Coin of Herennia Etruscilla from Bostra (BOS0106)

Dublin Core

Title

Coin of Herennia Etruscilla from Bostra (BOS0106)

Description

Civic bronze coin from Bostra (249-251 CE), depicting on the obverse Herennia Etruscilla, wife of the emperor Decius, and mother of the emperors Hostilian and Herennius Etruscus

Source

Publisher

Roman Provincial Coinage Online IX no.2217

Date

Rights

Ashmolean Museum (University of Oxford), via Roman Provincial Coinage Online (http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/)

Format

Bronze

Language

Identifier

BOS0106

Numismatics Item Type Metadata

Metal

Bronze

Weight (g)

8.63-10.35g

Diameter (mm)

20-22mm

Province

Arabia

Obverse Type

Draped bust of Herennia Etruscilla, wearing a diadem and facing right

Reverse Type

Tyche standing facing front, draped, wearing a turreted, and holding a scepter surmounted by a trophy and cornucopia. Her left foot is placed on a small crouching figure. At right is Marsyas standing facing left, holding a wineskin over his shoulder.

Obverse Legends

ERENNIA ETRUSCILLA AUG (Herennia Etruscilla Augusta)

Reverse Legends

COL METROPOL BOSTRON (Colonia Metropolis of the Bostrenes)

Type Notes

This obverse type is similar to (or the same as) BOS0104 and BOS0105.

Role 1

Notes

BOSTRON appears to be a transliteration of the Greek ΒΟCTPWN (of Bostra) that is included on some reverse issues from the city (e.g. Meshorer et al. 2013:150, no.24). Coins of Herennius Etruscus and Hostilianus include the title COL METR BOSTRENORVM (Colonia Metropolis of the Bostrenes), making BOSTRON an unlikely transliteration of the Greek BOSTPHNWN (of the Bostrenes) which appears on the reverse of coins in the second and early third centuries (e.g. Spijkerman 1978:74-75, no.24).

The design featuring Tyche and Marsyas also appears on coins of Decius (RPC Online IX no.2215) and of Herennia Etruscilla and her son Hostilianus (Spijkerman 1978:88-89, no.71; RPC Online IX no.2219).

Selected Bibliography

Roman Provincial Coinage Online (http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/); [http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/9/2217/]

Spijkerman, A. 1978. The Coins of the Decapolis and Provincia Arabia. Jerusalem: Franciscan Press. (pp.86-87, no.68)

Meshorer, Y., G. Bijovsky, and W.Fischer-Bossert. 2013. Coins of the Holy Land: The Abraham and Marian Sofaer Collection at the American Numismatic Society and the Israel Museum (Volume 1), New York: The American Numismatic Society.

Citation

“Coin of Herennia Etruscilla from Bostra (BOS0106),” WIRE: Women in the Roman East Project, accessed March 29, 2024, https://wireproject.org/items/show/43.

Output Formats

Geolocation