Heritage World Coin Auctions
Monthly Auction 271726 25 Jun 2017
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Ancients
M. Plaetorius M.f. Cestianus (67 or 57 BC). AR denarius. NGC Choice VF. Rome. Turreted bust of Cybele right, CESTIANVS and lion forepart behind, globe under chin / Curule chair, palm branch to left, M PLAETORIVS AED CVR EX SC around. Crawford 409/2. RSC Plaetoria 3. Nicely toned.
Cybele, or Magna Mater ("Great Mother"), is one of the oldest deities in the Greco-Roman pantheon, having originated as an Anatolian earth goddess in late Neolithic times. The Romans made the decision to import this "foreign" goddess during the most dire days of the Second Punic War (218-202 BC), when Rome faced complete destruction. The Roman Senate consulted the Sybelline Oracle and decided that Carthage might be defeated if Rome imported the Magna Mater of Phrygia, a black meteoric stone worshipped in a mountain temple. The King of Pergamum, a Roman ally, approved the transfer. The goddess' sacred stone was packed up and sent by ship to Rome, along with its retinue of priests, priestesses and caretakers. A prominent Roman matron, Claudia Quinta, was chosen to lead the welcoming committee; when gossips accused her of inchastity, she miraculously freed the barge carrying the stone from a sand bar and single-handedly towed up the Tiber river, proving her innocence. A temple was built to house stone on Palatine Hill, and the priesthood established there proved to be one of the longest-lasting. The statue of Cybele depicted her as a stern matron wearing a turreted crown, as seen in this coin depiction by M. Plaetorius Cestianus; the meteoric stone was reputedly carved into the statue's face.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 120-160 USD
M. Plaetorius M.f. Cestianus (67 or 57 BC). AR denarius. NGC Choice VF. Rome. Turreted bust of Cybele right, CESTIANVS and lion forepart behind, globe under chin / Curule chair, palm branch to left, M PLAETORIVS AED CVR EX SC around. Crawford 409/2. RSC Plaetoria 3. Nicely toned.
Cybele, or Magna Mater ("Great Mother"), is one of the oldest deities in the Greco-Roman pantheon, having originated as an Anatolian earth goddess in late Neolithic times. The Romans made the decision to import this "foreign" goddess during the most dire days of the Second Punic War (218-202 BC), when Rome faced complete destruction. The Roman Senate consulted the Sybelline Oracle and decided that Carthage might be defeated if Rome imported the Magna Mater of Phrygia, a black meteoric stone worshipped in a mountain temple. The King of Pergamum, a Roman ally, approved the transfer. The goddess' sacred stone was packed up and sent by ship to Rome, along with its retinue of priests, priestesses and caretakers. A prominent Roman matron, Claudia Quinta, was chosen to lead the welcoming committee; when gossips accused her of inchastity, she miraculously freed the barge carrying the stone from a sand bar and single-handedly towed up the Tiber river, proving her innocence. A temple was built to house stone on Palatine Hill, and the priesthood established there proved to be one of the longest-lasting. The statue of Cybele depicted her as a stern matron wearing a turreted crown, as seen in this coin depiction by M. Plaetorius Cestianus; the meteoric stone was reputedly carved into the statue's face.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 120-160 USD