Ancient Coin of the Day: A Flavian kick today, in particular the association that Domitian fostered between himself and the goddess Minerva, starting with this aureus of AD 82. #ACOTD #Domitian

Image: RIC 2.1 Domitian 138; British Museum (R.10756). Link - numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.2_…
Domitian's association with Minerva is well known, with Dio (67.1.2) noting almost immediately that "of the gods, it was Athena (Minerva) that he most honoured". Indeed, Philostratos (Life of Apollonius of Tyre 7.24) goes so far as to note that Domitian suggested that he was...
...the son of Athena. Similarly, Martial (Epigram 14.179 - published ca AD 84/5) speaks of the fact that both Minerva and Domitian sport an aegis - the Gorgon's head - on their armour. As a goddess of wisdom and warfare, Minerva was a fine choice for a close affinity.
The Obverse of this coin shows a laureate head of Domitian, with the relatively modest Legend IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG P M - 'Emperor Caesar Domitian Augustus, Pontifex Maximus' - the explicit reference to his pontificate perhaps alluding to the 'wisdom' and 'auctoritas' .
The Reverse has a bust of Minerva, with helmet, aegis, and sceptre over the right shoulder, although the Legend TR POT IMP II COS VIII DES IX P P - 'Tribunician Power, hailed Imperator twice, Consul for the eighth time and designated so for the ninth, Father of the Fatherland'...
...simply continues the raft of official titles and positions that Domitian wished to advertise near to the beginning of his reign. But the association with Minerva was one that would endure throughout Domitian's reign.
As late as AD 95/6 Domitian continued to issue coinage with Minerva as a focal image, such as this denarius which seems to allude to a particular Temple of Minerva, showing a statue of the goddess in a tetrastyle temple.

Image: RIC 2.1 Domitian 814. Link -numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.2_…
Similarly, on this bronze semis of AD 88/89, we see both a bust of Minerva and a Reverse featuring an owl - Minerva's sacred bird - again linking the emperor to this deity.

Image: RIC 2.1 Domitian 651. Link - numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.2_…
We should not be surprised by this, however, given Minerva's associations with warfare, wisdom, as well as the arts and culture, she was the most natural choice of a patron deity for a Princeps who pursued those self-same endeavours.
For more on Domitian and Minerva, see:

TOOHEY, PETER. “Jason, Pallas and Domitian in Valerius Flaccus' ‘Argonautica.’” Illinois Classical Studies, vol. 18, 1993, pp. 191–201.

jstor.org/stable/23064445

#ACOTD #Domitian

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More from @DocCrom

11 Dec
Ancient Coin of the Day: Just got Hercules on my mind today, so the thread is going to look at the connection which Commodus forged with Hercules, starting with this aureus of AD 190. #ACOTD #Commodus #Hercules

Image: RIC III Commodus 221d. Link - numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.3.…
The connection between the Emperor and the gods was one that had a long history, with Augustus being worshipped at Narbonne alongside the goddess Roma, but few emperors went as far as Commodus in explicitly associating themselves with a particular deity.
Dio (73.15.6) tells us that during Commodus' reign "vast numbers of statues were erected representing him in the garb of Hercules. And it was voted that his age should be named the 'Golden Age', and that this should be recorded in all the records without exception."
Read 12 tweets
11 Dec
#LatinForTheday - 11 December

"Vix ea fatus erat, cum circumfusa repente
scindit se nubes et in aethera purgat apertum.
bfmprrestitit Aeneas claraque in luce refulsit,
os umerosque deo similis; namque ipsa decoram
caesariem nato genetrix lumenque iuventae...
"purpureum et laetos oculis adflarat honores;
quale manus addunt ebori decus, aut ubi flavo
argentum Pariusve lapis circumdatur auro."

Virgil, Aeneid 1.586-593

'Scarce had Achates finished his utterance, when the cloud
Parted suddenly and dissolved into the clear air....
'Aeneas stepped forward, shining in the bright light,
His face and shoulders like a god's; for his mother, Venus herself,
Had cast upon her son a beauteous glaze - flowing locks,
Youth's ruddy bloom, with a sparkling glint in the eyes too...
Read 5 tweets
10 Dec
#LatinForTheDay - 10 December

qualis in Eurotae ripis aut per iuga Cynthi
exercet Diana choros, quam mille secutaehinc atque hinc glomerantur Oreades; illa pharetram
fert umero gradiensque deas supereminet omnis;
Latonae tacitum pertemptant gaudia pectus:...
"talis erat Dido, talem se laeta ferebat
per medios, instans operi regnisque futuris."

Virgil, Aeneid 1.498-504

'Just as Diana guides her troupes on Eurotas' banks or
Along the ridges of Cynthus, she whom a thousand
Following Oreads murmurate behind, flitting this way and that.
'Bearing a quiver on her shoulder, she outstrips all goddesses,
Making joys thrill the silent breast of Latona.
Such was Dido, in such a manner did she move amongst
Their midst, spurring on the work of her nascent kingdom.'
Read 4 tweets
9 Dec
Ancient Coin of the Day: A denarius of ca. 19-4 BC commemorating the Augustan recovery of the legionary standards from the Parthians. #ACOTD #Augustus

Image: RIC Augustus 287; British Museum (2002,0102.4941). Link - numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.1(… Image
The loss of three Roman legionary standards under Crassus at the battle of Carrhae on 9 June in 53 BC - to say nothing of the failure of Mark Antony's Parthian Expedition in 36 BC - had long been a source of embarrassment to Roman martial reputation.
Augustus' successful diplomatic recovery of the standards in 20 BC did much to restore Roman 'dignity'. Thus unsurprisingly it was an event that featured prominently on the coinage of the period, including this denarius of Publius Petronius Turpilianus.
Read 10 tweets
9 Dec
#ReliefWednesday - after a morning of talking about Flavian building programmes, it had to be this (in)famous panel from the Arch of Titus, showing the parading of the spoils taken from the Temple in Jerusalem in the Flavian Triumph of AD 71. (1/4) Image
The Triumph was a set-piece of Flavian propaganda, with Josephus - the historian who combined a Jewish heritage with his role at the Flavian court - stating that it was "impossible to do justice to the number of shows" that accompanied the Triumph (Jewish War 7.132). (2/4)
The Judaean Triumph succeeded in its purpose of bestowing popular enthusiasm and respect upon the nascent dynasty, but necessarily the event and its commemoration on the Arch of Titus is not one that sits easily outside of the contemporary Roman perspective. (3/4)
Read 4 tweets
9 Dec
#LatinForTheDay - 9 December

"instant ardentes Tyrii, pars ducere muros
molirique arcem et manibus subvolvere saxa,
pars optare locum tecto et concludere sulco;
hic portus alii effodiunt, hic alta theatri
fundamenta locant alii, immanisque columnas
rupibus excidunt,... Image
"...scaenis decora apta futuris.
qualis apes aestate nova per florea rura
exercet sub sole labor, cum gentis adultos
educunt fetus, aut cum liquentia mella
stipant et dulci distendunt nectare cellas,
aut onera accipiunt venientum, aut agmine facto...
"ignavum fucos pecus a praesepibus arcent;
fervet opus redolentque thymo fragrantia mella."

Virgil, Aeneid 1.423-436

'Eager in the toil the Tyrians strive, some building walls,
Raising the citadel and rolling the rocks by hand....
Read 7 tweets

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