Ten-Speed Posted June 11 · Member Share Posted June 11 (edited) I have a coin of Marcus Aurelius--sturdy, hefty, and a good pocket piece. Or even a paperweight. Marcus Aurelius (121-180) was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius and succeeded him in 161 as joint emperor with Lucius Venus. During his reign he put down various rebellions and persecuted Christians. His writings are "unique in classical literature--the personal philosophical library written in Greek by an intellectual Roman emperor." (p. vii) He wrote for himself, not for posterity or publication. Marcus is known as the Stoic Emperor--a school of philosophy Zeno founded in the Painted Stoa and signifying a person who represses (note: perhaps suppression is a more accurate word as it signifies conscious awareness of the material being overlooked), is indifferent to pleasure or pain, and is enduring. Stoics struggle to be virtuous, Of course, Romans also sought virtue--witness the many Gods whom they tried to emulate in their daily life. There were certainly many "higher powers." (Photo courtesy of Harlan Berk) A 7th Century philosopher introduced Marcus's book with these lines: If you want to gain control of pain/ Open up this blessed book/ and enter deep within it./ His wealth of philosophy will bring you/ to see with ease all the future,/ the present, and the past,/ and you will see that joy and distress/have no more power than smoke. In opening his second chapter, he offers advice for his world, and our own: "Say to yourself first thing in the morning: today I shall meet people who are meddling, aggressive, treacherous, malicious, unsocial. All of this has afflicted them through their ignorance of true good and evil. But I have seen that the nature of good is what is right, and the nature of evil what is wrong; and I have reflected that the nature of the offender himself is akin to my own - not a kinship of blood or seed, but a sharing in the same mind, the same fragment of divinity. Therefore I cannot be harmed by any of them, as none will infect me with their wrong. Nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him. We were born for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of upper and lower teeth. So to work in opposition to one another is against nature: and anger or rejection is opposition." (Source: Penguin edition of "Meditations.") Edited June 11 by Ten-Speed 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten-Speed Posted June 11 · Member Author Share Posted June 11 Another of my Marcus coins: 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AETHER Posted June 11 · Member Share Posted June 11 (edited) I like the colors. Unfortuntaley I sold both my Marcus coins and have nothing to show. Edited June 11 by AETHER 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expat Posted June 11 · Supporter Share Posted June 11 “You have power over your mind — not outside events" Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius, as Caesar. AE As. 151-152 AD. Struck under Antoninus Pius. Obv: AVRELIVS CAESAR ANTONINI AVG PII FIL, bare head right. Rev: TR POT VI COS II. VIR-TVS and S-C across fields. Virtus standing left, foot on helmet, holding spear and parazonium (short sword). RIC 1307; Cohen 1013.13,0 g - 26,5 mm 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Anthos Posted June 11 · Member Share Posted June 11 (edited) Marcus Aurelius as Sir Alec Guiness... Marcus Aurelius / Victory 163-164 AD AE As (26mm, 10.1g) O: Laureate head right; M ANTONINUS AUG P M R: Victory walking left, holding wreath and palm; TR P XVIII IMP II COS III, S C RIC III, 884 ex Newgate Numismatics “Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too.” Edited June 11 by Phil Anthos 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Collector Posted June 11 · Patron Share Posted June 11 "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." Marcus Aurelius, Augustus 161-180 CE. Roman AR denarius, 3.15 g, 18.1 mm, 11 h. Rome, 36th emission, 178 CE. Obv: M ANTONINVS AVG, laureate head, right. Rev: COS III P P, Annona standing left, holding corn-ears in right hand over modius and cornucopia in left hand; to right, prow. Refs: RIC 424; BMCRE 691; Cohen 151; RCV 4893; MIR 436-4/30. 12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Anthos Posted June 11 · Member Share Posted June 11 Marcus Aurelius / Salus 168-169 AD AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.07g) O: Laureate head right; M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXIII. R: Salus standing left, feeding snake rising from altar from patera in right hand, long scepter vertical in left hand; SALVTI AVG COS III. Minted 168-169 RIC III 207; RSC II 543; BMCRE IV 495; Hunter II 47; cf.SRCV II 4927 (TR P XXIIII) ex Forvm Ancient Coins “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominus1 Posted June 11 · Supporter Share Posted June 11 ..minted by his no good son, Commodus 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewomack Posted June 11 · Supporter Share Posted June 11 "The best revenge is not to be like your enemy." - Meditations 6.6 Marcus Aurelius. AR Denarius. Struck 161/2 AD. M ANTONINVS AVG, bare head right / CONCORD AVG TR P XVII, COS III in exergue, Concordia seated left, holding patera, resting left elbow on statuette of Spes set on base. 18mm 3.4gm 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Anthos Posted June 12 · Member Share Posted June 12 Marcus Aurelius / Poseidon Cassandreia, Macedonia 161-180 AD AE21 (21mm, 6.78g) O: Laureate head right; M AVR ANTON AVG. R: Poseidon nude, standing slightly right; trident in right hand, dolphin in extended left hand; COL IVL AVG CASS. RPC Online IV 10319; Leake HN 3722 corr. (same coin); Varbanov III 2791 (R6) var. (Poseidon left) Extremely Rare ex Forvm Ancient Coins One of only two known examples with Poseidon standing right. “The noble acceptance of the prison of oneself is the ultimate, and only, duty of man.” 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted June 12 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted June 12 "A man should be upright, not be kept upright" Aurelius as Caesar, Alexandria AE Drachm reverse Elpis holding flower and hitching skirt 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncientOne Posted June 12 · Member Share Posted June 12 "The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts." Thrace, Bizya. Marcus Aurelius AE27 Obv: M AVRHLIOCOV HROC KAICAP, bare head right. Rev: BIZY HNWN, Herakles standing facing, head l., resting arm on club, holding lion-skin. RPC IV.1 9305 var. (rev. head l.). Ionia, Smyrna. Marcus Aurelius AE32. Alliance with Laodicea in Phrygia. Obv: AY K M AY ANTWNINOC, Bust of Marcus Aurelius r., laur., wearing cuirass and paludementum. Rev: ΑΤΤΑΛΟС СΟΦΙСΤΗС ΤΑΙС ΠΑΤΡΙСΙ СΜVΡ ΛΑΟ(Δ), Zeus Laodikeus holding eagle and scepter, the two Nemeses of Smyrna standing, facing each other, one holding cubit, the other holding bridle. 32mm., 20g. Magistrate: P. Kl. Attalos, the sophist. BMC 514 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor kirispupis Posted June 12 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted June 12 Marcus Aurelius AE Sestertius / Victory over Germany 172 CE 31.20mm 27.18g Obverse: M ANTININVS AVG TR P XXVI, laureate head right Reverse: IMP VI COS III, Victory standing right hanging shield inscribed VIC/GER on palm tree; S-C across fields RIC III 1029 Rome Ex CNG 2013 Marcus Aurelius 166 CE AR Denarius 3.35g, 19x17mm Laureate head of Marcus Aurelius right. ""M ANTONINVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX"" Victory standing, head right, holding a palm and placing a shield inscribed ""VIC PAR"" on a palm tree. ""TR P XX IMP III COS III"" RSC 878 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anaximander Posted June 12 · Member Share Posted June 12 Marcus Aurelius was, for a time, co-Emperor with Lucius Verus. Here's a restoration issue of a Mark Anthony legionary denarius, issued by the co-emperors. Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius & Lucius Verus. 161-169 AD. AR Denarius (2.76 gm, 20.0mm, 12h) of Rome 165-166 AD. Restoration of Marc Antony legionary type. Praetorian galley left. ANTONINVS AVGVR III VIR R P C. / Legionary eagle (aquila) between two standard (signa). ANTONIVS ET VERVS AVG REST; LEG VI across field. gVF CNG Auction 114 #903. From the Benito Collection. RIC III #443 (Aurelius and Verus); Beckmann, Restoration, dies o27/r25; MIR 18, 120-4 (Aurelius); RSC 83 (Antony); SRCV II #5236. Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius. 161-80 AD. AR Denarius (3.7 gm, 18.9mm, 7h), Rome, Summer-Dec. 166 AD. Laureate head right. M ANTONINVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX. / Pax standing left, holding olive branch and cornucopiae. TR P XX IMP IIII COS III, ex: PAX. EF. Bt. Axis Mundi, 2002. RIC III #159; BMCRE 401; RSC II #435; MIR 140; SRCV II #4915. Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius. 161-80 AD. AR Denarius (3.7 gm, 17.6mm, 6h) of Rome, 164 AD. Laureate head right. ANTONINVS AVG ARMENIACVS. / Captive Armenia seated on ground in attitude of mourning. P M TR P XVIII IMP II COS III ex: ARMEN. nVF. Bt. Gables Coin, 1998. RIC III #81; BMCRE 274; MIR 90; RSC II #7; SRCV II #4881. Consigned/Sold 2023 by Herakles Numismatics He married Faustina Junior. Roman Empire. Faustina Junior, Augusta and wife of Marcus Aurelius. †175 AD. AR Denarius (3.37 gm, 18.8mm, 1h) of Rome, 161-175 AD. Draped bust of Faustina, right. FAVSTINA AVGVSTA. / Hilaritas standing left, holding cornucopiae and palm frond. HILARITAS. EF. Bt. Herakles Numismatics, 2004. RIC III (M. Aurelius) #686; BMCRE (same) 100; RSC II #111; MIR 15; SRCV II #5254. 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten-Speed Posted June 12 · Member Author Share Posted June 12 Beautiful coins. I have often wondered what kind of discussions M.A. had with Faustina II: did they both like to talk about philosophy? Did M.A. have a muse, and did Faustina II play that role for him? 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helvius Pertinax Posted June 12 · Member Share Posted June 12 (edited) Nice thread, his philosophy is really intriguing! Love that Decennalia Sestertius. Here's my only Marcus, haven't yet taken any good pictures. Edited June 12 by Helvius Pertinax Outdated 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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