adventures in my head
File under there are really no new ideas. Comparette saw what I see on RRC 12/1 a century ago. It’s kind of relieving to know one’s views might seem obvious to others. I don’t think I’m able to really believe the connection to Pliny’s observations or that line of interpretation, but maybe… just maybe, that… Continue reading Rostra and Cocks in 1919
The BM online collection search is really buggy right now. I’ve been using a google advance search as an alternative. — A place for me to hold images. BM 2005,0927.101 (see curator notes!) Addition 19 Jan 2021:
A kind colleague is reading a draft article of mine on Roman currency bars and pointed out to me that I missed Bruneau’s important (and well illustrated) 1965 article. I am most taken by mosaic from a private villa on Crete that is now in the Chania museum. The first two images are screen shots… Continue reading More On Fighting Cocks
I was writing up my thoughts for the book on the symbolism of the cock on coinage during the First Punic War this morning. [An issue touched upon in an earlier post, here.] The idea that in the Greek world the cock need not be directly linked to Hermes, but more generally be a symbol… Continue reading 286 out of 410 days: Cocks, Victory and Virility
This post is dedicated to the most estimable Prof. Kellogg, who has taught many to always listen to the sacred chickens. These fabulous currency bars appear in many a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate the Roman practice of divination prior to battle via the consumption of grain by sacred chickens. If the birds eat, the gods… Continue reading 258 out of 410 days: Fighting Cocks and Sacred Chickens
So I like the sense of completion of hitting publish on a blog post, its a trivial little boost to mark a bit of work and the end of a thought unit. So I’m breaking my previous long post and starting a new one. There is no logic to my breaking spot maybe even some… Continue reading More late unciae (293/3)
BM 2010,5006.525 cf. 524 (Bulls) and 526 (Shield) all watercolors from the collection of Charles Townley. All public domain images now. Also I think because of the quality of the depiction of the edges of the specimens in these drawing it should be possible to determine into which collection these specimens passed. As far as… Continue reading Tuscan Hoard of 1778
What does the imagery on a tomb mean? Meleager of Gadara here plays with the decoding of relatively traditional symbolism and reinvents its meaning to be appropriate for another poet Antipater of Sidon, while at the same time mocking the man and his art. The joke in this poem turns on the specialized, atypical meanings… Continue reading Playing with Iconography
My earlier post on the coinage from the 1st Punic War of Suessa, Tium, Aquinum, Cales etc… is one of my favorites. I was delighted to have glass pastes connect me back to the topic with similar imagery. (Although I’ve not yet spotted one of these glass pastes with a star on it.) BM 1814,0704.2071… Continue reading More Cockerels
Looking again at the coins of Suessa, Cales, and Teanum, especially specimens which have been on the market, it occurred to me how heavily used the obverse dies seem to be, especially at Teanum: Even after the obverse die break in ways to mar the face of the god portrayed they keep on being used.… Continue reading Two Hints about Mint Output at Roman Allied Communities during the First Punic War
