step three money talks exercise
PART ONE: Referencing these Hellenistic coins, Figures 1-6, tackle the questions below.
Living Hellenistic monarchs were portrayed on both the obverses (portraits) and on the reverses (e.g. full-length representations) of coins. The first obverse portraits of living personages on Hellenistic coinage are those of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I, and Demetrius Poliorcetes. These portraits depicted divine attributes. For instance, on the obverse of a gold victory medallion piece issued c. 326-323 BC at Babylon for Alexander’s victory over Poros at the Battle of Hydaspes in 326 BC, the bust of Alexander is depicted with an elephant’s scalp (for Dionysus) and a ram’s horns (for Zeus Ammon) protruding from the ear with the aegis of Zeus around the neck (FIG.1). The first obverse portrait of a Hellenistic monarch without divine attributes was of Antiochus I. He is seen only wearing a diadem.
Why do you think it was important for Hellenistic monarchs to portray themselves with divine attributes? Why did Alexander the Great associate himself with those particular deities?
Why do some of Alexander the Great’s coins depict Herakles on the obverses?
Full-length figures on reverses - Hellenistic monarchs are depicted as military commanders and triumphators. For instance, take a look at the famous “Poros medallions”. On these silver decadrachms minted in Babylon, c. 325-323 BC, Alexander the Great appears on horseback on the obverse and as a full-length figure dressed in military garb on the reverse. He holds a spear in his left hand and a thunderbolt in his right hand and is being crowned by Victory (FIG.2).
A posthumous reverse type of Alexander the Great (minted in Cyrene, c. 304-298 BC) depicts him riding in an elephant quadriga, holding a thunderbolt (FIG.3).
Why do you think there are elephants instead of horses on this reverse type?
Seleucus II Callinicus is depicted on bronze coins from Seleucia-on-the-Tigris dated c.240-230 BCE. On one reverse type he is shown dressed in military garb holding a spear and being crowned by Victory. On another he is seen on horseback and on yet another he is again on horseback spearing a fallen enemy (FIGS. 4-6).
Why do you think it was so important for Hellenistic monarchs to portray themselves as military commanders and triumphators?
PART TWO: Now reference these Late Republican Coins, Figures 7-13 to answer the following questions.
Living, leading Republican figures (e.g. Sulla, Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar, Sextus Pompey, Antony, Octavian, and so on) all appeared either on the obverses and/or reverses of coins. A couple living, leading Roman figures were depicted on obverse portraits before Julius Caesar – but, only outside of Rome (T. Quinctius Flamininius in 197 BC in Macedonia and Pompey the Great in Pompeiopolis in Cilicia after 66 BC). As is well known, the Roman mint of 44 BC (beginning in January) issued coins showing Julius Caesar’s portrait on the obverses. This was the first time the portrait of a living person was depicted on the obverse of a coin minted at Rome (e.g. FIG.7).
What impact do you think these Caesarian obverse portraits had in Rome? Sextus Pompey issued coins with his own portrait and even Brutus did.
Why do you think members of the Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Antony, Lepidus) followed suit?
Identify the various titles (and their chronological order) that are found on these Caesarian obverses (during Caesar’s lifetime - CAESAR DICT(ator) QVART, CAESAR IMP, CAESAR IMP P M, CAESAR DICT PERPETVO (Dictator for life), CAESAR DICT IN PERPETVO/after Caesar’s lifetime – CAESAR IMPER and CAESAR PARENS PATRIAE (Parent of the Fatherland)).
What is the meaning of the standing figure of Venus holding Victory on the reverses of most of these coins?
Full-length representations on reverses: From 101 BC to c. 32 BC (not including the Octavianic CAESAR DIVI F and IMP CAESAR coin series of c. 32-27 BC), twelve reverse types depict figures of living personages. For instance, in 82 BC Sulla is depicted in a triumphal quadriga and in 80 BC as an equestrian statue (FIGS 8-9). Pompey the Great is seen in a quadriga, crowned by Victory, on a coin from 71 BC (RRC 402). Three reverse types of 38 BC portray Antony in various poses: dressed in priestly garb and holding a lituus (FIG.10), standing in a quadriga of hippocamps (RPC 1: 1453), and standing on a prow, holding a spear in one hand and a sword in the other (FIG.11). For Octavian, there are three issues with variations of a single type. In 43 BC, incidentally the first coin minted for Octavian (FIG.12), Octavian is depicted as an equestrian statue. Coins from 42 BC also depict this equestrian statue (RRC 497/1) and then in 41 BC, the equestrian statue is shown with the legend POPVL(i) IVSSV – “by popular decree” (RRC 518/2). These Octavianic coins were the first instances on Roman coinage to show a living person on the obverse and reverse of the same coin.
What type of leadership role(s) do most of these coins portray? Why do you think this is so?
Why do you think Julius Caesar does not appear as a full-length or seated figure on coins in his lifetime?
What do you make of the depiction of Antony in traditional Roman priestly garb (FIG.10) despite his blatant promotion of Dionysus (See, for instance, EXERCISE 4 here)?
Divine assimilation – Living, leading Republican figures also assimilated themselves with deities. As we have seen, Venus appears on Julius Caesar’s coins of 44 BC as his divine patron (FIG.7). Sextus Pompey assimilated his father with Neptune (RRC 493/1 – notice the legend NEPTVNI (of Neptune) on the obverse portrait of Pompey the Great). Antony is seen wearing an ivy wreath for Dionysus (e.g. EXERCISE 4 -TYPOLOGYEXERCISES.pdf). Already by 44 BC, Octavian took on the name Caesar for himself since he then discovered that Julius Caesar’s will named him Caesar’s adoptive son. Octavian began to advertise his association with Divus Julius after Julius Caesar’s official deification by the Senate on January 1st, 42 BC. Divi filius was a title that neither Sextus Pompey nor Antony could legitimately employ. As early as 38 BC, the legend CAESAR DIVI F appears on some Octavianic obverse portraits from southern Italy (FIG.13).
How, when, and why does Octavian employ the image of Julius Caesar on coins?
Recommended Time: 1:30
FURTHER READINGHCRI - Sear, D. (1998) The History and Coinage of the Roman Imperators 49-27 BC, London.
RPC 1 - Burnett, A., Amandry, M., and Ripollès, P. (1992) Roman Provincial Coinage.
Vol. 1, From the death of Caesar to the death of Vitellius (44 BC-AD 69), London.
RRC – Crawford, M. (1974) Roman Republican Coinage, Cambridge.
Kroll, J. (2007) ‘The emergence of ruler portraiture on early Hellenistic coins: the importance of being divine’, in Schultz, P. and von dem Hoff (eds.), Early Hellenistic Sculpture: Image, Style, and Content, Cambridge, 113-122.
http://www.coinsoftime.com/Articles/Coins_of_Alexander_the_Great.html
http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200606/ptolemy.s.alexandrian.postscript.htm
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110925/Plus/plus_05.html
https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=222422
Houghton, A. and Lorber, C. (2002) Seleucid Coins: a Comprehensive Catalogue, New York.
Mørkholm, O. (1991) Early Hellenistic Coinage: from the Accession of Alexander to the Peace of Apamea (336-186 B.C.), Cambridge.
Smith, R.R.R. (1988) Hellenistic Royal Portraits, Oxford, Chapters 2-6.
Map of the Hellenistic World:
http://mapshop.com/media/classroom/hist/the-hellenistic-world-EM.W16.HELLEN.gif
Timeline of the Hellenistic Monarchs:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gkru/hd_gkru.htm
http://www.humanities.mq.edu.au/acans/caesar/Portraits_Coins.htm
RRC 480 and p. 492-495.
Sear, D. (1998) The History and Coinage of the Roman Imperators 49-27 BC,
London, 70-77.
Weinstock, S. (1971) Divus Julius, Oxford.
On the general development of Roman coin portraiture, see:
King, C.E. (1999) ‘Roman portraiture: images of power?’, in Paul, G.M. and Ierardi, M. (eds.) Roman Coins and Public Life Under the Empire: E. Togo Salmon Papers II, Ann Arbor, 123-136.
Timeline of Roman history (archaic Rome to the 5th century AD): http://www.unrv.com/empire/early-roman-timeline.php
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/roru/hd_roru.htm
http://www.humanities.mq.edu.au/acans/caesar/Battle_RivalClaims1.htm
Newman, R. (1990) ‘A dialogue of power in the coinage of Antony and Octavian 44-30 BC’, AJN 2: 37-63.
Pollini, J. (1990) ‘Man or god: divine assimilation and imitation in the late Republic and early principate’, in Raaflaub, K. and Toher, M. (eds) Between Republic and Empire: Interpretations of Augustus and his Principate, Berkeley, 334-363.
Gurval, R. (1997) ‘Caesar’s comet: the politics and poetics of an Augustan myth’, MAAR 42: 39-71.