FAUSTINA I Antoninus Pius Wife Ancient Roman Coin Ceres Posthumous i27401

Item: i27401

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Faustina I – Roman Empress Wife of Roman Emperor Antoninus
Pius –

Bronze  Denarius 19mm (1.94 grams) Struck at the mint of Rome circa 148-161
A.D.
Posthumous Issue.
Reference: RIC 360 (Antoninus Pius), BMC 408, S 4582, C 78 –
DIVA FAVSTINA – Draped bust right.
AVGVSTA – Ceres standing left, holding grain ears and torch.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

Authenticity.  

In
ancient Roman religion
,
Ceres
was
a goddess
of agriculture,
grain crops
, fertility and motherly
relationships. Her cult took many forms. She was the central deity in Rome’s
so-called plebeian or
Aventine Triad
, and was paired with her
daughter Proserpina
in what Romans described as “the
Greek rites of Ceres”. She played an essential role in Roman marriage and in
funeral rites. Her seven-day April festival of
Cerealia
included the popular

Ludi Ceriales (Ceres’ games). She was honoured in the May
lustration
of fields at the
Ambarvalia
festival, and at harvest-time. Her
functions and cults were held equivalent to those of the Greek goddess
Demeter
, whose
mythology
she came to share.

Annia

Galeria Faustina, more familiarly referred to as Faustina the Elder (Latin:

Faustina Major; born

September 21

about 100, died October or November 140), was

a Roman Empress and wife of

Roman

Emperor

Antoninus Pius

.

Faustina was the only known daughter of consul and prefect

Marcus Annius Verus

and

Rupilia

Faustina. Her brothers were consul

Marcus Annius Libo

and

praetor

Marcus Annius Verus

. Her maternal aunts perhaps were Roman Empress

Vibia

Sabina
,

Matidia Minor

. Her paternal grandfather had the same name as her father and

her maternal grandparents possibly were

Salonina Matidia

(niece of Roman Emperor

Trajan
) and

suffect consul

Lucius Scribonius Libo Rupilius Frugi Bonus

. Faustina was born and raised in

Rome.

As a private citizen, she married Antoninus Pius between 110

and 115. Faustina and Antoninus had a very happy marriage. Faustina bore

Antoninus four children, two sons and two daughters. They were:

• Marcus Aurelius Fulvius Antoninus (died before 138); his

  sepulchral inscription has been found at the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome.

• Marcus Galerius Aurelius Antoninus (died before 138); his

  sepulchral inscription has been found at the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome.

  His name appears on a Greek Imperial coin.

• Aurelia Fadilla (died in 135); she married Aelius Lamia

  Silvanus or Syllanus. She appears to have had no children with her husband

  and her sepulchral inscription has been found in

  Italy
  .

• Annia Galeria Faustina Minor or

  Faustina the Younger

  (between 125-130-175), a future Roman Empress; she

  married her maternal cousin, future Roman Emperor

  Marcus Aurelius

  . She was the only child who survived to adulthood.

On

July 10
,

138, her uncle

emperor Hadrian

had died and her husband became the new emperor. Antoninus was Hadrian’s adopted

son and heir. Faustina became Roman Empress and the senate accorded her the

title of

. Faustina as an empress was well respected and this beautiful

woman was renowned for her wisdom. The

impugned her character, criticizing her as having

“excessive frankness” and “levity”. However, this doesn’t appear to be the case

with her character. Throughout her life, Faustina as a private citizen and an

empress was involved in assisting with charities, assisting the poor and

sponsoring and assisting in the education of Roman children, particularly of

Roman girls.

She can be viewed as one of the most moral, stable and

respected empresses in the history of the

Roman

Empire
. When Faustina died, Antoninus was in complete mourning for Faustina.

Antoninus did the following in memory of his loving wife:

• Deified her

  as a goddess (her apotheosis was portrayed on an

  honorary column

  )

• Had

  a temple

  built in the

  Roman

  Forum
  in her name, with priestesses in the temple.

• Had various coins with her portrait struck in her honor.

  These coins were inscribed DIVA FAVSTINA (“Divine Faustina”)

  and were elaborately decorated.

• Founded a charity called Puellae Faustinianae or

  Girls of Faustina, which assisted orphaned girls.

• Created a new alimenta (see

  Grain supply to the city of Rome

  ).

In 2008, archaeologists digging at the ancient site of

Sagalassos

in Turkey

discovered a colossal marble head which is believed to be that of Faustina.