Abstract
This paper uses a Flavian aureus type depicting the aedes Vestae to explore both the ideological and the practical aspects of using coinage to propagate a dynasty. Firstly, we analyse the type from an iconographic perspective and argue that it should not be understood as a simple referent to the building itself, but rather as a complex interplay of different semantic units, intended to convey messages of dynastic harmony and security. Secondly, we use a die study to reconstruct the minting process and use our findings to elucidate the transformation of Roman coin production during the Flavian period. Taken together, the two parts of the paper demonstrate both the importance and the pay-offs of studying Roman coinage holistically, that is, with an integrated approach that combines iconographic and technical analysis. A catalogue of coins considered in the die study is provided as an appendix.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 35-92 |
| Number of pages | 58 |
| Journal | Papers of the British School at Rome |
| Volume | 91 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2023 |
Funding
This paper is offered in memory of Professor Ted Buttrey. Many people have offered help and advice throughout this project, and we extend our thanks to Andrew Burnett, François de Callataÿ, Johan van Heesch, Alicia Jimenez, Saskia Kerschbaum, Bill Metcalf, Federico Pastrone, Adi Popescu, Jen Trimble, Terry Volk, David Weidgenannt and Bernhard Woytek. We would also like to thank Fran Stroobants (Brussels), Jesper Ericsson (Glasgow), Volker Heuchert (Oxford), Helle Horsnaes (Copenhagen) and Klaus Vondrovec (Vienna), who kindly supplied us with images of coins in their collections. Publication of this article was supported in part by a grant from the Baldridge Book Subvention fund through the Humanities Institute of the College of Humanities and Sciences at the University of Montana. Abbreviations of Roman primary sources follow the guidelines of the Oxford Classical Dictionary, eds S. Hornblower, A. Spawforth and E. Eidinow (Oxford University Press, fourth edition 2012, and online). Further abbreviations can be found in the References. References to RIC without further qualification are to RIC II.1, and unless a page number is supplied, to the coin types of Vespasian. 2