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 Replies: 5 / Views: 2,126 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11880 Posts |
Haven't been here in a little while. Thoughts on the latest acquisition? The reverse seems very dynamic. Thanks!    103 BC SILVER DENARIUS OF Q. MINUCIUS M.F. THERMUS. ROME REPUBLIC (509 BC - 27 BC)Obverse: Head of young Mars left, wearing crested Corinthian helmet with floral and scroll ornamentation. Reverse: Roman soldier advancing right, protecting a fallen comrade with shield in left hand, an uplifted sword in right hand, fighting a barbarian warrior advancing left, holding shield on left arm and brandishing sword with right hand. Moneyer mark in exergue with THE and MF ligatured. Lettering: Q•THERM•MF Translation: Quintus [Minucius] Thermus Shape: Round (irregular) Technique: Hammered RRC: Crawford: 319/1 | Sydenham/CRR: 592 | Albert 1123 | Sear: 197 | RSC: Minucia 19. [Rome, 103 BC]. Diameter: 19 mm. Weight: 3.7 g. The coin has light wear, a well-centered strike, and a nice dark, original patina with areas of copper-colored toning. A classic Roman Republican coin depicting the brave deeds of the moneyer's ancestor and namesake, Quintus Minucius Q. f. L. n. Thermus who was elected consul in 193 and assigned Liguria as his province. From his base in Pisa, he waged war against the Ligurians. His command was extended for the following year, during which time he defeated the Ligurian forces near Pisa. He remained as proconsul in Liguria for 191-190. During this time it appears that he may have won the distinction of the corona civica, the second highest military award to which a Roman could aspire, by saving the life of a fellow citizen in battle through slaying an enemy on a spot not further held by the enemy army that day - this act being depicted on the reverse. He may also have been the same Thermus who served as military tribune under Scipio in North Africa in 202 BC. Appian relates that about this time there was a cavalry engagement between the forces of Hannibal and those of Scipio near Zama, in which the latter had the advantage. On the succeeding days they had sundry skirmishes until Scipio, learning that Hannibal was very short of supplies and was expecting a convoy, sent the military tribune, [Quintus Minucius] Thermus, by night to attack the supply train. Thermus took a position on the crest of a hill at a narrow pass, where he killed 4,000 Africans, took as many more prisoners, and brought the supplies to Scipio. The gens Minucia was a Roman family, which flourished from the earliest days of the Republic until imperial times. The gens was apparently of patrician origin, but was better known by its plebeian branches. The first of the Minucii to hold the consulship was Marcus Minucius Augurinus in 497 BC. The nomen Minucius is frequently confounded with Minicius and Municius. Example at Art Institute of Chicago: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/1426...the-god-mars11 Examples at the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/colle...m/BIOG17616185 Museum Holdings in World: https://numismatics.org/crro/id/rrc-319.1?page=2IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.comEdited by numismatic student
04/23/2022 12:28 pm
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
1168 Posts |
A beautiful coin, and a very interesting write-up. Thanks for sharing.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 Spain
2752 Posts |
 ...Beautiful example... The contrast in toning gives it lovely eye appeal! Nice addition, congrats. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7066 Posts |
Outstanding. Thanks for sharing.
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Pillar of the Community
Sweden
2124 Posts |
An intriguing coin with an interesting background. And nice-looking too. I wonder how much of the historical background that was familiar to the average Roman who came into possession of this coin. Did he/she recognize who this Thermus was and knew about his past heroic deeds? Or was it just another two guys fighting? |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
11880 Posts |
Thank you for your kind words. Things that struck me about this coin were that the obverse helmet and the reverse depiction seemed more modern than Roman Republic. Then it struck me that many medieval and later coins and military attire were heavily influenced by Roman antiquity. But the obverse helmet really was not what I expected from 103BC. More like Renaissance Low Countries, France or Germany. In examples of this coin, like the example below from the collection of the British Museum, that show better the details of the reverse design, you can see a better contrast between the Roman military attire and the barbarian garb. The Roman military attire seems to be what we are accustomed to in modern depictions, except for the helmet which looks more like a wide brimmed hat or the wash basin that a delusional Don Quixote put on his head than a Roman helmet.  IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.comEdited by numismatic student
04/23/2022 12:19 pm
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Replies: 5 / Views: 2,126 |
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Posted 04/23/2022 06:22 am
