Coin talk > Late Roman Bronze coins

CONSERVATOR AVGG from Siscia...coded series for Diocletian and Maximianus

(1/3) > >>

Victor:
This coin is part of the coded series from Siscia, issued for Diocletian and Maximianus. In 1872, the Viennese numismatist Joseph Van Kolb was the first person who figured out the meaning of these coins. Diocletian and Maximianus claimed lineage with the gods- in the East, Diocletian was in the family of Jupiter and in the West, Maximianus was in the family of Hercules.

The first part of the mintmark for this issue reads XXI, which must be a mark of value- twenty parts copper to one part silver. The next bit is the code, which is in Greek, so it is IOBI versus IOVI. There were three workshops in Siscia at this time, workshop A= I, workshop B= O and workshop Γ = BI, so I/O/BI for Jupiter and HP/KOY/ΛI for Hercules. The coins of Diocletian have a reverse with him and Jupiter and the reverses for Maximianus depict him and Hercules.


http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/CONSERVATOR/


Diocletian
A.D. 289- 290
22x24mm    3.9gm
IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right.
CONSERVATOR AVGG; Diocletian stg. r., and Jupiter stg. l., sacrificing at altar, each holding sceptre; Γ in right field.
In ex. •XXI•BI•
RIC V Siscia 263

Genio popvli romani:
Always interesting these coded series like the Probus EQVITI.
Here is my I example with the IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P AVG legend. 4g4 - 22mm

Victor:
I love these coded coins...but you have to wonder, how many Romans would have known what they meant. These codes are fairly complex and unless you have all the coins in the series, it does not seem likely that you would figure it out on you own...maybe that was the point, like a mystery religion; it was only for the initiated.

Genio popvli romani:
I was wondering too ! If I was not aware about it, no doubt I did not pay any particular attention for these few more letters. What I think is that the codes were only undertstood by the issuing authorities and may have been usefull for counting/checking purpose. May be the Valentinian bronze coinage has dozens of unrevealed codes.

marandnumiz:
Here is a Maximianus from the same series, with somewhat rarer bust type.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page