Hi all,
So I posted a thread a couple days ago about a lot of new-to-me roman coins. I was interested in the coin with a female on it, as were Bacchus2 and Doucet, so I thought I'd start a new thread. Being a good forum member, I didn't want to just throw it out there without trying to attribute it. This has proven harder than I expected!


So my initial assessment:
5.7 grams
22-23mm diameter
die axis ~45*
Obverse:
Woman's bust facing right, hair in bun
?AVGT?INA ?LBA?
Reverse:
Feminine figure facing, snake wrapped around pedestal, right; no clear marks in fields or exergue
OVAHIA? DAVTAAIM
Some of the letters appear to be the greek pi or lambda.
Based on earlier comments, I looked through all of the pictures for Julia Domna and Faustina on Wildwinds and Forvm. There were no exact matches. Eventually I stumbled upon a listing for a Faustina II coin which I believe clarifies the obverse and reverse inscriptions:
Quote:
obverse ΦAVCTEINA CEBACTH;
reverse ΟΥΛΠΙÎ'C Î Î'ΥΤÎ'ΛΙÎ'C
I thought it would be easy to look up all of the reverses with a snake coiled around a pillar/column, but it wasn't. I eventually figured that this represented the figure Hygeia, and found
this page at Wildwinds which lists the following descriptions and Moushmov numbers for coins from the Pautalius mint:
Quote:
4115 Hygeia standing, feeding snake from patera. Plate XI 9.
4116 Hygeia standing, feeding snake standing on column.
4117 Hygeia standing, in right hand holding rod, and with the left hand feeding snake, which is coiled around a column.
Wildwinds'
Faustina Jr page lists several coins from Pautalius, including #4115, but none are an exact match. They do not list #4116 or #4117, whose descriptions seem the most appropriate for my coin. I have found an image of #4116 on a separate website which was not a match. I have not been able to find any images of the #4117 reverse.
So by the process of elimination I am calling this coin a Faustina II from Pautalius, Moushmov #4117. I would like to be confirmed either way.
So I think that's it on my end.
I'm new to this so appreciate any input.
I'd especially like to know if there are any other good online references. For now I do not have any books.
Thanks in advance,
-wheatiefan





