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Carinus – Roman Emperor: 283-285 A.D. –
Silvered Bronze Antoninianus 21mm (3.48 grams) Struck circa 283-285 A.D.
Reference: RIC 155; Sear’88 #3453; Cohen 74.
M AVR CARINVS NOB CAES, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right
PIETAS AVGG, sacrificial implements (sprinkler, simpulum, jug, patera,
knife and lituus),
ZKA in ex.
You are bidding on the exact
item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime
Guarantee of Authenticity.
The augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially
ancient Rome
and
Etruria
. His main role was to interpret the
will of the gods
by studying the flight of
birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make
as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of birds they are. This was known
as “taking the
auspices
.” The ceremony and function of the
augur was central to any major undertaking in Roman society—public or
private—including matters of war, commerce, and religion.
The Roman historian Livy
stresses the importance of the augurs:
“Who does not know that this city was founded only after taking the auspices,
that everything in war and in peace, at home and abroad, was done only after
taking the auspices?”
A Simpulum, or Simpuvium, was a small vessel or
ladle
with a long handle from the
Roman era
, used at sacrifices to make
libations, and to taste the wines and other liquors which were poured on the
head of the sacrificial victims. The simpulum was the sign of
Roman
priesthood, and one of the insignia of
the College of Pontiffs.
The simpulum appears on a coin from
Patras
struck under
Augustus
. It is also placed before the head of
Vesta
, as a mark of that goddess, on a coin of
the Domitian
family, and is seen in the hand of a
Vestal Virgin
on coins of the
Julio-Claudian dynasty
. A man in a
toga holds a simpulum in his hand on a coin of Antonio Drusi. It is
commonly shown with the
lituus
and other sacrificial and augural
instruments, on coins of
Julius Caesar
,
Mark Antony
,
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
,
Augustus
,
Caligula
,
Vespasian
,
Nerva
,
Antoninus
,
Marcus Aurelius
,
Caracalla
,
Publius Septimius Geta
,
Volusianus
,
Saloninus
,
Valerianus Minor
,
Domitius Calvinus
and
Pontius Pilate
, as well as on many consular and
colonial medals.
An aspergillum (less commonly, aspergilium or aspergil)
is a liturgical
implement used to sprinkle
holy water
. It comes in two common forms: a
brush that is dipped in the water and shaken, and a perforated ball at the end
of a short handle. Some have sponges or internal reservoirs that dispense holy
water when shaken, while others must periodically be dipped in an aspersorium
(holy water bucket, known to art historians as a
situla
).
An aspergillum is used in
Roman Catholic
and
Anglican
ceremonies, including the Rite of
Baptism
and during the
Easter Season
. In addition, a priest will use
the aspergillum to bless the candles during
candlemas
services and the palms during
Palm Sunday
Mass. At a
requiem
, if a casket is present, the priest
will sprinkle holy water on the casket. The aspergillum can be used in other
manners where sprinkling of holy water is appropriate, as in a house blessing,
in which the priest might bless the entry to the home. The name derives from the
Latin
verb aspergere ‘to sprinkle’.
The form of the aspergillum differs in the
Eastern Orthodox Church
. In the
Greek Orthodox Church
the aspergillum (randistirion)
is in the form of a standing vessel with a tapering lid. The top of the lid has
holes in it from which the
agiasmos
(holy water) is sprinkled. In
the
Russian Orthodox Church
the aspergillium is in
the form of a whisk
made of cloth or hair. Sometimes, sprigs
of basil
are used to sprinkle holy water. In some
of the
Oriental Orthodox Churches
, no aspergillum is
used, but the priest will pour holy water into the palm of his right hand and
throw it on the faithful.
A jug is a type of
container
for liquid. The term jug can also be
used describe the breast of a woman, due to the fact that it holds liquid. It
has an opening, often narrow, from which to pour or drink, and nearly always has
some kind of handle. One could imagine a jug being made from nearly any
watertight material, but most jugs throughout history have been made from clay,
glass, or plastic
. Some
Native American
and other tribes created liquid
holding vessels by making woven baskets lined with an
asphaltum
sealer.
The lituus was a crooked wand (similar in shape to the top part
of a crosier
) used as a cult instrument in
ancient Roman religion
by
augurs
to mark out a ritual space in the sky (a
templum
). The passage of birds through this
templum indicated divine favor or disfavor for a given undertaking.
The lituus was also used as a symbol of office for the college of the
augurs to mark them out as a priestly group.
Marcus
Aurelius Carinus (died 285) was
Roman
Emperor
(283 – July, 285) and elder son of the Emperor
Carus
, on whose
accession he was appointed governor of the western portion of the empire.
He fought with success against the
Quadi
tribes,
but soon left the defence of the Upper
Rhine
to his
legates and returned to Rome
, where he abandoned himself to all kinds of debauchery and excess. He
also celebrated the ludi Romani on a scale of unexampled magnificence.
After the death of Carus, the army in the East demanded to be led back to
Europe, and Numerian
, the younger son of Carus, was forced to comply.
During a halt at
Chalcedon
,
Numerian was found dead, and
Diocletian
,
commander of the body-guards, who had claimed that Numerian had been
assassinated, was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers.
Carinus at once left Rome and set out for the East to meet Diocletian. On his
way through Pannonia he put down the usurper
Sabinus Iulianus
, and encountered the army of Diocletian in
Moesia
.
Carinus was successful in several engagements, and at the
Battle of the Margus River
(Morava),
according to one account, the valour of his troops had gained the day, when he
was assassinated by a tribune whose wife he had seduced. In another account, the
battle is represented as having resulted in a complete victory for Diocletian,
for Carinus’ army deserted him: this second account is also confirmed by the
fact that Diocletian kept Carinus’ Praetorian Guard commander in service.
Carinus has the reputation of having been one of the worst of the emperors.
This infamy was possibly supported by Diocletian himself. For example,
Historia Augusta
has Carinus marrying nine wives, while neglecting to
mention his only real wife,
Magnia Urbica
, by whom he had an only son, Marcus Aurelius Nigrinianus.
After his death, Carinus’
memory was condemned
and his name, along with that of his wife, was erased
from inscriptions.
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