Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne (14.2019)

IMAGES OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN EXTERNAE GENTES...

The image of a tamed barbarian in the company of the goddess of victory was
not very popular during the republic. It appeared on a few coin issues, which include
C. Fundanius quinarius from 101 BC with reverse depictions of Victoria (from
the left), a kneeling barbarian and a trophy, which the goddess crowns above the head
of a humbled enemy.85 A little later, this motif appeared on a quinarius signed by
T. Cloelius. Also in this case there is a scene of Victoria’s crowning the trophy on
the reverse, under which lies a tamed barbarian.86 A group of characters consisting
of Victoria and barbarians were also placed on coins issued by the predecessors of
Trajan on the imperial throne, as well as by his successors. Among others, Vespasian
struck sestertii and aurei with the image of Victory either writing on the shield or
placing a shield on the trophy at the foot of which the defeated enemy was sitting.87
The same motif appeared on Titus aurei or Commodus denarii.88 Slightly different
scenes were depicted on the coins of Septimius Severus, which features Victoria with
a trophy on her shoulder and a prisoner sitting at her feet, the goddess of victory leading
a captive by the hand, or standing between two bound prisoners.89 The co-occurrence
of the images of Victoria and the barbarian or Roman enemy on imperial coins was
also popular in the 3rd, 4th or even the 5th century.90 All these motifs, however, differ
from the issues of Trajan’s sestertii discussed above, with the image of the emperor on
the podium, assisted by two figures of barbarians and Victoria putting a diadem
on the head of the ruler. Thus, it can be concluded that although the very motif showing
the Roman goddess of victory in the company of barbarians was quite common
in the Roman coinage (especially imperial), during the Trajan era it took on a form
that was unknown either before or later, which makes Trajan’s sestertii unique in
comparison to the issues of other rulers. There were also Trajan’s issues showing
a standing Mars resting his hand on a shield which was earned above the head of
a kneeling barbarian. This motif also appeared later, in the days of Marcus Aurelius and
Septimius Severus.91 In times of Caracalla, the arrangement of figures changed: the god
of war stood leaning on a shield, holding the figure of Victoria in his hand, and at his
feet lay a bound enemy.92 A slightly different set of figures can be seen on Aurelian’s
coins. They present a figure of a walking Mars, wielding a spear and a trophy, at whose

85 RCVI 205.
86 RRC 332.
87 RIC II.1: 223, 224, 225 and 1067. These coins alluded to Vespasian’s victories in Judaea.
88 RIC II. 1: 363; RIC III 67, 79, 87; RIC IV 237, 142a, 142b.
89 RIC IV 142, 237, 805, 807, 806. These coins refer to the Parthian campaign.
90 Among others it was placed on coins of Maximianus Thrax (RIC IV 73, 90, 91, 93), Gordian III (RIC
IV 154-156, 165, 166), Valenanus (RIC V 231, 260, 262, 263, 265) and Valentinianus III (RIC X 2104, 2106).
91 RIC III 1106, 1107, 1121; RIC IV 114a, 509.
92 RIC IV 492, 501, 524, 528, 493, 496.

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