Coins of the Roman Empire are generally interesting for their historical value, but the designs can sometimes be a bit tedious and redundant. A large number of Roman issues typically available feature the emperor’s head or bust on the obverse and a god or symbolic figure standing on the reverse. These personifications can represent a wide variety of concepts, from happiness (Felicitas) to mercy (Clementia), or the gods themselves, such as Jupiter. With so many similar figures shown in the same standing pose, they are differentiated by what they are holding. Such items include a hexagonal shield for Germania, or a rudder and cornucopia for Fortuna. This identification technique was copied later for the various saints in the Catholic Church. However, plenty of different motifs exist that are also beautiful and educational. One such design appears on an as coin of Antoninus Pius that depicts a lesser-known myth.
The Founding of Rome
Numitor was the mythological king of Alba Longa, an ancient city located about 12 miles southeast of Rome. He was a descendant of Aeneas, who led refugees to that area after the fall of Troy in the Trojan War. Numitor’s children included Rhea Sylvia and a son. His younger brother Amulius seized the throne of Alba Longa, killed Numitor’s son, and forced Rhea Sylvia to become a Vestal Virgin (a priestess of the goddess Vesta). In this role, Rhea Sylvia was sworn to celibacy and could not bear any heirs who could retake the throne.
However, one day the priestess went to a grove of trees that were sacred to Mars to retrieve water for the temple and fell asleep. Mars looked down upon her, descended from the heavens, and did what might be expected of the god of war when he sees a sleeping virgin. As a result, Rhea Sylvia bore two children, Romulus and Remus, who grew up to become the founders of Rome. Vesta was unhappy that one of her attendants had given birth and extinguished the holy fire in her temple, shook the altar, and shut the eyes of her statue. Venus was more sympathetic.
When Amulius heard of the twins’ birth, he threw Rhea Sylvia into prison and ordered the death of the babies. The servant chosen to carry out this task was merciful and simply left the twins to drift down the Tiber River. A she-wolf found the orphaned infants and suckled them, ensuring their survival. Rhea later saw her children being cared for by the wolf and a woodpecker, animals sacred to Mars, thus proving her story. Her life was saved by the intercession of Amulius’s daughter, Antho. After they grew to adulthood, Romulus and Remus overthrew Amulius and allowed Numitor to once again
become king. Legend has it that the twins founded Rome in 753 B.C.
This as of Antoninus Pius features a reclining Rhea Sylvia with Mars above her holding a spear and shield.
(Photo: Roma Numismatics Ltd., RomaNumismatics.com)
Lifelike Coin
Produced in A.D. 140, the coin that depicts the god of war and Rhea has a bust of Antoninus Pius on the
obverse, laureate (wearing a wreath of laurel leaves) and draped with a toga. The hair has nicely executed details. The inscription reads ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P, a Latin abbreviation for “Emperor Antoninus, dutiful, father of the country.” On the reverse is the inscription TR POT III SC, a Latin abbreviation for “Power of the Tribunes for the 3rd term, by decree of the senate.” Mars stands on the left, wearing a cape and holding a spear and shield, descending from the heavens toward Rhea Sylvia, who is asleep with her hand on her head. At 28mm, the coin is larger than many Roman pieces, enabling the die engraver to provide greater detail than is often seen on smaller issues, such as denarii or centenionales. The execution is lifelike and convincing compared to the stiff figures on some specimens. These coins are scarce but not rare, having been offered at auction roughly 50 times over the past 25 years. The Antoninus Pius/Rhea Sylvia with Mars as coin is a gorgeous historical scarcity obtainable for a fraction of the cost of better-known examples.
SOURCES
Dio, Cassius. Dio’s Roman History. Translated by Cary Earnest & Herbert Foster. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1914.
Livy, Titus. The History of Early Rome. Translated by Aubrey de Selincourt.
New York: The Heritage Press, 1960.
Mathisen, Ralph W. Ancient Roman Civilization: History and Sources.
Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2019.
Plutarch. “The Life of Romulus.”
Virgil. “The Aeneid.”
A version of this article appeared in the June 2022 issue of The Numismatist (money.org)