CRISPINA wife of COMMODUS 177AD Philippopolis Thrace Zeus Roman Coin i49838

Description

Item:
i49838
Authentic Ancient Coin of:
Crispina
-
Roman Empress
: 177-183 A.D. - wife of
Commodus
Bronze 21mm (4.93 grams) of
Philippopolis in Thrace
Reference: BMC Thrace 23; SNG Copenhagen -; Varbanov 1069
KPICΠ
Є
INA C
Є
BACTH, Draped bust right.
ΦIΛIΠΠΟΠΟΛ
E
ΙΤΩΝ, Zeus seated left, holding patera, and sceptre.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
In the
ancient Greek
religion,
Zeus
was the "Father of Gods and men" (
πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε
)
who ruled the Olympians of
Mount Olympus
as a father ruled the family. He was the
god of sky
and
thunder
in
Greek mythology
. His
Roman
counterpart is
Jupiter
and
Etruscan
counterpart is
Tinia
.
Zeus was the child of
Cronus
and
Rhea
, and the youngest of his siblings. In most traditions he was married to
Hera
, although, at the oracle of
Dodona
, his consort was
Dione
: according to the
Iliad
, he is the father of
Aphrodite
by Dione. He is known for his erotic escapades. These resulted in many godly and heroic offspring, including
Athena
,
Apollo
and
Artemis
,
Hermes
,
Persephone
(by
Demeter
),
Dionysus
,
Perseus
,
Heracles
,
Helen of Troy
,
Minos
, and the
Muses
(by
Mnemosyne
); by Hera, he is usually said to have fathered
Ares
,
Hebe
and
Hephaestus
.
As
Walter Burkert
points out in his book,
Greek Religion
, "Even the gods who are not his natural children address him as Father, and all the gods rise in his presence." For the Greeks, he was the
King of the Gods
, who oversaw the universe. As
Pausanias
observed, "That Zeus is king in heaven is a saying common to all men". In Hesiod's
Theogony
Zeus assigns the various gods their roles. In the
Homeric Hymns
he is referred to as the chieftain of the gods.
His symbols are the
thunderbolt
,
eagle
,
bull
, and
oak
. In addition to his Indo-European inheritance, the classical "cloud-gatherer" also derives certain iconographic traits from the cultures of the
Ancient Near East
, such as the
scepter
. Zeus is frequently depicted by Greek artists in one of two poses: standing, striding forward, with a thunderbolt leveled in his raised right hand, or seated in majesty.
Crispina
Augusta: 177-182/3 A.D.
Wife of Commodus
Daughter-in-Law of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina Junior
Bruttia Crispina
(164-183 A.D.) was the
Empress of Rome
and wife of
Roman Emperor
Commodus
.
Crispina’s mother is unknown and her father was twice consul
Gaius Bruttius Praesens
. Crispina’s paternal grandparents were consul and senator
Caius Bruttius Praesens
and rich heiress
Laberia Hostilia Crispina
, who was the daughter of another twice consul,
Manius Laberius Maximus
. Crispina's brother was future consul
Lucius Bruttius Quintius Crispinus
. Her father’s family originally came from Volceii,
Lucania
,
Italy
and were closely associated with the Roman Emperors
Trajan
,
Hadrian
,
Antoninus Pius
and
Marcus Aurelius
. Crispina was born and raised in
Rome
or Volceii.
Crispina married Commodus, in the summer of 178 (probably July). The actual ceremony was modest but it was commemorated on coinage and largesse was distributed to the people. An
epithalamium
for the occasion was composed by the sophist
Julius Pollux
. Like many marriages of young members of the upper orders, it was an arranged marriage: Crispina's father and Marcus Aurelius (Commodus’ father) had arranged for it to occur. Commodus disliked Crispina, presumably due to her character - she was a beautiful woman, but said to be vain and haughty. She received the title of
Augusta
.
On the basis of a misreading of
SHA Commodus
5.9 and Dio 73.4.6 her fall is sometimes wrongly associated with the conspiracy of
Lucilla
in 181 or 182. Her name continues to appear in inscriptions until as late as 191 (CIL 8.2366). Her eventual exile and death may instead have been associated with the fall of
Marcus Aurelius Cleander
or her inability to help Commodus ensure the dynastic succession.
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