MEDAL. 



tcnued, except the semissis or half of the 

 aureus. 



There is no part of the study of medals 

 and coins more interesting than that of 

 the class bearing 1 portraits or busts of emi- 

 nent persons; of those, the Macedonian are 

 the first so distinguished ; and it has been 

 usual to begin the series with Alexander 

 f., who reigned 500 years before the 

 Christian era, or 2,308 years past ; as his 

 coin is the most ancient yet discovered. 

 Next to the monarchs of Macedon, follow 

 the kings and queens of Sicily, Caria, Cy- 

 prus, Heraclia and Pontus ; to which suc- 

 ceed the kings of Egypt, Syria, the Cim- 

 merian Bosphorus, Thrace, Bythinia, Par- 

 thia, Armenia, Damascus, Cappadocia, 

 Paphlagonia, Pergamus, Galatia, Cilicia, 

 Sparta, Pseonia, Epirus, Illyricum, Gaul, 

 and the Alps, including a period of near- 

 ly 330 years, or from the time of Alexan- 

 der the Great to the birth of Christ. Ac- 

 cording to Pinkerton, ** the last series of 

 ancient kings goes down to the fourth 

 century, and includes some of Thrace, 

 the Bosphorus, and Parlhia; those of Com- 

 magene, Edossa, or Osrhsene, Mauritania, 

 and Judaea." The above are the series of 

 portraits of kings impressed on medals 

 which have Greek characters; many are 

 extant of eminent men, on coins of Greek 

 origin. 



The series of Roman emperors is com- 

 plete, from Julius to the destruction of 

 Rome by the Goths ; after the latter pe- 

 riod the execution of the heads became 

 very barbarous. The Greek coins, bear- 

 ing their kings, generally exhibit them 

 with diadems, and no other ornament ; 

 and they invariably present the profile ; 

 those of Grecian cities of high antiquity, 

 and Roman consular coins, on the contra- 

 ry, have specimens of full faces ; and there 

 are instances of others, on which several 

 busts have been introduced, particularly 

 a beautiful gold one of Ptolemy Philadel- 

 phus, who introduced the heads of him- 

 self and Arsinoe on one side, and those 

 of Ptolemy I. and Berenice, his parents, 

 on the other. Two or more heads 

 have been impressed, in some cases 

 grouped and looking the same way, and 

 in others they are placed face to face ; 

 the reverses on those having nothing re- 

 markable to distinguish them; but the 

 most rare and valuable coins contain three 

 heads. 



The vitta, or diadem, which resembles 

 a modern riband tied round the head by 

 a graceful knot, with the extremities 

 floating in the air, is the distinctive em- 

 blem of a prince throughout the Greek 

 medals ; and it was imitated by some of 



the Roman magistrates ; but the popular 

 prejudice was so great against this badge 

 of supreme authority, that their empe- 

 rors thought proper to wear the radiated 

 crown full 200 years before they ventur- 

 ed to resume it. " In the family of Con- 

 stantine," says Pinkerton, " the diadem 

 becomes common, though not with the 

 ancient simplicity ; being ornamented on 

 either edge with a row of pearls and va- 

 rious other decorations." The crown, 

 composed of branches of laurel, was an 

 emblem of conquest when first adopted, 

 as was the radiated crown a mark of dei- 

 fication originally ; but each were after- 

 wards assumed on their medals by ambi- 

 tious and presumptuous emperors ; in 

 those of the lower empire, a hand is 

 shewn holding the laurel above the head, 

 which disposition of it was considered a 

 mark of piety. 



The rostral crown, made of gold, and 

 resembling the prows of gallies connect- 

 ed, was exhibited by Agrippa on hi.s 

 coins, who also appears in the mural, as- 

 signed to those that distinguished them- 

 selves in first scaling the walls of a besieg- 

 ed city ; the crown of oak branches, con- 

 sidered as a civic one, was adjudged to 

 him who saved the life or lives of citi- 

 zens ; this frequently appeared on re- 

 verses, and particularly on the coins of 

 Galba. Grecian princes adopted the 

 crown of laurel, and added it to the dia- 

 dem; and the kings of Parthia wore dra- 

 pery folded round the head, and over 

 their hair, curled in several ranges. The 

 kings of Armenia had the tiara, the an- 

 cient eastern badge of imperial power ; 

 and Juba, the father, is shown in a conic 

 cap set with pearls. 



The vanity of the successors of Alexan- 

 der the Great was conspicuous in each of 

 their emblems, which induced them to 

 take the lion's skin of Hercules; the horn, 

 as a badge of their power, or probably as 

 an intimation that they were the succes- 

 sors of the pretended son of Jupiter Am- 

 mon ; and the wing, as a symbol of the 

 rapidity of their military successes, or 

 their descent from Mercury ; the helmet 

 is besides sometimes perceived on the 

 heads of coins, particularly in the instan- 

 ces of Alexander and Constantine I. 



The Grecian queens have the diadem, 

 and the generality of those of Egypt the 

 sceptre ; in some cases placed near the 

 upper part of the head, and in others 

 transversely behind the neck ; but the 

 Roman empresses never had the diadem : 

 the most remarkable part of the head- 

 dress of the ladies of the latter nation, 

 was the golden ornament called the 



