MDC Monnaies de Collection
709
-
ROMAN EMPIRE - ROMAN
See original version (French)
709
-
ROMAN EMPIRE - ROMAN
See original version (French)
Estimate €300
Voluntary lot
Description
ROMAN EMPIRE - ROMAN
Antoninus Pius (138–161). Consecration denarius (minted under Marcus Aurelius) ND (after 161), Rome.
Obv. DIVVS ANTONINVS. Bare head facing right, with a fold of drapery over the shoulder.
Rev. CONSECRATIO. Four-tiered funeral pyre, surmounted by a quadriga.
RIC.438 p.247; Silver – 3.32 g – 17.5 mm – 6 h
Acquired from CGB (brm_427947) in 2019.
Vigorously struck, with all details intact, and a fine idealised bust of the divine Antoninus. Attractive patina. Superb in mint condition.
Imperial funerals were conducted according to a codified ritual. First, the imperial remains were dressed and made presentable. Then, knights carried them to the four-tiered funeral pyre. They laid the body of the deceased on the second tier before anointing it with balms and scattering aromatic herbs. Finally, the pyre was set alight using torches. The deceased emperor then became a god. Temples were often dedicated to him and he was worshipped. The ashes of Antoninus Pius were placed in an urn housed in Hadrian’s Mausoleum, now known as Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. Unfortunately, the imperial urns did not survive the sieges that punctuated Roman history from the 4th century onwards.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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