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DomitianSerapisTempleDenarius

hieron

By hieron

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AR Domitian denarius 81-96 A.D. (3.56g) Rome mint 95-96 A.D. O: DOMITIANUS AUG GERM; Bust r.; RIC 812. C. - . BMC 238. CBN 214. Bauten Roms 132. R: Temple of Serapis on three step base, four columns, Serapis seated on facing throne; Cerberus at right foot, IMP CAES. G: Very rare. Sharp strike. EF. Ex A. Lynn collection. S: Helios 4, lot 339, 10/14/09 The temple of Serapis was on the Campus Martius and was restored by Domitian. DOMITIANUS (81 - 96) Augustus (81 - 96) Denar, 95 - 96, Rom. 3.56 g. DOMITIANVS - AVG GERM. Kopf rechts. Rs: IMP - CAES. Viersäuliger Tempel auf dreistufigem Podium, im Inneren Sarapis mit Szepter en face thronend, an seiner Seite Cerberus; auf dem Dachfirst Quadriga zwischen Palmetten und zwei Statuen an den Ecken, im Giebelfeld Adler mit Kranz im Schnabel links. RIC 812. C. - . BMC 238. CBN 214. Bauten Roms 132. Sehr selten. Scharf ausgeprägt, vorzüglich. Aus Sammlung A. Lynn. Dargestellt ist vermutlich der Sarapistempel auf dem Marsfeld, der unter Domitian restauriert wurde.

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Roman Imperial Silver

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4to2centophilia

4to2centophilia 10

Posted

My God, what a reverse!

 

The adornments on the temple roof are extraordinary.

 

Can you shoot a closeup of the pediment someday?

djmacdo

djmacdo 10

Posted

Not just the reverse, which is extraordinary, but also the obverse, with such a high style bare head. Beautiful condition too.
hieron

hieron 10

Posted

This coin is supposed to arrive today so I should be able to scan a high res of the reverse and post it later today. Thanks for the comments. -c
BeastCoins

BeastCoins 10

Posted

Holy cripes! The coin is so ungodly phenomenal I'm too flummoxed for words! Congrats!!
hieron

hieron 10

Posted

Thanks, Zach. I just received it by Fedex a few minutes ago and it is as beautiful in person as in the picture. I'll try to post enlargements later tonight. -c
tunaonrye0

tunaonrye0 10

Posted

This is a most impressive coin. What a magnificent temple! It looks very three dimensional. And it's very rare, too. Congratulations!

 

Jim

hieron

hieron 10

Posted

Hi Jim. Yes I think it is rare. I've searched both acsearch.com and coinarchives.com without finding an example. Sear mentions coins of Domitian were struck with the Serapis Temple reverse, but he doesn't include one in his Millenium editions. It's not in Tameanko's Monuments. I haven't done an exhaustive search yet, but I've found no published examples. If someone knows of one, please send me a note. -Clay
Roma_Orbis

Roma_Orbis 10

Posted

Published in the BN catalog, CBN 214, with same dies as yours, as well as same dies with the BM one (BM 238), a good indication of rarity.

It's interesting to see that this one belongs to a serie of temples, with:

- Serapis in temple (this one, actually Cohen 172, misdescribed),

- Minerva in temple (Cohen 171/CBN 215/BM 241/RIC 206),

- (Capitoline?) triad in temple (Cohen 174/CBN 216/BMC 242/RIC 207),

- Cybele in temple (Cohen 170/RIC 205)

 

Jérôme

hieron

hieron 10

Posted

Thanks for the references, J. I wonder if he was feeling guilty about something. -c
4to2centophilia

4to2centophilia 10

Posted

I looked at the close-up photo you took of the pediment.

 

I was hoping to be able to discern the object within the pediment, but I can't.

 

I can't find anything, anywhere describing what was carved on the actual temple. I thought the coin might give an indication.

 

Can you tell what it is...............since you have the coin in hand?

hieron

hieron 10

Posted

Yes, Mark. It is actually pretty well defined, unlike the scan. It looks like an eagle facing to the right from its perspective or to the left for one looking at the coin. -c
Roma_Orbis

Roma_Orbis 10

Posted

RIC describes it as an eagle l. holding wreath.

 

J.

Marc Aceton

Marc Aceton 10

Posted

Fantastic, this is definitely the most desirable Domitian denarius!

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