DOI article:
Jellonek, Szymon: Roman foundation myths on colonial coinage
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49247#0116
SZYMON JELLONEK
112
OTHER ROMAN MOTIFS
Besides the three motifs on colonial coinage that have been discussed here, a few
other motifs of a Roman character were also used. Of these, the most frequent were
legionary emblems (the vexilla and the aquillae)', sometimes they were depicted
along with the legionary numbers. These include the Roman numeral III on coinage
from Rhesaina (e.g. Castelin 9) (Pl. 2, Fig. 14), as a result of which we can be
sure that it was veterans of the legio III Parthica who settled this colony.72 There
are a few cases in which a vexillum appears on foundation-type issues; here, they
constitute a kind of background for the ceremony already discussed, as on the coins
from Tyre.73 Legionary symbols commemorated the military past of the colonists.
This memory had to be exceptionally strong since coins with these emblems were
struck up until the final stages of provincial coinage.74 In Berytus, the first coins
of this type already appeared during the age of Augustus, and the last issues were
struck during the age of Gordian III. In turn, in neighboring Heliopolis - which, as
part of a punishment against Berytus for its having supported Pescennius Niger, was
made an independent colony - reference was still being made to the same legions
in the age of Philip the Arab.75 76 In contrast to the foundation type or the she-wolf,
legionary symbols cannot be combined with the mythological sphere but only with
that of history; still, they too revealed the Roman nature. It should be added that in
contrast to the symbolic depiction of the scene in which the city’s boundaries were
marked out, these coinages referred to the real founders of the colony.
The remaining motifs that appeared on coinages were the images of Marsyas,
Roma, or the genius of the colony. Even though the Roman character of these images
is not open to doubt, they cannot be understood as foundation myths. While it is true
that statues of Marsyas were supposed to stand in the colonial forums and that they
were supposed to be placed on coins as a sign of these colonies’ freedom as well as
the fact that they had Ins Italicum,16 they are not tied directly to the foundation of
these colonies. Still, Marsyas does emphasize once again the colonies’ ties to the
capital on which they were modeled, as Theodor Mommsen has already noted.77
An extraordinary depiction appeared on the coins of Philippi as of Augustus (RPC I
1650) (Pl. 2, Fig. 15) to Commodus (RPC IV (online temporary numbers) 4259).
The reverses show two figures placed on bases, indicating that what we are dealing
72 DĄBROWA 2004b: 402.
73 HIRT 2015: 193.
74 PAPAGEORGIADOU-BANI 2004: 36, 65.
75OKAMURA 1988: 128.
76 KLIMOWSKY 1983: 94-95, 98-99; KATSARI and MITCHELL 2008: 231; PAPAGEORG1ADOU-
BAN1 2004: 51.
77 MOMMSEN 1887: 809.
112
OTHER ROMAN MOTIFS
Besides the three motifs on colonial coinage that have been discussed here, a few
other motifs of a Roman character were also used. Of these, the most frequent were
legionary emblems (the vexilla and the aquillae)', sometimes they were depicted
along with the legionary numbers. These include the Roman numeral III on coinage
from Rhesaina (e.g. Castelin 9) (Pl. 2, Fig. 14), as a result of which we can be
sure that it was veterans of the legio III Parthica who settled this colony.72 There
are a few cases in which a vexillum appears on foundation-type issues; here, they
constitute a kind of background for the ceremony already discussed, as on the coins
from Tyre.73 Legionary symbols commemorated the military past of the colonists.
This memory had to be exceptionally strong since coins with these emblems were
struck up until the final stages of provincial coinage.74 In Berytus, the first coins
of this type already appeared during the age of Augustus, and the last issues were
struck during the age of Gordian III. In turn, in neighboring Heliopolis - which, as
part of a punishment against Berytus for its having supported Pescennius Niger, was
made an independent colony - reference was still being made to the same legions
in the age of Philip the Arab.75 76 In contrast to the foundation type or the she-wolf,
legionary symbols cannot be combined with the mythological sphere but only with
that of history; still, they too revealed the Roman nature. It should be added that in
contrast to the symbolic depiction of the scene in which the city’s boundaries were
marked out, these coinages referred to the real founders of the colony.
The remaining motifs that appeared on coinages were the images of Marsyas,
Roma, or the genius of the colony. Even though the Roman character of these images
is not open to doubt, they cannot be understood as foundation myths. While it is true
that statues of Marsyas were supposed to stand in the colonial forums and that they
were supposed to be placed on coins as a sign of these colonies’ freedom as well as
the fact that they had Ins Italicum,16 they are not tied directly to the foundation of
these colonies. Still, Marsyas does emphasize once again the colonies’ ties to the
capital on which they were modeled, as Theodor Mommsen has already noted.77
An extraordinary depiction appeared on the coins of Philippi as of Augustus (RPC I
1650) (Pl. 2, Fig. 15) to Commodus (RPC IV (online temporary numbers) 4259).
The reverses show two figures placed on bases, indicating that what we are dealing
72 DĄBROWA 2004b: 402.
73 HIRT 2015: 193.
74 PAPAGEORGIADOU-BANI 2004: 36, 65.
75OKAMURA 1988: 128.
76 KLIMOWSKY 1983: 94-95, 98-99; KATSARI and MITCHELL 2008: 231; PAPAGEORG1ADOU-
BAN1 2004: 51.
77 MOMMSEN 1887: 809.