Nomos AG
obolos 15 24 May 2020
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MACEDON. Thessalonica. Augustus, with Divus Julius Caesar, 27 BC - AD 14. (Bronze, 21 mm, 7.13 g, 7 h). ΘEOC Bare head of Divus Julius Caesar right; on the head behind Caesar's eye, monogram of a D with a hook within a circular countermark. Rev. CEBACTOY ΘE Bare head of Augustus right. BMC 61. Howgego 702 (the countermark). RPC I 5421 (uncertain mint). Varbanov 4154. Rare. Nearly very fine.
An enigmatic coin. Head (BMC) assigned this issue to Thessalonica, but Touratsoglou (Die Münzstätte von Thessaloniki in der römischen Kaiserzeit [1988], p. 43, no. 69) rejected this attribution, instead suggesting an uncertain mint in Asia Minor. Nonetheless, the coins are similar to the Thessalonican issues with Divus Julius Caesar/Augustus, which Touratsoglou attributed to the time of Domitian (RPC dates these to the time of Augustus). The question hinges on what to make of the ΘE in the reverse legend: does it function as an abbreviation for ΘEΣΣAΛONIKEΩN or does it identify Augustus as a Θεος, thus indicating this issue was struck after his death?
An enigmatic coin. Head (BMC) assigned this issue to Thessalonica, but Touratsoglou (Die Münzstätte von Thessaloniki in der römischen Kaiserzeit [1988], p. 43, no. 69) rejected this attribution, instead suggesting an uncertain mint in Asia Minor. Nonetheless, the coins are similar to the Thessalonican issues with Divus Julius Caesar/Augustus, which Touratsoglou attributed to the time of Domitian (RPC dates these to the time of Augustus). The question hinges on what to make of the ΘE in the reverse legend: does it function as an abbreviation for ΘEΣΣAΛONIKEΩN or does it identify Augustus as a Θεος, thus indicating this issue was struck after his death?