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 Replies: 8 / Views: 1,428 |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Just picked up this interesting antoninianus of Trajan Decius. The reverse shows Dacia holding a dog head sceptre.   Dacia was a Roman province in turmoil by the reign of Trajan Decius. Goths had been ransacking the province and had begun brazenly raiding across the Danube. Decius crossed the Danube with the Imperial Army and was successful in restoring control to Dacia (and issued this series in celebration). He turned south to fight a gothic army that had entered Moesia, but on the 1st of July 251, Trajan Decius would suffer a terrible defeat at the battle of Abritus - he became the first emperor to die at the hands of the enemy and his body was never recovered, though Lactantius relates that his body was left in the open to be picked at by the birds. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7066 Posts |
Nice score. Interesting reverse with excellent detail. Good write-up too.
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Pillar of the Community
Belgium
1194 Posts |
nice coin , I have a similar but I think it is a butt head . albert   |
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Pillar of the Community
 Spain
2752 Posts |
Very nice coin! The simplicity of the reverse is actually quite appealing! I always thought that Dacia was holding a Draco standard with a dragons head? Good addition  |
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Moderator
 United States
34427 Posts |
Super pick-up @ben. On the portrait, it looks like he has a furrowed brow.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
I have seen many an attribution about the standard - including Bull, Dog, Donkey, Dragon and the wonderfully nondescript 'tierkopf' - animal head. Personally, I like the attribution of a dog's head, given its similarity to the depictions of Anubis on later coinage:  Spence - the portrait does seem to have a furrowed brow. It's a great depiction because it actually looks like him - here's a bust of him from the Capitoline Museums, furrowed brow and all:  |
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Pillar of the Community
Spain
2752 Posts |
Quote:
Bull, Dog, Donkey, Dragon and the wonderfully nondescript 'tierkopf' - animal head Yep I agree! And just looked at one described as an asses head!!....Personally I feel its a depiction of no animal in particular more a mixed symbol of strength inciting fear!...But I guess we'll never know.. For anyone interested... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacian_Draco |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1269 Posts |
Nice one @Ben. I especially like the portrait.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
I've always liked this type, and references to barbarians in general on Roman coins. Since the reverse figure is a personification of Dacia, the standard that she holds is certainly the Dacian draco ("dragon") with it's wolf-like (dog-like) head. In actual practice, the head was hollow and attached to a sock that inflated in the wind like a writhing serpent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacian_Draco Compare these images from Trajan's Column which celebrates that emperor's conquest of Dacia:   Edited by Kushanshah
02/02/2019 01:58 am
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Replies: 8 / Views: 1,428 |
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Posted 02/01/2019 1:59 pm
