DOI Artikel:
Jellonek, Szymon: Roman foundation myths on colonial coinage
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49247#0108
SZYMON JELLONEK
Romanization 2.09), the ongoing discussion about this topic indicates its sophisticated
nature. Undoubtedly, the colonies set up by the Roman colonists in the age of the
Roman Republic and that of Augustus were the centers of Romanitas. As miniatures
of Rome, the colonies followed Roman law,10 urban design, and religion.* 11 Despite
the fact that archeological evidence can show, to some extent, the impact of Roman
culture on the colonies (e.g. the numerous imports of Italian sigillata stamps in
Knossos12), perceiving this as a conscious form of Romanization can be misleading.
Another aspect of Romanitas is the language that was used in the colonies. We can
see an expression of the linguistic situation in the inscriptions. The epigraphic sources
can be divided into two groups: official and private. In the case of Asia Minor, the
official inscriptions of the colonies were mostly in Latin, while private inscriptions
were predominantly in Greek.13 Greek inscriptions eventually took the place of those
in Latin in the 3rd century AD; however, in the case of Berytus the Latin inscription
at the base of Flavius Domitius Leontius is dated back to AD 344.14 Furthermore,
of great significance is the language used on the coins. In most cases, the coins
were inscribed in Latin. However, the so-called titular colonies sometimes used
Greek (Neapolis, Rhesaina, Edessa, Carrhae, Singara). It is important to highlight
that the colonies mentioned here are distinguished by some scholars as ones that
were never settled by Roman immigrants; these scholars treat the colonial status
of these colonies as simply another granted title.15 So-called titular colonies were
being established from the time of Septimius Severus as a gift for having taken his
side during the civil war in 193-196.16 However, having analyzed the numismatic
evidence, E. Dąbrowa argued that, to a limited degree, the Roman colonies of the
3rd century were real acts of settlement.17 Therefore, it is necessary to take into
account the coins, and especially the iconographic presentations of foundation
myths, when attempts are made to determine the civic identity of a given colony.
SULCUS PRIMIGENIUS
The so-called act of foundation was the most repeated subject on the reverses
of colonial coinage. These reverses depicted a figure in a toga plowing a field, aided
9 WOOLF 2014: 45-50.
10 MILLAR 1992:400.
11 BEARD, NORTH and PRICE 1998: 333-334.
12 BALDWIN-BOWSK.Y2011: 117-119.
13 LEV1CK 1967: 134-135.
14 MILLAR 2006: 172.
15 WATKINS 1983: 321; HOWGEGO 2005: 12; MILLAR 2006: 165;KATSAR1 and MITCHELL2008: 242.
16 MILLAR 2006: 191.
17 DĄBROWA 2004c: 226.
Romanization 2.09), the ongoing discussion about this topic indicates its sophisticated
nature. Undoubtedly, the colonies set up by the Roman colonists in the age of the
Roman Republic and that of Augustus were the centers of Romanitas. As miniatures
of Rome, the colonies followed Roman law,10 urban design, and religion.* 11 Despite
the fact that archeological evidence can show, to some extent, the impact of Roman
culture on the colonies (e.g. the numerous imports of Italian sigillata stamps in
Knossos12), perceiving this as a conscious form of Romanization can be misleading.
Another aspect of Romanitas is the language that was used in the colonies. We can
see an expression of the linguistic situation in the inscriptions. The epigraphic sources
can be divided into two groups: official and private. In the case of Asia Minor, the
official inscriptions of the colonies were mostly in Latin, while private inscriptions
were predominantly in Greek.13 Greek inscriptions eventually took the place of those
in Latin in the 3rd century AD; however, in the case of Berytus the Latin inscription
at the base of Flavius Domitius Leontius is dated back to AD 344.14 Furthermore,
of great significance is the language used on the coins. In most cases, the coins
were inscribed in Latin. However, the so-called titular colonies sometimes used
Greek (Neapolis, Rhesaina, Edessa, Carrhae, Singara). It is important to highlight
that the colonies mentioned here are distinguished by some scholars as ones that
were never settled by Roman immigrants; these scholars treat the colonial status
of these colonies as simply another granted title.15 So-called titular colonies were
being established from the time of Septimius Severus as a gift for having taken his
side during the civil war in 193-196.16 However, having analyzed the numismatic
evidence, E. Dąbrowa argued that, to a limited degree, the Roman colonies of the
3rd century were real acts of settlement.17 Therefore, it is necessary to take into
account the coins, and especially the iconographic presentations of foundation
myths, when attempts are made to determine the civic identity of a given colony.
SULCUS PRIMIGENIUS
The so-called act of foundation was the most repeated subject on the reverses
of colonial coinage. These reverses depicted a figure in a toga plowing a field, aided
9 WOOLF 2014: 45-50.
10 MILLAR 1992:400.
11 BEARD, NORTH and PRICE 1998: 333-334.
12 BALDWIN-BOWSK.Y2011: 117-119.
13 LEV1CK 1967: 134-135.
14 MILLAR 2006: 172.
15 WATKINS 1983: 321; HOWGEGO 2005: 12; MILLAR 2006: 165;KATSAR1 and MITCHELL2008: 242.
16 MILLAR 2006: 191.
17 DĄBROWA 2004c: 226.