1021 



NUMISMATICS. 



NUMISMATICS. 



1032 



and Fear; historical personages, as Numa, Ancus Martins; or con- I 

 temporary portraits as Ahenobarbus, Julius Crcsar, and others. The 

 reverse presents many interesting types, allusive to the names of the ' 

 triumviri by whom issued, as Clymene and the sisters of Pluetou tnms- 

 formed into larirei, or pines, on the denarii of P. Accol., Larlscolus ; 

 Perseus and his family chained before Paulus yEmilius, B.C. 167 ; M. 

 Lepidus placing the diadem on the head of Ptolemy V. ; Aretas, King 

 of Arabia, descended from his camel, offering the olive-branch to M. 

 ^Ernil. Scaurus, A.D. 62 ; the sacrifice and treaty with the people of 

 Gabii, in the reign of Tarquin the Proud, on the Antistia family; 

 the standards or legions of Antony, on the denarii of the Antouian ; 

 Seipio, on the Cfecilian family ; the head of Numa on the Calpurnian ; 

 the victory of Causing, the conspirator, against Ciesar ; at Cos over the 

 Rhodians ; M. Cl. Marcellus depositing the Spolia Opirua of Virido- 

 mai-us, in the temple of Jupiter Feretrius ; the Temple of Venus Ery- 

 cina on the Considian ; Sylla, Scipios, and Lentulus ; Sylla seated on a 

 suggestuin, holding a laurel between Bacchus and Jugurtha ; Marius 

 mounting his triumphal car, on the coins of the Fundanian family ; 

 the coins of the Julian family refer to J. Crcsar ; J. . Brutus, and 

 M. Brutus appear on those of the Juniau family ; the ancilia, on the 

 Licinian ; the rostrum on the Livineian family ; on the Petronian, 

 Tarpeia overwhelmed by shields ; and on the Plautian, the surrender 

 of Bacchius Judaeus to A. Plautius ; on the Pompeian, the Pharos of 

 Me-sinn ; Porcia, the right of appeal to the tribune, with the legend 

 " provoco," and name of M. Cato ; Scribonia, the celebrated Puteal. 



In the imperial series the most remarkable can only be cited. Those 

 of Ponjpey, J. Ciesar, Brutus, Cassius, Lepidus, and Antony, and 

 even many of Augustus belong to the imperial series, and the cisto- 

 phori. Of Livia there are 2nd brass with Pietas, and denarii, with 

 her head and those of C. and L. Caesar ; the coins of Agrippa are prin- 

 cipally consular, except the 2nd brass, his sons C. L. Caesars, appeal- 

 only on aurei. The gold, silver, and 1st brass of the elder Drusus are 

 rare, and the types refer to his German victories ; Tiberius, is rare in 

 1st brass. The younger Drusus is seen on denarii and 1st brass, and 

 his twin sons on a dupondius, their heads rising out of a cornucopia. 

 Those of Germanicus (B.C. 15 to A.D. 14), B.C. 17, refer to his German 

 victories. The elder Agrippina is found chiefly as the reverse of 

 Caligula, who also struck dupondii of Nero and Drusus his brothers. 

 The most remarkable of Caligula are the large brass, with Agrippina, 

 Drusilla, and Julia, his 3rd brass have the cap of liberty, alluding to 

 the right of voting conceded by him to the people. 



Claudius has nurei and denarii, alluding to his reception in the 

 Pnetorian camp, and his triumph over Britain ; his large brass, with 

 Hope, on whose festival, 1 Aug., he was born ; and of the 

 younger Agiijipina denarii, with her apotheosis. Nero has coins of re- 

 markable beauty, especially large brass, with the decursio, congiarium, 

 maeellum, Adlocutio, and Portus Ostiensis : his 3rd of the Quinqunenalia 

 or Neroneia. Of Claudia, his daughter, there are 3rd brass. Of the 

 revolted Clodius Macer, there are rare denarii. Of Galba, the most 

 remarkable reverse is the Hispania. Of Otho, there are aurei and 

 denarii, but no Roman brass. The most remarkable coins of Vitellius 

 are those referring to the consultation of the Sibylline books by the 

 (piindecirnviri, and the portrait of C. Vitellius. The most interesting 

 type* of Vespasian are those with Judsea Capta. Of his consort 

 1 >. imitilla, are large brass struck to her memory. None of Titus are 

 remarkable, his daughter Julia appears on denarii and aurei. The most 

 remarkable pieces of Domitian are the large brass with Germania 

 Capta, and the denarii with type of the Saecularia. The large brass 

 of Domitian are rare. 



Of Nerva, the Fisci Judaici calutnnia sublata, on the remission of 

 the poll tax of two drachms for the rebuilding of the Capitol, and the 

 Vehiculatione Itali;c remissa, on the remission of the impressment of 

 means of transport for the army of Italy, are singular. Trajan has 

 a numerous series, with the types of Dacia Capta, the Danubius, the 

 Ambia adquisita, A.D. 105, the Armenia and Mesopotamia in potestatem 

 reducta the Via, Aqua, Trajana, and Basilica Ulpia. Rare, but un- 

 interesting are those of Plotina Marciana, A.D. 114, and Matidia. 

 Hadrian, A.D. 117-138 has an interesting series of the personifications 

 of the provinces which he visited. Those of Sabina are rare, and of 

 AeliuH Caesar has largo brass with Pauonia ; Antoninus 1'iux, the 

 Provinces the sow with thirty pigs, the Mars Pendens; of AkBandria, 

 Faustina, and M. Aurelius, the types are uninteresting; so are those 

 of Faustina II., Annius Verus, and L. Verus, and Lucilla. The large 

 brow of Commodus record his attempt to call Rome the Colonia 

 Antonina Commodiana, and his assumption of the title of Hercules ; 

 Crispina, his wife, has types of the conjugal gods, and Pertinax 

 pieces dedicated to Janus and the Mind. Didius Julian, Manila 

 Scantilla and Didia Clara are rare. Pescennius Niger struck only 

 aurei, and denarii in Antioch. Clodius Albinus was killed for assuming 

 the title of imperator on his coins. Severus has types referring to 

 the war in Britain. Caracalla, difficult to distinguish from Elagabulus, 

 ha* only his Circus. Plautilla and Gcta struck in 2nd brass only. 

 MacrinuH, Diadumenianus are common; of KliigaluliiH, Hoi Elagabahis, 

 hit eponymous god. :\\- alone interesting. The types of his wives, 

 Cornelia Paula, Aquilla Severa, Annia Faustina, and Julia Sccmias, 

 and Ma, are unimportant. Of the numerous types of Alexander 

 Severua, one refers to his restoration of the coinage. Max! minus and 

 " ' mm are unimportant. Those of the elder Gordian and Pupienus 



and Balbmus are of great rarity, but of Gordian III. none are remark- 

 able ; but those of his wife are of the greatest rarity. The coins of 

 I'Vlip I., II., are chiefly remarkable for the commemoration of the 

 Srcculares, and the figures of the rare animals seen in the Circus on 

 that occasion. His wife, Otacilia, is rare in gold. 



Trajan Decius bears Pannonia ; Pacatianus, Etruscilla, and Hereu- 

 nius Etruscus, are rare : the large brass of Trebonian Gallus have 

 Juno Martialis. The gold and brass of ^Emilian, of Volusian, the 

 silver, and small brass of Cornelia Supera, and brass medallions of 

 Valerian are rare. Mariuiana, .Gallienus, Salonina and Saloninus are 

 common and uninteresting. The Gallic usurper, Posthumiu, has some 

 peculiar types of Hercules. After his reign, with the exception of one 

 type of Aurelian, the large brass disappears ; some of the later pieces 

 are the aurei of Magna Urbica, and of Julian II. Diocletian reformed 

 and issued numerous pieces in all metals. Maximian I. is common, 

 but the aurei of Carausius and Allectus, A.D. 287-93, are of a rarity 

 almost unique, and struck in the mint of London. Under Constan- 

 tius Chlorus Severus, Maximin II., Maxentius, Licinius and Con- 

 stautine the type became monotonous, and Constantine, A.D. 306, 307, 

 has a long series, some referring to the building of Constantinople and 

 Home, and others with the monogram of Christ. 



From the time of Constantius and his family the reverses become 

 more uniform. The Emperor assumed the title of D. N. or Dominus 

 noster; the types of the reverse are principally Victories holding 

 wreaths, legionaries with ensigns with Gloria Exercitus and a horseman 

 spearing a fallen enemy, the Felix temporis reparatin, while the 

 C;csars are represented as the Princeps Juventutis, and the vota quin- 

 qumalia, decennalia, and vicennalia and a few other ordinary types. 

 Of Constantine II. are 3rd brass with victories of Constans I. Victor 

 omnium gentium and the Bononia Oceanensis or Boulogne-sur-Mer, 

 with a galley, referring to his expedition to England. Constantius II. 

 is common. Nepotianus, A.D. 350, is found only in 2nd brass, 

 Vetranio at the same date, has an eques with the Labarum and 

 Hoc signo victor eris. Magnentius, Decentius, and Constantius Gallus 

 are uninteresting. The reverse of Julian III., 360, abound with 

 the Isis Pharia and Deus Serapis. There is an unique solidus of 

 his wife Helena. The types of Jovian, Valentinian I., Valens, Proco- 

 pius, Gratian, Valentinian II., Theodosius, Flacilla, Maximus, Victor, 

 Arcadius, Honorius, Constautius III., Placidia, and Jovianus are not 

 remarkable. Of Priscus Attalus, A.D. 409, there is a unique medallion 

 with Rome and " Invicta Roma rcterna ; " and the emperors with " Bono 

 Reipublicaj uati," Theodosius II., Eudoxia, Johannes, Valeutiuian III., 

 and his successors till Romulus A.D. 475, offer no interest. In the 

 Byzantine series the reverses of Justin I. have the names of Theodoric 

 and Athalaric ; those of Justinian are uninteresting. The portraits of 

 the emperors wear embroidered dresses, the dalmatictim, with crowns 

 on their heads, and globes and crosses in their hands ; and crosses on 

 steps for the reverses of the solidi commence. A series of Gothic 

 kings commence with Theodoric, A.D. 489, and end with Baducla, 

 A.D. 552, the last with the reverses of Floreas Semper and Felix 

 Ticinus ; and of Vandal monarchs, Gunthamund, Gelimar, and Theode- 

 bert oiler no great interest. From the time of Justinian the copper 

 pieces have on the reverse the numerals of the follis, its subdivisions, 

 the year of the reign, the place where minted ; the inscriptions are in 

 cursive Latin and Greek. Johannes Zimisces, A.D. 969, placed the lull- 

 faced image of Christ, the Virgin, and the Holy Sepulchre on his coins. 

 The numi scyphati commence with Constantiue XI. and the series ends, 

 A.D. 1449, with a doubtful coin of Constautine XIV. or Palscologus. 



The prevalence of forgery at an early period is shown by the severity 

 of the laws of Solon which punished the crime by death ; and by the 

 fraud of Polycrates, who paid the Spartans with coins of lead plated 

 with gold. Plated Greek coins in silver of the earliest period, as the 

 didrachins of Themistocles, in Magnesia, and the incuse coins of Magua 

 Gnecia of the 7th century, B.C., and gold darics, electrum staters, and 

 tetradrachms of cities and kings have been found. So numerous are 

 the false consular and imperial denarii, that they seem to have issued 

 from the public mint, and so extensive was the evil, that public grati- 

 tude erected statues to M. Gratidiauus, who had passed a law against 

 the practice, severely punished by the Lex Cornelia. Plautus, and 

 Martial mentions niyri, base plumbei or lead coins made of this metal 

 covered with a thick plate of other metal and then struck from a die. 

 The false silver and gold are detected by having wrong reverses, 

 blundered legends and types, and defective weight. The emperors, 

 especially those who paid large donatives to the troops, appeared to 

 have issued plated coins numi sttbwrati, or peHiculati, and Caracalla is 

 expressly stated to have done so. It is supposed that the coins with 

 dentated edges, the serrati, were struck, to prevent this fraud ; but the 

 forgers imitated even these. These forgeries began to be collected as 

 rarities in the days of Pliny, and these ancient forgeries are no less 

 prized by collectors than those in purest metal. During the middle 

 period of the Empire the -forgers used flat circular moulds of fine clay 

 moulded from true coins, each counter having an obverse on one side 

 and a reverse on the other, stacked them in vertical rouleaux, luted 

 them all in a triangular mass, and poured in the fluid billon or potin. 

 Crucibles, moulds, and other tools of these ancient " smashers " have 

 been found in England, France, and Germany, and Egypt. The forgers 

 continued their operations notwithstanding the severity of the laws, 

 which condemned freedrneu who committed the offence to the beasts, 



