GORDIAN III & SERAPIS on MARCIANOPOLIS Ancient Roman Coin Victory Nike i39791

Description

Item:
i39791
Authentic Ancient Roman Coin of:
Gordian III
-
Roman Emperor
: 238-244 A.D. -
Markianopolis in Moesian Inferior under Magistrate Tullius Menophilus circa 238-244 A.D.
AVT K M ANT
ΩΝΙΟC
ГOPΔIANOC AVГ, laureate draped bust of Gordian III on left facing right toward draped bust of Serapis facing left on right.
V
Π
MHNOΦIΛOV MAPKIANOΠO
Λ
ITΩN, Nike or Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm, E in field to left.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
Serapis
is a Graeco-Egyptian god. Serapis was devised during the 3rd century BC on the orders of
Ptolemy I of Egypt
as a means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm. The god was depicted as Greek in appearance, but with Egyptian trappings, and combined iconography from a great many cults, signifying both abundance and resurrection. A
serapeum
(Greek
serapeion
) was any temple or religious precinct devoted to Serapis. The
cultus
of Serapis was spread as a matter of deliberate policy by the
Ptolemaic kings
, who also built an immense Serapeum in Alexandria.
Serapis continued to increase in popularity during the
Roman period
, often replacing
Osiris
as the consort of
Isis
in temples outside Egypt. In 389, a mob led by the
Patriarch
Theophilus of Alexandria
destroyed the Alexandrian Serapeum, but the cult survived until all forms of religion other than
Nicene Christianity
were suppressed or abolished under
Theodosius I
in 391.
About the god
This pendant bearing Serapis's likeness would have been worn by a member of elite Egyptian society.
Walters Art Museum
,
Baltimore
.
"Serapis" is the only form used in Latin, but both
Ancient Greek
:
Σάραπις
Sárapis
and
Ancient Greek
:
Σέραπις
Sérapis
appear in Greek, as well as
Ancient Greek
:
Σαραπo
Serapo
in Bactrian.
His most renowned temple was the
Serapeum of Alexandria
. Under
Ptolemy Soter
, efforts were made to integrate Egyptian religion with that of their Hellenic rulers. Ptolemy's policy was to find a deity that should win the reverence alike of both groups, despite the curses of the Egyptian priests against the gods of the previous foreign rulers (e.g.
Set
, who was lauded by the
Hyksos
).
Alexander the Great
had attempted to use
Amun
for this purpose, but he was more prominent in
Upper Egypt
, and not as popular with those in
Lower Egypt
, where the Greeks had stronger influence. The Greeks had little respect for animal-headed figures, and so a Greek-style
anthropomorphic
statue was chosen as the
idol
, and proclaimed as the equivalent of the highly popular
Apis
. It was named
Aser-hapi
(i.e.
Osiris-Apis
), which became
Serapis
, and was said to be
Osiris
in full, rather than just his
Ka
(life force).
History
The earliest mention of a Serapis is in the disputed death scene of Alexander (323 BC). Here, Serapis has a temple at
Babylon
, and is of such importance that he alone is named as being consulted on behalf of the dying king. His presence in Babylon would radically alter perceptions of the mythologies of this era: the unconnected Babylonian god Ea (
Enki
) was titled
Serapsi
, meaning 'king of the deep', and it is possible this Serapis is the one referred to in the diaries. The significance of this Serapsi in the Hellenic psyche, due to its involvement in Alexander's death, may have also contributed to the choice of Osiris-Apis as the chief Ptolemaic god.
According to
Plutarch
, Ptolemy stole the
cult statue
from
Sinope
, having been instructed in a dream by the "
unknown god
" to bring the statue to
Alexandria
, where the statue was pronounced to be Serapis by two religious experts. One of the experts was of the
Eumolpidae
, the ancient family from whose members the
hierophant
of the
Eleusinian Mysteries
had been chosen since before history, and the other was the scholarly Egyptian priest
Manetho
, which gave weight to the judgement both for the
Egyptians
and the Greeks.
Plutarch may not be correct, however, as some Egyptologists allege that the Sinope in the tale is really the hill of Sinopeion, a name given to the site of the already existing
Serapeum
at
Memphis
. Also, according to
Tacitus
, Serapis (i.e., Apis explicitly identified as Osiris in full) had been the god of the village of
Rhakotis
before it expanded into the great capital of Alexandria.
High Clerk in the Cult of Serapis,
Altes Museum
,
Berlin
The statue suitably depicted a figure resembling
Hades
or
Pluto
, both being kings of the Greek
underworld
, and was shown enthroned with the
modius
, a basket/grain-measure, on his head, since it was a Greek
symbol
for the land of the dead. He also held a
sceptre
in his hand indicating his rulership, with
Cerberus
, gatekeeper of the underworld, resting at his feet, and it also had what appeared to be a
serpent
at its base, fitting the Egyptian symbol of rulership, the
uraeus
.
With his (i.e. Osiris's) wife
Isis
, and their son
Horus
(in the form of
Harpocrates
), Serapis won an important place in the
Greek world
. In his
Description of Greece
, Pausanias notes two
Serapeia
on the slopes of
Acrocorinth
, above the rebuilt Roman city of
Corinth
and one at Copae in Boeotia.
Serapis was among the
international deities
whose cult was received and disseminated throughout the Roman Empire, with
Anubis
sometimes identified with Cerberus. At Rome, Serapis was worshiped in the Iseum Campense, the sanctuary of Isis built during the
Second Triumvirate
in the
Campus Martius
. The Roman cults of Isis and Serapis gained in popularity late in the 1st century when
Vespasian
experienced events he attributed to their miraculous agency while he was in Alexandria, where he stayed before returning to Rome as emperor in 70. From the
Flavian Dynasty
on, Serapis was one of the deities who might appear on imperial coinage with the reigning emperor.
The main cult at Alexandria survived until the late 4th century, when a
Christian mob destroyed the Serapeum of Alexandria
in 385, and the cult was part of the general proscription of religions other than approved forms of Christianity under the
Theodosian decree
.
Gallery
Oil lamp with a bust of Serapis, flanked by a crescent moon and star (Roman-era
Ephesus
, 100-150)
Statuette possibly of Serapis (but note the
herculean
club) from
Begram
,
Afghanistan
Head of Serapis, from a 12-foot statue found off the coast of Alexandria
Head of Serapis (Roman-era Hellenistic terracotta, Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst, Munich)
In
Greek mythology
,
Nike
was a
goddess
who personified
victory
, also known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was
Victoria
. Depending upon the time of various myths, she was described as the daughter of
Pallas
(Titan) and
Styx
(Water) and the sister of
Kratos
(Strength),
Bia
(Force), and
Zelus
(Zeal). Nike and her siblings were close companions of
Zeus
, the dominant deity of the
Greek pantheon
. According to classical (later) myth, Styx brought them to Zeus when
the god was assembling allies for the
Titan War
against the older deities. Nike assumed the role of the divine
charioteer
, a role in which she often is portrayed in Classical Greek art. Nike flew around battlefields rewarding the victors with glory and fame.
Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings. Most other winged deities in the Greek pantheon had shed their wings by Classical times. Nike is the goddess of strength, speed, and victory. Nike was a very close acquaintance of
Athena
, and is thought to have stood in Athena's outstretched hand in the statue of Athena located in the Parthenon. Nike is one of the most commonly portrayed figures on Greek coins.
Names stemming from Nike include amongst others:
Nicholas
, Nicola, Nick, Nikolai, Nils, Klaas, Nicole, Ike, Niki, Nikita, Nika, Niketas, and Nico.
Marcianopolis
, or
Marcianople
was an ancient Roman city in
Thracia
. It was located at the site of modern day
Devnya
,
Bulgaria
.
The city was so renamed by Emperor
Trajan
after his sister
Ulpia Marciana
, and was previously known as Parthenopolis. Romans repulsed a
Gothic
attack to this town in
267
(or
268
), during the reign of
Gallienus
.
Diocletian
made it the capital of the
Moesia Secunda
province.
Valens
made it his winter quarters in 368 and succeeding years, Emperor
Justinian I
restored and fortified it. In 587, it was sacked by the king of the
Avars
but at once retaken by the Romans. The Roman army quartered there in 596 before crossing the Danube to assault the Avars.
Between 893 and 972 it was one of the most important medieval cities in south-eastern Europe.
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
[1]
. 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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