GORDIAN III 238AD Singara Mespotamia Tyche Sagittarius Centaur Roman Coin i56583

Description

Item:
i56583
Authentic Ancient  Coin of:
Gordian III -
Roman Emperor
: 238-244 A.D. -
Bronze 27mm (10.50 grams) of
Singara in Mesopotamia
Reference: Sear GIC 3791; B.M.C.28.134,1;
SNG Cop. 254
AVTOK. K. M. ANT. ΓOPΔIANOC C
Є
B.,  Radiate bust right, drapery on left shoulder.
AVP. C
Є
Π. KOΛ. CINΓAPA, Veiled and turreted  bust of City-goddess (Tyche) right; above, Centaur Sagittarius right,  discharging bow.
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You are bidding on the exact  item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime  Guarantee of Authenticity.
Tyche (Greek for luck; the Roman equivalent was
Fortuna
) was the presiding
tutelary deity
that governed the fortune and  prosperity of a city, its destiny. Increasingly during the Hellenistic period,  cities had their own specific iconic version of Tyche, wearing a
mural crown
(a crown like the walls of the  city).
The  Greek historian
Polybius
believed that when no cause can be  discovered to events such as floods, droughts, frosts or even in politics, then  the cause of these events may be fairly attributed to Tyche.
Stylianos Spyridakis  concisely expressed Tyche's appeal in a  Hellenistic world of arbitrary violence and unmeaning reverses: "In the  turbulent years of the
Epigoni of Alexander
, an awareness of the  instability of human affairs led people to believe that Tyche, the blind  mistress of Fortune, governed mankind with an inconstancy which explained the  vicissitudes of the time."
In literature, she might be given various genealogies, as a daughter of
Hermes
and
Aphrodite
, or considered as one of the
Oceanids
, daughters of
Oceanus
and
Tethys
, or of
Zeus
. She was connected with
Nemesis
and
Agathos Daimon
("good spirit").
She was uniquely venerated at
Itanos
in Crete, as
Tyche Protogeneia
,  linked with the Athenian
Protogeneia
("firstborn"), daughter of
Erechtheus
, whose self-sacrifice saved the  city.
She had temples at
Caesarea Maritima
,
Antioch
,
Alexandria
and
Constantinople
. In
Alexandria
the
Tychaeon
, the temple of  Tyche, was described by
Libanius
as one of the most magnificent of the  entire Hellenistic world.
Tyche appears on many
coins
of the Hellenistic period in the three  centuries before the Christian era, especially from cities in the Aegean.  Unpredictable turns of fortune drive the complicated plotlines of
Hellenistic romances
, such as
Leucippe and Clitophon
or
Daphnis and Chloe
. She experienced a  resurgence in another era of uneasy change, the final days of publicly  sanctioned
Paganism
, between the late-fourth-century  emperors
Julian
and
Theodosius I
who definitively closed the  temples. The effectiveness of her capricious power even achieved respectability  in philosophical circles during that generation, though among poets it was a  commonplace to revile her for a fickle harlot.
In
medieval art
, she was depicted as carrying a
cornucopia
, an
emblematic
ship's rudder, and the
wheel of fortune
, or she may stand on the  wheel, presiding over the entire circle of fate.
The constellation of
Virgo
is sometimes identified as the heavenly  figure of Tyche, as well as other goddesses such as
Demeter
and
Astraea
.
Sagittarius
(♐) (Greek: Τοξότης
Toxotes
, Latin:
Sagittarius
) is the ninth astrological sign, which is associated with the constellation Sagittarius and spans 240–270th degrees of the zodiac. Under the tropical zodiac, the sun transits this sign between approximately November 23 and December 20. The symbol of the archer is based on the centaur Chiron, who mentored Achilles in archery [ Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.].
Sagittarius, half human and half horse, is the centaur of mythology, the learned healer whose higher intelligence forms a bridge between earth and Heaven. Also known as the Archer, Sagittarius is represented by the symbol of a bow and arrow.
Singara
was a strongly fortified post at the northern extremity of
Mesopotamiaa
, which for a while, as appears from many coins still  extant, was occupied by the
Romans
as an advanced colony against the
Persians
. It was the camp of
Parthica
I
legio
.
Its position, south-east of
Nisibis
, has not been clearly defined by  ancient writers,
Stephanus of Byzantium
calling it a city of
Arabia
, near
Edessa
, and
Ptolemy
placing it on the
Tigris
. There can, however, be no doubt that it  and the mountain near it, called by Ptolemy
ὸ  Σίγγαρας ὄρος
, are represented at the present day by the district of the
Singar
(in modern-day
Iraq
).
It was first taken by the Romans during
Trajan
's  eastern campaigns, when general
Lusius Quietus
captured the city without a fight in the winter of  114; Although it was abandoned following the Roman withdrawal from
Mesopotamia
in 117, the city became once again part of the Roman  Empire with the
Parthian
campaign of
Septimius Severus
in 197. The city was raised by Severus to the  status of a
Roman colony
, as is attested by the legend  found on some of the coins minted there during the reign of
Gordian  III
:
ΑΥΡ. CΕΠ. ΚΟΛ. CΙΝΓΑΡΑ.
,  which is Greek script for the city's Latin name,
Aurelia Septimia Colonia  Singara
. It remained one of the easternmost outposts of the Roman Empire  throughout the 3rd century. It was the scene of a celebrated nocturnal conflict  during a
siege
of the city in 344 by
Sassanid
King
Shapur II
,  the result of which was so unsatisfactory that both sides claimed the victory.)  Still later, in 359/360, during the reign of
Constantius II
, it is recorded that it underwent a celebrated siege,  and at length was carried by the Persians by storm, though gallantly defended by  the townspeople and two legions. The country around it is stated by
Ammianus Marcellinus
and
Theophylact Simocatta
to have been extremely  arid, which rendered it equally difficult to take or to relieve from a distance.
="">
Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius
(
January  20
,
225
–
February  11
,
244
),  known in
English
as
Gordian III
,
was
Roman  Emperor
from 238 to 244. Gordian was the son of
Antonia Gordiana
and his father was an unnamed Roman Senator who died before  238. Antonia Gordiana was the daughter of Emperor
Gordian I
and younger sister of Emperor
Gordian II
.  Very little is known on his early life before becoming Roman Emperor. Gordian  had assumed the name of his maternal grandfather in 238.
Following the murder of emperor
Alexander Severus
in Moguntiacum (modern
Mainz
), the  capital of the
Roman province
Germania Inferior
,
Maximinus Thrax
was acclaimed emperor, despite strong opposition of the
Roman senate
and the majority of the population. In response to what was  considered in Rome as a rebellion, Gordian's grandfather and uncle, Gordian I  and II, were proclaimed joint emperors in the
Africa Province
. Their revolt was suppressed within a month by Cappellianus,  governor of
Numidia
and a loyal supporter of Maximinus Thrax. The elder Gordians died,  but public opinion cherished their memory as peace loving and literate men,  victims of Maximinus' oppression.
Meanwhile, Maximinus was on the verge of marching on Rome and  the Senate elected
Pupienus
and
Balbinus
as joint emperors. These senators were not popular men and the population of  Rome was still shocked by the elder Gordian's fate, so that the Senate decided  to take the teenager Gordian, rename him Marcus Antonius Gordianus as his  grandfather, and raise him to the rank of
Caesar
and imperial heir.
Pupienus
and
Balbinus
defeated Maximinus, mainly due to the defection of several
legions
,  namely the
Parthica
II
who assassinated Maximinus. But their joint reign was  doomed from the start with popular riots, military discontent and even an  enormous fire that consumed Rome in June 238. On
July 29
,  Pupienus and Balbinus were killed by the
Praetorian guard
and Gordian proclaimed sole emperor.
Rule
Due to Gordian's age, the imperial government was surrendered  to the aristocratic families, who controlled the affairs of Rome through the  senate. In 240,
Sabinianus
revolted in the African province, but the situation was dealt quickly. In 241,  Gordian was married to Furia Sabinia
Tranquillina
, daughter of the newly appointed praetorian prefect,
Timesitheus
. As chief of the Praetorian guard and father in law of the  emperor, Timesitheus quickly became the
de facto
ruler of the Roman  empire.
In the 3rd century, the Roman frontiers weakened against the  Germanic tribes across the
Rhine
and
Danube
, and the
Sassanid
kingdom across the
Euphrates
increased its own attacks. When the Persians under
Shapur I
invaded
Mesopotamia
, the young emperor opened the doors of the
Temple of Janus
for the last time in Roman history, and sent a huge army to  the East. The Sassanids were driven back over the Euphrates and defeated in the
Battle of Resaena
(243). The campaign was a success and Gordian, who had  joined the army, was planning an invasion of the enemy's territory, when his  father-in-law died in unclear circumstances. Without Timesitheus, the campaign,  and the emperor's security, were at risk.
Marcus Julius Philippus, also known as
Philip the Arab
, stepped in at this moment as the new Praetorian Prefect and  the campaign proceeded. In the beginning of 244, the Persians counter-attacked.  Persian sources claim that a battle was fought (
Battle  of Misiche
) near modern
Fallujah
(
Iraq
)  and resulted in a major Roman defeat and the death of Gordian III.  Roman sources do not mention this battle and suggest that Gordian died far away,  upstream of the Euphrates. Although ancient sources often described Philip, who  succeeded Gordian as emperor, as having murdered Gordian at Zaitha (Qalat es  Salihiyah), the cause of Gordian's death is unknown.
Gordian's youth and good nature, along with the deaths of his  grandfather and uncle and his own tragic fate at the hands of another usurper,  granted him the everlasting esteem of the Romans. Despite the opposition of the  new emperor, Gordian was deified by the Senate after his death, in order to  appease the population and avoid riots.
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