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Silver antoninianus of Saloninus (242-260 CE), minted in Antioch (Syria), 256 CE<\/b> Description<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n Obverse:<\/b> Reverse: <\/b> Commentary<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n The obverse legend provides information about who the emperor was and what he was known for. Most importantly, it provides his name, Saloninus Valerianus, and his standing, a noble and a Caesar. The \u201cnobilissimus\u201d title was reserved for high nobility, directly translating to \u201cmost noble\u201d (Gizewski 2006). The title of Caesar was given to heirs to the Roman throne, while Augustus was the title of the actual emperor. Saloninus\u2019s imperial coins were rarely created without this in conjunction with his title of Caesar. Since Saloninus was emperor for only a short time before his death, very few of his coins include the title \u201cAugustus\u201d (Vagi 1999). The reverse legend reads \u201cPublic Hope.\u201d In ancient Rome, the \u201cpublic\u201d was a concept of something or someone that belonged to the people, or was made for the sake of the people (Lewis & Short). This legend asserts that as the successor to the emperor, Saloninus was a source of hope for the people.<\/span><\/p>\n This coin is technically an antoninianus, but is also known as a radiate after the iconic imagery of the radial crown on the obverse. The radial crown invokes sun god imagery (Chorba 2020). This type of coin was introduced by Caracalla in 215 CE and stopped being issued in 219 CE.\u00a0 When the radiate was revived in 238 by Balbinus and Pupienus, this type of coin replaced the denarius completely (Bland 2012; see for example, a coin of Gordian III in the British Museum, <\/span>C_R-430<\/span><\/a>). Saloninus came into power just four years after 238, so it is not surprising that he used this type.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The significance of the reverse image was to demonstrate that Saloninus had the goddess of hope on his side in a future war, showing the public that they were going to be victorious. Spes is the Roman personification of hope, and the Romans had a cult for Spes and dedicated temples to her (Bloch & B\u00fcchli 2006). We can see how this hope of victory in war is demonstrated by how Saloninus is dressed in military uniform with a spear accepting the flower (probably a rose) from Spes. Several other versions of this coin type were issued, some with a star or wreath in the field above the two figures (see OCRE,<\/span> RIC V Saloninus 36<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Spes had appeared on Roman coins before, dating all the way back to 41 CE (the reign of Claudius). In nearly all of these coins, Spes\u00a0 holds a flower in her right hand. This attribute of Spes relates to the hope of spring and new growth, ideas new emperors would want to promote. She is also nearly always pulling up her skirt with her left hand. This gesture and the archaistic style of her dress were traditional elements of her iconography in Roman art, probably connected with large-scale cult statuary (Fullerton 1990, 103-111). On coin reverses, however, Spes is usually shown alone (see, for instance, a coin of Vespasian in the American Numismatic Society collection, <\/span>1944.100.41586<\/span><\/a>). The depiction of Spes interacting with an emperor or Caesar is unusual and would have been striking to the viewer. Saloninus used this image as propaganda to show to the Roman public that even the gods and goddess were rooting for him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Works cited:<\/b><\/p>\n Bland, Roger. 2012. \u201cFrom Gordian III to the Gallic Empire.\u201d In <\/span>The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage<\/span><\/i>, edited by William E. Metcalf. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Accessed December 3, 2020. DOI: 10.1093\/oxfordhb\/9780195305746.001.0001<\/span><\/p>\n Bloch, Ren\u00e9 and Jorg B\u00fcchli. 2006. \u201cSpes.\u201d In <\/span>Brill\u2019s New Pauly<\/span><\/i>,<\/span> edited by Hubert Cancik, Helmuth Schneider, and Christine F. Salazar. Leiden: Brill<\/span>. Accessed December 7, 2020 <\/span>http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1163\/1574-9347_bnp_e1118960<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Chorba, Terence. 2020. \u201cThe Concept of the Crown and its Potential Role in the Downfall of Coronavirus.\u201d <\/span>Emerging Infectious Diseases 26(9): 2302-2305<\/span><\/i>. Accessed December 3, 2020 <\/span>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3201\/eid2609.AC2609<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fullerton, Mark D. 1999. <\/span>The Archaistic Style in Roman Statuary<\/span><\/i>. Leiden: Brill.<\/span><\/p>\n Gizewski, Christian. 2006. \u201cNobilissimus\u201d. <\/span>Brill\u2019s New Pauly<\/span><\/i>, edited by Hubert Cancik, Helmuth Schneider, and Christine F. Salazar. Leiden: Brill. <\/span>Accessed December 3, 2020 <\/span>http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1163\/1574-9347_bnp_e824050<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kurth, Dane. n.d. \u201cSaloninus, Roman Imperial Coins of\u201d WildWinds.Com. Accessed November 18, 2020.<\/span> https:\/\/www.wildwinds.com\/coins\/ric\/saloninus\/i.html<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Lewis, Charlton T., and Charles Short. 1879. \u201cPublicus.\u201d <\/span>A Latin Dictionary. <\/span><\/i>Oxford: Clarendon Press. The Perseus Project. Accessed December 6, 2020. <\/span>http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n OCRE. Online Coins of the Roman Empire. \u201cRIC V Saloninus 36.\u201d 2020. <\/span>Online Coins of the Roman Empire<\/span><\/i>, American Numismatic Society. Accessed December 2, 2020. <\/span>http:\/\/numismatics.org\/ocre\/id\/ric.5.sals.36<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Smith, Doug. 1998. \u201cA Glossary of Coin Terms.\u201d <\/span>Glossary of Coin Terms<\/span><\/i>. Accessed November 18, 2020 <\/span>https:\/\/www.forumancientcoins.com\/dougsmith\/gloss.html<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Vagi, David L. 1999. <\/span>Coinage and History of the Roman Empire<\/span><\/i>. Sidney, Ohio: Coin World.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n<\/b>Diameter: 2 cm<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>SALON VALERIANUS NOB CAES<\/span>
\n<\/span>(Saloninus Valerianus Nobilissimus Caesar)<\/span>
\n<\/span>The obverse of the coin shows the bust of Saloninus facing right. He wears a radiate crown with five rays, and he is draped in a paludamentum (military cloak). The ends of a knot flow from the back of his head, just above his neck. Saloninus\u2019s hair is a series of waving parallel lines. The face of Saloninus has been worn away, however the profile is still visible, including the prominent forehead and weaker chin of the emperor. Beaded border and continuous legend. The border on the right side has either worn away, or the coin was not perfectly centered.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>SPES PUBLICA<\/span>
\n<\/span>(Spes Publica)<\/span>
\n<\/span>On the left, Saloninus stands facing right, towards the goddess of hope, Spes, who stands facing left. Saloninus is clothed in military attire and holds a spear. Spes, wearing a long robe and some sort of crown or headdress, gives the emperor a flower with her right hand. With her left hand, Spes holds part of her dress away from her body. The image is faded due to time and use, making it hard to see the details perfectly. Beaded border, chipped on the right side as well as the bottom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n