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Italy itself contains no large or reliable mines for precious metals; therefore the precious metals for coinage had to be obtained elsewhere. However, by learning less than a dozen abbreviations and solo a familiarity with that names used on Imperial coins the collector can easily attribute most coins that he will encounter provided the inscriptions are legible. COS CONSUL - The consuls was the chief magistrates of the Roman government. The most recent coins among the hoard were issued by Si Aurelius, bust shown right who ruled from 161AD to 180AD He was a great military leader and during his reign the Empire defeated a revitalised Parthian Empire in the east as well as winning other territories. CENS CENSOR - A title often held for life. Dating roman coins from PDF on 1 Hiroshima 2012.

READING ANCIENT ROMAN COINS READING ANCIENT ROMAN COINS by Michael S. Swoveland In setting out to write this article, I have the modest goal of helping new collectors of Roman Imperial coins to interpret the inscriptions on their coins. I must state at the outset that there will be nothing new here, I travel the well marked path of the great numismatists who have gone before me. The two who have had the greatest influence on me have been David R. Sear and Zander H. Reading and Dating Roman Imperial Coins by Zander Klawans has been the starting point for more Roman collectors than perhaps any other book of the last half century and the fact that it is still in print is a testament to it's value. Many new collectors and even advanced students of Latin shy away from attempting to decipher the seemingly cryptic inscriptions found on most Roman coins. The reason for this initial apprehension is that the ancient Romans were excessive abbreviators and that the legends were run together without stops or breaks. However, by learning less than a dozen abbreviations and developing a familiarity with that names used on Imperial coins the collector can easily attribute most coins that he will encounter provided the inscriptions are legible. First we will look at the meaning of the more common abbreviations and then examine the names of the emperors as they appear on the coins. ABBREVIATIONS The ancient Romans were great lovers of titles. In order to fit the many titles of an emperor on a medium as small as a coin, it proved necessary to abbreviate those titles heavily. Often a title of several words will be trimmed to just a few letters. In the table below I have listed the most commonly encountered titles and briefly explained their meaning. While some of the following titles may sometimes appear on the reverse of coins, generally reverse inscriptions are beyond the scope of this article. IMP IMPERATOR - Emperor. AVG AUGUSTUS - The name of the first emperor bestowed upon him by the Senate in 27 BC. It became a title for all successive emperors. This title once conferred was held for life. TRP TRIBUNICIA POTESTATE - Tribune of the Roman people, literally the representative of the people in the government. This title was held for one year and is often followed by a numeral which indicates which term as Tribune the emperor was then serving. It is a useful tool in dating coins. PP PATER PATRIAE - Father of his country. COS CONSUL - The consuls was the chief magistrates of the Roman government. Two were appointed each year. This title is often followed by a numeral which indicates the number of times the emperor had held this position. It is another useful tool in dating coins. CENS CENSOR - A title often held for life. The Censor determined the size of the Senate. GERM, BRIT, et cetera GERMANICUS, BRITANNICUS et cetera - Conqueror of the Germans, Britons et cetera. DN DOMINUS NOSTER - Our Lord. NOB NOBILISSIMUS - Noble. IVN JUNIOR - The younger. PIVS, PF PIUS FELIX - Dutiful, patriotic. FIL FILIUS - Son of... OPT OPTIMO PRINCIPI - The greatest ruler. VC VIR CLARISSIMUS - The most illustrious ruler. SC SENATUS CONSULTUS - Usuailly appears on the reverse of bronze coins of the early empire. Bronze coins were issued under the authority of the Senate while gold and silver was issued under imperial authority. EXAMPLES The following examples will demonstrate how some of the above titles appear on actual Roman coins. NAME TYPES The Following table presents, in chronological order, the common name of the emperors along with the manner in which they often appear on his coinage. COMMON NAME: NAME ON COINS: Augustus C CAESAR AVG Tiberius TI CAESAR Caligula C CAESAR Claudius TI CLAVD CAES Nero NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR Galba SER GALBA Otho M OTHO CAESAR Vitellius A VITELLIVS Vespasian CAES VESP Titus T CAES Domitian CAES DOMIT Nerva NERVA CAES Trajan NER TRAIANO Hadrian TRAIANVS HADRIANUS Antoninus Pius ANTONINVS PIVS Marcus Aurelius AVRELIVS CAES Commodus L AVREL COMMODVS Pertinax P HELV PERTIN Didius Julianus DID IVLIAN Septimius Severus L SEPT SEV Geta P SEPT GETA Caracalla M AVR ANTONINVS Elagabalus M AVR ANTONINVS Severus Alexander ALEXANDER PIVS Maximinus Thrax MAXIMINVS PIVS Gordian I M ANT GORDIANVS Gordian II M ANT GORDIANVS Balbinus C D CAEL BALBINVS Pupienus C M CLOD PVPIENVS Gordian III M ANT GORDIANVS Philip the Arab M IVL PHILIPPVS Trajan Decius C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS Trebonianus Gallus VIB TREB GALLVS Aemilian AEMILIANVS PIVS Valerian VALERIANVS Gallienus GALLIENVS Postumus C POSTVMVS Victorinus C VICTORINVS Tetricus I C TETRICVS Tetricus II ESV TETRICVS Claudius Gothicus C CLAVDIVS Aurelian C AVRELIANVS Tacitus C M CL TACITVS Florian C FLORIANVS Probus C M AVR PROBVS Carus CARVS Numerian C NVMERIANVS Carinus M AVR CARINVS Diocletian DIOCLETIANVS Maximianus C MAXIMIANVS Constantius Chlorus C CONSTANTIVS Galerius MAXIMIANVS Flavius Severus FL VAL SEVERVS Licinius I C LIC LICINNIVS Licinius II VAL LICIN LICINIVS Carausius CARAVSIVS Allectus C ALLECTVS Constantine I CONSTANTINVS Crispus FL IVL CRISPVS Constantine II CONSTANTINVS IVN Constans CONSTANS Constantius II CONSTANTIVS Magnentius CAE MAGNENTIVS Constantius Gallus CONSTANTIVS Julian II CL IVLIANVS Jovian IOVIANVS Valentinian I VALENTINIANVS Valens VALENS Gratian GRATIANVS Valentinian II VALENTINIANVS IVN Theodosius THEODOSIVS Magnus Maximus MAG MAXIMVS Eugenius EVGENIVS Arcadius ARCADIVS Honorius HONORIVS UNREADABLE COINS Many Roman coins will have incomplete or unreadable legends, however it is still possible to identify many of these coins. The Romans of the early imperial period were know for their veristic portraiture and until about AD 250 most coins can be identified by the style of the portrait alone. In fact many first century coins are so realistic that emperors are portrayed with wrinkles, warts and even double chins. By the later empire, artistic sensibilities had evolved to a more philosophical expression. It had become fashionable to depict a representation of the emperor rather than a true portrait and thus we rely more heavily on the inscriptions on the later imperial coinage. As an aid in doing this I recommend Reading and Dating Roman Imperial Coins by Zander H.

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