Auktion Nr. 145

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ Constantius III Solidus ★
CONSTANTIUS III (421). GOLD Solidus. Ravenna

Obv: D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG.
Rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VICTORIA AVGGG / R – V / COMOB.
Emperor standing right, in military attire, left foot on captive, holding standard and crowning Victory on globus.

RIC 1325; Ranieri 47-8; Depeyrot 7/4.

Very rare.

Condition: Extremely fine.

Weight: 4.51 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ Justa Grata Honoria ★
JUSTA GRATA HONORIA (Augusta, 426-450). GOLD Tremissis. Rome or Ravenna.

Obv: D N IVST GRAT HONORIA P F AVG.
Diademed and draped bust right, wearing earring and necklace.
Rev: COMOB.
Cross within wreath with central jewel above.

RIC 2068; Depeyrot 47/10.

Very rare.

Justa Grata Honoria was the first daughter of Galla Placidia and Flavius Constantius, elder sister of Valentinian III, and was given the title of Augusta probably in 426. In 449, with her husband Eugenius, she attempted to overthrow her brother but the plot was unraveled and Eugenius was put to death. Honoria then offered herself in marriage to Attila. The king of the Huns accepted the marriage proposal and demanded half of the Western Empire as dowry, but Valentinian refused, although Theodosius II was in favor. Honoria had her life saved through the intercession of Galla Placidia, but she was forced to go into exile and marry the senator Bassus Herculanus. Her portrait is known only through the very rare gold coins (Aurei and Tremissis) minted in Ravenna.

Condition: Extremely fine.

Weight: 1.42 g.
Diameter: 14 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ Basiliscus and Marcus ★
BASILISCUS & MARCUS (475-476). GOLD Solidus. Constantinople.

Obv: D N ЬASILISCI ET MARC P AVG.
Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear and shield decorated with horseman motif.
Rev: SALVS REI PVRLICAE / CONOB.
Basiliscus and Marcus, each nimbate, enthroned facing, both holding mappa and globe; star over cross above.

RIC X 1021; Depeyrot 104/1.

Very rare.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 4.06 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
CLAUDIUS (41-54). GOLD Aureus. Rome.

Obv: TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG P M TR P X IMP P P.
Laureate head right.
Rev: S P Q R / P P / OB C S.
Legend in three lines within wreath.

RIC² 59; Calicó 383.

Rare.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 7.76 g.
Diameter: 19 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ The Heifer of Myron ★
TITUS (Caesar, 69-79). GOLD Aureus. Rome.

Obv: T CAESAR IMP VESPASIAN.
Laureate head right.
Rev: COS V.
Heifer of Myron walking right.

RIC² 857 (Vespasian); Calicó 733.

The reverse reproduces the bronze statue made by the sculptor Myron around 450 BC for the Acropolis in Athens on the occasion of the Panathenaean festivals, later brought to Rome in the time of Vespasian. A marble copy is still kept on the Esquiline at the church of St. Eusebius.

Condition: Good fine.

Weight: 6.97 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
GORDIAN III (238-244). Aureus. Rome.

Obv: IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG.
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: P M TR P II COS P P.
Providentia standing facing, head left, holding sceptre and globe.

RIC 23; Calicó 3213.

Born to a daughter of Gordian I, sister of Gordian II, because of the young age at which he came to occupy the throne (13), Gordian did not rule directly, but the Senate did so for him. Gordian had become prince because the Senate needed to placate an uprising of the traditionalist urban plebs, bound to the dynastic ideal, and in order to take advantage of his family’s wealth. Moreover, the praetorians had acclaimed him emperor just to show the Senate that they were the ones who decided who to put on the throne. Among the first moves was the dismissal of the legion in Africa because it had supported Capellianus and led to the deaths of Gordian I and II, who were deified. During his relatively long tenure there were several problems to deal with. In 240 Sabinianus, elected caesar in Carthage, prepared to make war on him, but was stopped by the governor of Mauretania. In the north the barbarians were making constant raids and sacking villages and towns. Gordian was too young to face these problems, but fortunately for him he could count on the diplomatic and military skill of Timesitheus, who had become prefect of the praetorium and granted him his daughter, Tranquillina, in marriage in 241. Rome succeeded in repelling the Persians of Shapur I in 243 thanks to Timesitheus, but on his death he was replaced as prefect of the praetorium by Marcus Julius Philip known as ‚the Arab‘. The latter, however, was not satisfied with this title but aimed at the throne, and he convinced the army that they needed an adult prince and not a boy. Gordian showed maturity and offered to cede the throne to Philip and become his caesar, but he was killed in 244. The Senate was informed that he had died of wounds sustained in a battle against the Persians. His body was sent to Rome where he was deified.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 5.15 g.
Diameter: 20 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
JOVIAN (363-364). GOLD Solidus. Sirmium.

Obv: D N IOVIANVS P F AVG.
Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: SECVRITAS REIPVBLICE / (star) SIRM•.
Jovian standing left, wearing military attire, holding globe and vexillum with christogram; Persian captive seated on ground to left, looking right.

RIC 110; Depeyrot 23/1.

Very rare.

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 67, (2012), lot 227, from the Archer M. Huntington collection.

Condition: Extremely fine.

Weight: 4.41 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
HONORIUS (393-423). GOLD Solidus. Ravenna.

Obv: D N HONORIVS P F AVG.
Diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear and shield decorated with christogram.
Rev: R – V / COMOB.
Roma and Constantinopolis, each seated on cuirass, supporting between them shield inscribed VOT / XXX / MVLT / XXXX; palm-branch between legs.

RIC 1331; Ranieri 20; Depeyrot 4/1.

Rare.

Honorius became Augustus of the West at the age of ten at the behest of his father Theodosius I, who was intent on establishing the succession before his death. Given his young age, however, he was assisted by the valiant general Stilicho, who was half Vandal in origin and unlikely to have been aiming for the throne. The East, on the other hand, was entrusted to Honorius’s brother Arcadius, and this was home to unrest because the two brothers did not like each other and were both assisted by cunning and manipulative advisers. By now there was no longer talk of a western and eastern part of the empire, but of two separate empires. Theodosius‘ project of a united empire in solidarity with the barbarian peoples, integrated into the Roman army, had failed. According to some historians Arcadius was the first Byzantine emperor. Stilicho faced great difficulties on the eastern front, mainly due to Alaric’s Goths and other tribes crossing into Gaul. The situation precipitated and the Senate refused to pay a large sum of money to Alaric, further accusing Stilicho of conspiring with the enemy and condemning him to death in 408. It was the beginning of the end for the West, because the most valuable politician and general was lost. Honorius resided in Ravenna, where he treacherously attempted to murder Alaric, who was there to renew the ‚foedus‘ with the emperor. This caused him to break off all negotiations and led to the famous ’sack of Rome‘ in 410, which marked the end of the city as capital. The news of Rome’s fall represented a trauma for the empire and the collapse of the certainty of its invincibility. Honorius also did not recognize the marriage between his half-sister Galla Placidia and Ataulf, Alaric’s successor. This marriage was strongly desired by the Goths and may have been a response to the crisis in the empire, as Ataulf intended to settle permanently in Roman territories by offering protection to the emperor instead of fighting him. In 413 General Flavius Constantius defeated four usurpers in the western provinces, succeeded in signing a peace treaty with Ataulf, and became associate emperor under the name Constantius III (421) but, unrecognized by the eastern empire, died shortly thereafter. In 423 Honorius also died, marking the final surrender, the birth of the Romano-Barbarian kingdoms and the first steps of medieval history.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 4.50 g.
Diameter: 22 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
GALLA PLACIDIA (Augusta, 421-450). GOLD Solidus. Aquileia.

Obv: D N GALLA PLACIDIA P F AVG.
Diademed and draped bust right, wearing earring and double pearl-necklace, crowned by Manus Dei; christogram on shoulder.
Rev: VOT XX MVLT XXX / A – Q / COMOB.
Victory standing left, holding long jeweled cross; star to upper left.

RIC 1808; Depeyrot 23/2.

Very rare.

Galla Placidia was the daughter of emperor Theodosius I and his second wife Galla Justina. With her two Roman imperial dynasties were united, the Valentinianic dynasty (her maternal grandfather was Valentinian I) and her father’s Theodosian dynasty. In 390 she received the title ’nobilissima,‘ which gave her dignity on a level with her brothers (Arcadius, Honorius, and Gratianus). After the sack of Rome in 410, Alaric’s Visigoths left the city and took with them Galla Placidia, then 18 years old, as a hostage to force Honorius to concede to their demands for tribute and land. Upon Alaric’s death, Ataulf led the Visigoths and Galla Placidia to Gaul, whom he took in marriage by Roman rite in 414 at Narbo, naming her queen of the Visigoths, hoping for Honorius‘ recognition. But the marriage was not recognized by the court in Ravenna, and Ataulf elected Priscus Attalus emperor, who was defeated by the Roman army, captured and sent to Honorius. Ataulf and Galla Placidia then traveled to Spain (early 415), where the king died shortly thereafter. The successor Walha, in exchange for a large amount of grain, agreed to fight for the Romans against the Vandals and Suebi in Spain, and to give back Galla Placidia, who returned to Ravenna with Constantius, who became her husband and was rewarded by Honorius with the consulship (417). Constantius III and Galla Placidia had two children, Justa Grata Honoria and the future emperor Valentinian III, on whose behalf Galla actually reigned for more than a decade. She died in 450, shortly after Justa Grata Honoria’s marriage to Bassus Herculanus, and was buried in Rome in a chapel in the old St. Peter’s Basilica.

Condition: Extremely fine.

Weight: 4.49 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Münzen des Byzantinischen Reichs
★ Rare Variant ★
ANASTASIUS II ARTEMIUS (713-715). Hexagram. Constantinople.

Obv: ∂ N ARTЄMIЧS ANASTASIЧS MЧL A.
Crowned and draped bust facing, holding globe surmounted by patriarchal cross in right hand, akakia in left.
Rev: VICTORIA AVGЧ Є / CONOB.
Cross potent set on three steps.

Sear 1468A var. (globe surmounted by cross); MIB 27 var. (same); DOC -.

Extremely rare.

Artemius was an imperial secretary during the reign of Philippicus before overthrowing him in 713, ascending the throne as Anastasius II. He immediately took an oath of orthodoxy to move away from the religious views of his predecessor, of monothete faith, in order to realign with tradition. Foreign policy posed a greater danger, as the Arabs were expanding into Asia Minor in the absence of a solid Byzantine dynasty. Anastasius thus organised a great naval expedition to Rhodes, but an internal betrayal led to his defeat and the rebels appointed a new emperor, a tax collector named Theodosius. Anastasius then faced a civil war, which ended after six months when the rebels prevailed with the help of the Ostrogoths. The emperor was forced to become a monk, but continued to plot to regain his throne, trying to gain the help of the Bulgarian Khan. His attempt came to an end with his assassination in 720, during the reign of Leo III, Theodosius‘ successor

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 2.94 g.
Diameter: 20 mm.

Münzen des Byzantinischen Reichs
★ Nicephorus Melissenus ★
NICEPHORUS MELISSENUS (1080-1081). 2/3 Miliaresion. Nicaea(?).

Obv: MP – ΘV.
Facing bust of Theotokos, orans.
Rev: + ΘKЄ RΘ / NIKHΦO / Pω ΔЄCΠO / TH Tω MЄ / ΛICЄNω.
Legend in five lines.

Sear 1891; DOC 1; BMC pl. LXIII, 11.

Extremely rare, no example on acsearch.

Condition: Very fine.

Weight: 0.86 g.
Diameter: 17 mm.

Münzen des Mittelalters
ITALY. Papal States. Alexander VI (1492-1503). GOLD Doppio Fiorino di camera. Rome.

Obv: ALEXANDER VI PONT MAX.
Papal arms surmounted by tiara and crossed keys, within quadrilobe.
Rev: SANCTVS PETRVS ALMA ROMA.
St. Peter fishing on a boat left.

Muntoni 4; Berman 527; MIR 516/1.

Very rare.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 6.69 g.
Diameter: 26 mm.

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