Posted 10/14/2009 5:42 pm
bejon: Thanks! I've been doing some research lately. I've never really thought about collecting ancient coins because I assumed they would all be too far out of my price range. I found out that that's not true at all. I really like the fact that even a collector on a budget like me can own coins from thousands of years ago from the mints of Roman Emperors!
The stories behind these coins are incredible in some cases. I didn't know this at all before buying it, so I'll give credit where it's due...a poster named marandnumiz at FORVM said this about the reverse:
"The coin was minted to celebrate Marcus' victories over Germanic tribes Marcomani and Quadi, and others. The reverse represents pile of military arms taken from the Germans - that's why the reverse inscription. It was minted in very turbulent times, toward the end of Marcus' difficult reign (161-180 AD)."
Another poster, Arminius, added this about the reverse:
"The reverse of this sestertius speaks of these campaigns with the inscription DE GERMANIS and a pile of arms. The weapons would have come from the barbarian nations that occupied lands across the Rhine and Danube, for in recent years the Romans had won wars against Germans, the Quadi, the Jazyges and the Sarmatians.
Many other types celebrated Roman victories and they became the centrepiece of coin propaganda of the era. Considering these wars were not only a source of great financial strain, but they annually cost the lives of many young men, it was essential for Marcus Aurelius to demonstrate success in the form of attractive coin types showing bound barbarians, trophies, and piles of captured shields, weapons and trumpets."
I am very pleased to have an interesting story behind my first ancient coin!
Oh, and here's a link to a great condition version of the same (or at least very similar) coin to show more like how it would have originally appeared:
http://www.acsearch.info/search.htm...&fr=1&it=1#7
The stories behind these coins are incredible in some cases. I didn't know this at all before buying it, so I'll give credit where it's due...a poster named marandnumiz at FORVM said this about the reverse:
"The coin was minted to celebrate Marcus' victories over Germanic tribes Marcomani and Quadi, and others. The reverse represents pile of military arms taken from the Germans - that's why the reverse inscription. It was minted in very turbulent times, toward the end of Marcus' difficult reign (161-180 AD)."
Another poster, Arminius, added this about the reverse:
"The reverse of this sestertius speaks of these campaigns with the inscription DE GERMANIS and a pile of arms. The weapons would have come from the barbarian nations that occupied lands across the Rhine and Danube, for in recent years the Romans had won wars against Germans, the Quadi, the Jazyges and the Sarmatians.
Many other types celebrated Roman victories and they became the centrepiece of coin propaganda of the era. Considering these wars were not only a source of great financial strain, but they annually cost the lives of many young men, it was essential for Marcus Aurelius to demonstrate success in the form of attractive coin types showing bound barbarians, trophies, and piles of captured shields, weapons and trumpets."
I am very pleased to have an interesting story behind my first ancient coin!
Oh, and here's a link to a great condition version of the same (or at least very similar) coin to show more like how it would have originally appeared:
http://www.acsearch.info/search.htm...&fr=1&it=1#7
Edited by bwbollom
10/14/2009 5:44 pm
10/14/2009 5:44 pm
