All entries for Tuesday 02 July 2013

A provincial coin of Ephesus showing Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus flanking the cult statue

The relationship between Rome and Greece was complex, as Rome admired Greece for its higher culture, but was afraid of how it could influence changes in the political and social structures of the empire. Eventually the two cultures mixed during the Roman conquest and we can see that a balance was struck between the reverence shown to the Roman Emperors and provincial imagery. This balance can be seen particularly in the coinage of Ephesus where the majority of coins show the Roman Emperor on the obverse, and local images emphasised civic pride on the reverse.

As in the case of this bronze coin from the rule of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, there was a substantial amount of coinage from this province depicting the cult statue of the Ephesian Artemis. The Ephesians, going against traditional Greek conviction, believed that the divine twins Artemis and Apollo were actually born in their city. The Ephesians mainly worshipped Artemis as a fertility goddess, which resulted in their cult statue differing enormously from traditional depictions of her in mainland Greece, where an emphasis was traditionally put on Artemis’ role as a huntress. The inclusion of the Ephesian Artemis on such coins demonstrates the pride that the Ephesians took in their local political and cultural traditions. The inclusion of the cult statue also gives us an idea of the way the Ephesians viewed the Roman conquest. While Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus are shown on the reverse as well, the fact that the statue takes the central focus shows that the traditional gods of the Ephesians were more important to them than other gods brought to them through the conquest.

While the image of Marcus Aurelius on the obverse serves to show the relationship between Ephesus and Rome, and in many ways the dominance of Rome over this particular province, the inclusion of the Ephesian Artemis shows that the Ephesians also felt that the need to demonstrate their own power. The inscription ΝЄΟΚ on the reverse also serves to show the power and rank of Ephesus at the time. Neokoros is a title that appears a lot on ancient coinage, originally given to officials who were in charge of the upkeep of sacred buildings and their artefacts. By the time of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus it referred to cities that had local temples to the imperial cult. It seems as if rivalries between cities often motivated them to strive for this recognition, and the inscription on this coin is evidence for the civic pride gained by winning the title.

This month's coin was chosen by Emily Morgan, a final year undergraduate. While her dissertation focused on the attitudes towards death in Greek literature, she is an avid coin collector and is passionate about expanding her knowledge of classical numismatics.

(Image above reproduced courtesy of Classical Numismatic Group Inc., (www.cngcoins.com))

Clare Rowan : 02 Jul 2013 08:08 |  Tags: Coin Of The Month Ephesus |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem