Roman coinage depicts eagle with Jupiter, Hermes with a rooster, Junos with peacock (a) and Minerva with an owl, etc. Till now we have seen how animals are struck on coins as the main design but now let’s see their association with the god and goddess. There also many more animals seen on Roman coins like crocodile(i) as the emblem of province Egypt, Elephants(j) was depicted on the coins of Julius Caesar, Antelopes(k) of the coins of Philip I and II, Philip I also depicted lion(l) on his coinage represented the games organised during his sovereign. Romans also incorporated various animals like Camel both Bactrian and Arabic(g), Hippopotamus(h) on Octacilia Severa (wife of Philip I) coins on the 1000 th birthday of Rome was a special issue. The other bird seen on the Roman coins is a peacock (f) as the symbol of royalty and progress. It also represents Jupiter (king of Roman gods). It was called Aquila in Rome this bird was the ensign of the Roman Legion as the mark of power and speed. The Eagleportrayed on Roman coins was a symbol of strength, courage, and immortality. The artistic impression of birds on the Roman coins like Eagle (e) is quite alluring. The dog in the form of a hound was related to the philosophy of after-life or death. Later on, it showed up on the silver denarius series. It first appeared on several small bronze coins of the Roman-Campania series minted around 210 BC. The occurrence of dog(d) on the Roman coins was a common phenomenon. A running boar was the insignia of the 10th Legion (Legio X Fretensis), one of the most celebrated military units in Roman history. During the second Punic war, an emergency issue of roman gold represents the sacrifice of a pig to seal the oath of an alliance between Roman and one of its Italian allies. This portrayal of the pig is associated with the ‘Flaming pig’ tactics roman army use to panic the elephants of King Pyrrhus. The most cherished animal was pigs (c)! Even before they issued coins, pigs featured on the cast bronze ingot (Aes signatum approx 1.746kg). This fish is also dedicated to Venus and in early Roman coinage, this aquatic mammal occurs on the denomination like Triens, Quadrans, and Sextans. Dolphins are sacred to Neptune and on the coin of Agrippa, Augustus, Caligula, Vespasian and other Roman Emperors Neptune is depicted holding dolphin in his hand. Roman coinage not only portrayed land animals but also aquatic animals like the dolphin(b). The Parthian horse coin of the Roman Republic is associated with the Quintus Labienus army in 40 BCE. The early struck silver didrachm illustrated prancing horse in 214 BCE with the bust of God Mars or Apollo with a horse’s bust. It is associated with paying homage to the horses of war. The horse is loved for its strength, intelligence, speed, loyalty and beauty. But in this article, we are going to discuss only three varieties.Ī prominent animal on Roman coins is the horse (a). The coinage of Rome depicts animals in at least six varieties. The motive behind depicting these animals was to commemorate an event, to connect with the legion, to connect with king or royalty, etc. The fauna has been an inspiration for many artistic works, so why should the field of numismatic be any different? The representation of the animal as the main design can be seen in the coinage of Roman Republic, Roman Imperial issues and Roman provincial coins. The best example of this embellishment is the animals on Roman coins the illustrative depiction of fauna on their coins is a beautiful part of their numismatic history. The uniform coinage which depicted various elements of nature, mainly animals, came later in the human history when the urbanisation was at the height of its progress. But this artistic nature of men took time to develop in the monetary system. The coins created by humans are nothing but the inclusion of this art in his daily life. Human art is the reflection of nature, it’s nothing but an imitation and absorption of its gist. SeptemCoins of the World Animals on coins, Animals on roman coins, coins of the world, Roman coins, Roman imperial issues, Roman provincial issues, Roman republic, unusual coins of the world, War time money Team Mintage World
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