Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XXII 7-8 Oct 2021
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Antoninus Pius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 151-152. IMP CAES T AEL HADR ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P, laureate bust to right, slight drapery on far shoulder / TR POT XV COS IIII, Pax standing to left, holding olive branch and sceptre; PAX in exergue. RIC III 216a-e var. (bust type not listed); C. 584 var. (no drapery on far shoulder); BMCRE 747; Biaggi 744 var. (same); Calicó 1594 (same dies). 7.24g, 21mm, 6h.
Near Mint State. Exceedingly Rare with this bust type, seemingly the first example to come to auction in over two decades.
From the Altstetten Collection, kept in the vault of Crédit Suisse Geneva (documentation available upon request) since 26 November 1969.
Antoninus, the adopted son of Hadrian, ruled through one of the most peaceful periods in Roman history and is counted as one of the 'Five Good Emperors' who reigned in the first and second centuries. Described as mild-mannered, traditional and considered, his cognomen - meaning 'dutiful in affection' - reflected his devotion to family (Birley, Marcus Aurelius, 2012): one of his first acts in office had been to compel the Senate to deify his predecessor Hadrian, which they had been reluctant to do on account of his having sentenced many of them to death during his last years.
He is one of the very few emperors to have never left Italy while in office, either on progress or even during revolts such as the one ongoing in Egypt when this aureus was struck (Ridley, Papers of the British School at Rome: 86, 2018). The main criticism of his reign by modern scholars is that Antoninus' preference for peace meant he failed to build on the military successes of Hadrian, and crucial opportunities were missed to pre-emptively strike against enemies such as the Parthians, allowing them to choose their own time of battle. However, his administrative focus led to several significant legal developments, including the codification of the presumption of innocence into Roman law (Czajkowski et al., Law in the Roman Provinces, 2020, pp. 160-162).
Antoninus reigned for a total of 23 years, second only to Augustus. He also achieved that which eluded many Roman emperors, by dying peacefully of natural causes at the age of 76, surrounded by his family.
Near Mint State. Exceedingly Rare with this bust type, seemingly the first example to come to auction in over two decades.
From the Altstetten Collection, kept in the vault of Crédit Suisse Geneva (documentation available upon request) since 26 November 1969.
Antoninus, the adopted son of Hadrian, ruled through one of the most peaceful periods in Roman history and is counted as one of the 'Five Good Emperors' who reigned in the first and second centuries. Described as mild-mannered, traditional and considered, his cognomen - meaning 'dutiful in affection' - reflected his devotion to family (Birley, Marcus Aurelius, 2012): one of his first acts in office had been to compel the Senate to deify his predecessor Hadrian, which they had been reluctant to do on account of his having sentenced many of them to death during his last years.
He is one of the very few emperors to have never left Italy while in office, either on progress or even during revolts such as the one ongoing in Egypt when this aureus was struck (Ridley, Papers of the British School at Rome: 86, 2018). The main criticism of his reign by modern scholars is that Antoninus' preference for peace meant he failed to build on the military successes of Hadrian, and crucial opportunities were missed to pre-emptively strike against enemies such as the Parthians, allowing them to choose their own time of battle. However, his administrative focus led to several significant legal developments, including the codification of the presumption of innocence into Roman law (Czajkowski et al., Law in the Roman Provinces, 2020, pp. 160-162).
Antoninus reigned for a total of 23 years, second only to Augustus. He also achieved that which eluded many Roman emperors, by dying peacefully of natural causes at the age of 76, surrounded by his family.