Rights Holder: Royal Institution of Cornwall
CC License:
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
Unique ID: CORN-748DB3
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Brass sestertius of Marcus Aurelius as Augustus (c.AD 161-180), Victory holding shield on trunk of palm tree with VIC PAR on shield, 2nd issue, c.AD 166; BMC 1290; RIC 934-5 This coin was struck to celebrate the Roman victory over the Parthian army in the East (note VIC PAR on the shield). The Romans even reached the Parthian capital Ctesiphon, in modern Iraq, which they sacked in AD 165. This coin is square in shape and would have come from a square blank clipped from a rectangular row of blanks, which was common way of producing sestertii in the 2nd century AD.
Current location of find: Royal Cornwall Museum
Subsequent action after recording: Acquired by a museum - not a Treasure case
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 166
Quantity: 1
Thickness: 4.7 mm
Weight: 19.32 g
Diameter: 30.8 mm
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 15th April 2007
This information is restricted for your access level.
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Struck or hammered
Completeness: Complete
Denomination: Sestertius
Denomination qualifier: Certain
Ruler/issuer: Marcus Aurelius (as Augustus)
Primary ruler qualifier: Probably
Reece period: Period 9 [180-193]
Mint or issue place: Rome
Mint qualifier: Probably
Obverse description: laureate head facing right
Obverse inscription: mostly missing [M AVREL ANTONINVS] AVG A[RM PARTH MAX]
Reverse description: Victory, winged, naked to waist, standing front, head right, holding palm in right hand and in left hand holding round shield inscribed VIC // PAR, on the trunk of a palm tree, with S and C left and right, low in field
Reverse inscription: mostly missing [TR POT XX] IMP [IIII COS I]II
Degree of wear: Hardly worn: extremely fine
Status: Regular
Status qualifier: Certain
4 Figure: SX0366
Four figure Latitude: 50.460663
Four figure longitude: -4.776911
1:25K map: SX0366
1:10K map: SX06NW
Grid reference source: From a paper map
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mattingly, H. and Carson, R.A.G. | 1976 | Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum | London | British Museum Press | 592, Plate 79, Fig.6, | No.1290 | |
Mattingly, H. and Sydenham, E.A. | 1930 | Roman Imperial Coinage: Antoninus Pius to Commodus | London | Spink and Son Ltd | 287, | Nos. 934-5 |