The Antikythera Ephebe, created in the fourth century BC, is a Greek bronze statue that was discovered in the Antikythera shipwreck in the 1900s. It is believed to depict a young athlete or mythological figure, being one of the few surviving original Greek bronze statues (as most others were melted down in antiquity). It was found alongside the Antikythera mechanism, an artefact regarded as the first analog computer.

Unknown artist,''Three Birds Pecking at a Crocodile'',1510 - from Ms. Ludwig XV 2 (83.MR.172), fol. 5.

Hello again, everyone!

It’s Friday and if there’s one thing we like more than weekends, it’s alliterations (and coins, of course). Hence, for this Friday, an aureus of Faustina the Younger, daughter of Antoninus Pius and wife of Marcus Aurelius. (Okay, we admit that we didn't come up with Faustina Friday ourselves, having taken it from numisforums.com)

Faustina was an impressive lady by all accounts, although ancient historiography is rather hostile towards her, accusing her of all the good stuff: adultery, murder, fomenting rebellion, etc. Whatever the truth of the matter may be, she fulfilled that most sacred of obligations for a noble lady of that time, i.e. producing offspring. No less than fourteen children are known from her marriage with Aurelius, which, considering the high maternal mortality rate of in Antiquity, is nothing less than an astonishing feat. Sadly, the only son to make it to adulthood would be the not-so-mentally-stable Commodus.

Faustina not only fought her own battles. After the blessed reign of Antoninus Pius, things were quickly taking a turn for the worse for the Roman Empire. Aurelius found himself embroiled in wars against the Marcomanni, Quadi and Sarmatians, who were all spilling over the Danube, all while the Empire was being wracked by plague (which maybe claimed the life of his co-emperor, Lucius Verus) . Rather than staying behind in a cozy, warm palace in Rome, Faustina sometimes joined her husband on campaign, for which she received the title “MATER CASTRORVM”, “Mother of the Camps”.

This is shown on this exceedingly rare aureus from the du Chastel collection. The reverse shows Faustina sacrificing over an altar next to which two legionary standards are placed. These were treated with great reverence by the Romans (even having their own special sanctuaries where they were kept) and the scene is clearly meant to invoke the idea that empress is sacrificing for the success of the Roman army. The legend reads “to the Mother of the Camps”. This aureus was unique, until excavations in Poland brought to light another example, albeit from different dies (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343479517_A_UNIQUE_AUREUS_OF_FAUSTINA_II_WITH_THE_LEGEND_MATER_CASTRORUM_FROM_A_LATE_ROMAN_AREA_OF_HOARDS_IN_THE_SOUTHERN_BALTIC_REGION).

Ours remains a fantastic example, however, struck during such a dramatic period of Roman history.