Verdex
Verdex
31 серпня 2022, 03:29

Architecture on ancient Roman coins from the collection of Charles Austin Hersh

Architecture on ancient Roman coins from the collection of Charles Austin Hersh
Charles Austin Hersh is an outstanding American numismatist of the 20th century who specialized in antique coins. Born in 1923, grew up in Elizabeth (Elizabeth), one of the largest cities in New Jersey. He entered the private liberal arts university Amherst College (Amherst College), and during the Second World War he fought as part of the Army Air Corps. It was during this difficult time that Hersh amassed the bulk of his collection, establishing contacts with numismatists around the world. He received a master's degree in history from Harvard in 1948 and published two important papers in the early 1950s. One is devoted to the denarii of Publius Crepusius (“Sequence Marks on the Denarii of Publius Crepusius”), the second is dedicated to the re-minting of Roman coins (“Overstrikes as Evidence for the History of Roman Republican Coinage”).

After the death of Austin Hersh in 1999, several thousand coins from his collection were transferred to the British Museum. Consider examples minted during the period of the Roman Republic, which depict buildings and architectural elements. The denarius below shows the pediment of the temple - a triangular part of the facade with two roof slopes and a cornice. In the center of the pediment is located angioped (anguiped) - a deity with snakes instead of legs. This mythical creature is often found on magical amulets from the Greco-Roman period.
The next denarius depicts the temple of Vesta, the patroness of the family hearth (her portrait adorns the obverse). In ancient times, a sacred fire was constantly burning in this cult building, which was monitored by vestal priestesses. The building was repeatedly burned, after which large-scale reconstruction was carried out. The temple was finally closed in 394 during the reign of Emperor Theodosius I.
Having studied another denarius of the Roman Republic, we can find out how the Basilica Aemilia looked approximately. The rectangular building, 100 meters long, was located in the Roman Forum and got its name in honor of the commander, diplomat, great pontiff Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Subsequent representatives of the Aemilia family made changes by expanding the basilica. The structure burned down completely in 410.
The last coin we will consider is dedicated to Venus and the temple built in honor of the goddess in Sicily, on the top of Mount Eryx, known today as Mount Erice (Monte Erice). According to legend, the temple was founded by Aeneas, while the goddess herself received the name Venus Erycina. In honor of her, several places of worship were erected in Rome, but the temple depicted on the coin was obviously located in Sicily.

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