Seated Roma

This is an Athenian coin from 89/88 BC in the crisis of Mithridatic Wars.  Notice that one of the moneyers is KOINTOS, i.e. someone named Quintus.  At this time and in the years just before the Athenians were adding and erasing and replacing various symbols in this position on their coinage to indicate their loyalties (Callatay 2011: 65 [Again, I just love this article of his AND how he puts his work in the public domain!]).

The dating makes the identification of the iconography pretty rock solid.  I wish I could see what she’s seated on.  It almost looks like she’s enthroned.  Is there something she’s holding across her lap? (maybe a sword?)

While looking for a clear image of this or a related type, I also came across the beautiful specimen with a very clear representation of Cybele.  Even on a very small scale key iconographic details can be made visible if they are critical to the meaning of the symbol:

Look at how exaggerated the headdress and lotus are of this little tiny Isis:

If the figure above being crowned by Nike is Roma and no particularly distinctive attributes are visible we have to assume the scene as a whole would be unmistakable to a contemporary viewer.