, here the Egyptian deities Isis and Serapis are surrounded by a double wheel of the zodiac on the reverse. Coins in this series have long been suspected of celebrating the completion of the so-called Sothic Cycle-the period of 1461 years between occasions when the heliacal rising of the star Sirius (known to the Greeks as Sothis) coincided with the beginning of the first day of the Egyptian calendar year. According to the third century grammarian Censorinus, a completion of the Sothic Cycle took place during the reign of Antoninus Pius in July 139. His date has sometimes been challenged, with other possible occasions falling in the periods between 132 and 135 or 140 and 143. Recent scholarship has noted the peculiarity that the coins supposedly celebrating the Sothic Cycle were not actually struck in any of the possible years of its completion, but rather year 8 (144/5) of Pius' reign. This problem, combined with the fact that Sirius is not directly referenced on any of the issues, has led to the interpretation that the zodiac series was primarily astrological, rather than astronomical, in character and represents the astrological houses and rulers for the year 144/5. In this case, the present coin, featuring two bands of zodiac signs together with Isis and Serapis, represents the sun and the moon with their associated signs. Isis and Serapis were commonly connected with the sun and moon, respectively. It has been suggested that the sudden interest in astrological types in 144/5 may have been prompted by the important marriage of Pius' daughter, Faustina II, to Marcus Aurelius as a means of guaranteeing a smooth imperial succession. This marriage marked the beginning of a new age for the entire Roman empire. Estimate: 15000 CHF |  |
