Maxentius temple coins with decorated pediments

[Victor]

I just bought a group of otherwise uninteresting coins for the Maxentius coin below. It has a pediment with Dioscuri flanked by what RIC VI calls river gods; but Drost refers to them as floating figures, so maybe victories, but not clear enough to say for sure. The most common of pediments decorations is a wreath (third pic below) and second most common is probably wolf and twins (fourth pic). There is a lot of variety though and you can even find examples with a figure of Sol in the pediment. The acroteria are also usually decorated, mostly with victories.

[Heliodromus]

The pediment decorations vary according to mint, except for the wreath seen at all Italian mints. The wolf+twins is really an Aquileia design, except for the footnoted RIC VI Rome 213 variant noted in RIC (I've never seen one).

The RIC 205 pediment description as being the Dioscuri (flanked by river gods) seems to be an error. The central figures seem to be Jupiter (holding staff) and Hercules (leaning on club), same as on the presumably immediately following RIC 208 variation. These central figures appear to be passing something to the upper-torso "river gods", so making an offering to the Tiber god(s) might make sense. There's also a RIC 208 variant (specimen below from Jochen on FORVM) where one of the river gods is replaced by Sol.

RIC 208 has the Dioscuri flanked by altars pediment.

The most common acroteria on all of these is victories holding garlands - RIC omits to mention the garland.

[Victor]

If you don't have Drost, you should check it out.

[Heliodromus]

Yeah, I'm missing a bunch of these classic references.

How does he describe 25a and 25f ?

[Victor]

he describes 25a as Jupiter and Hercules alone and 25f as the Dioscuri with horses.

[Heliodromus]

Thanks.

Those horses are pretty blobby, but makes more sense than, say, walruses! 

I assume 25e is Dioscuri with river gods, although the river gods looks a bit different (reclined?) on that specimen.

[Victor]

for 25f he footnotes Sabetta, who describes the figures as lions.

for 25e he uses the word "flottantes" to describe the figures-- so floating; which could be water gods or floating in air like victories...he leaves some wiggle room.


maybe the best one ever--

[Heliodromus]

maybe the best one ever--

Is that on a regular ~25mm coin, or a larger medallion perhaps ?! It seems the temple would have to be quite small to leave that amount of room!

[Victor]

It's a regular bronze, so the temple is smaller than usual.

[Victor]

I recently got an example with the Dioscuri in the pediment

Maxentius
A.D. 308- 310
24x25mm      5.2g
IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right.
CONSERV VRB SVAE, Roma seated in hexastyle temple holding globe & sceptre; Dioscuri between altars in pediment; Victories with garlands as acroteria.
In ex. RBQ
RIC VI Rome 208

[Victor]

I just bought this example from Aquileia with an X in the pediment.

the dealer description...they call it a cross in the pediment.

Maxentius (306-312). Æ Follis (25mm, 6.17g, 11h). Aquileia, 307-310. Laureate bust r. R/ Roma seated facing, head l., in hexastyle temple, holding globe and sceptre, knobs as acroteria; cross in pediment; AQΓ. RIC VI 121a. Good EF