Marco Valentini Le prime monete romane d’argento furono verosimilmente coniate in Campania tra la fine del IV e gli inizi del III secolo a.C., ossia dopo l’assoggettamento della regione a Roma, anche nell’ottica di favorire gli scambi con la Magna Graecia dove era forte l’influenza … Continue reading CENNI STORICI SUL DENARIUS
AE Sestertius (sesterce) issued under Augustus by the moneyer T. Quinctius Crispinus (27 BC-14 AD)
(26.10 grams; 37 mm.)
Obv./ OB CIVIS SERVATOS in the middle of a oak-wreath (corona civica) between two laurel branches
Rev./ S C, T QVINCTIUS CRISPINVS III VIR AAAFF [i.e. Tres Vir Auro Argento Aere Flando Feriundo)
ref. RIC I 327 (private collection)
* * *
Augustus’ sesterce of the series “Ob civis servatos” (“for having protected the citizens”), that was the motivation for having been rewarded with the corona civica (oak-wreath).
It is worth noted that on the sesterces issued by some emperors following Augustus, it can be read “ob cives servatos” instead of “ob civis servatos”, the latter probably being a less common plural accusative form in Latin language, but often used, amongst others, by Cicero (e.g. “Si haec non ad civis Romanos, non ad aliquos amicos nostrae civitatis, non ad eos qui populi Romani nomen audissent….; Cicero, “Orationes – In Verrem”)
The present-day city of Varna, in Bulgaria, originated as a settlement named Odessos (Ὀδησσός) which was founded by Ionian colonists from Miletus around 600–550 BC. The Greeks established their colony on the site of an earlier Thracian settlement. It is also been supposed that the name Odessos could have a Pelasgian origin and that it was adopted by Thracians before the Ionian colonization.
In 335 BC, Alexander the Great conquered almost the entirety of ancient Thrace, and Odessos became part of the Macedonian Kingdom. During the reign of Lysimachus, the successor of Alexander the Great who proclaimed himself king of Thrace, the town became an important naval base. In the middle of the 1st century BC, Odessos was under the political control of the neighbouring Thracian king Sadalas.
In 28 BC, Odessos was conquered by the Roman army and in 15 AD it was included in the Roman Province of Moesia, becoming the main port on the Black Sea (Pontus Euxinos). During Roman times, the city was also known as Odessus.
The Emperor Tiberius (14–37 AD) repaired the fortification walls of the town that had been destroyed in 55 and 48 BC during the military raids of the Getic king Burebistas.
The city of Odessos started to decline in the late 4th century, when the Goths, a Germanic population, entered the Roman Empire crossing the Danube. The wars between Romans and Goths culminated in a devastating defeat upon the Romans in 378 AD at the Battle of Hadrianopolis (present-day Edirne in the Turkish Thrace).
Between the end of the 6th and the beginning of the 7th century AD, Huns, Avars and Slavs invaded the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire and Odessos was also destroyed several times. Probably, around 614 AD, Odessos was abandoned by its inhabitants and went completely ruined.
At the end of the 7th century, a new wave of tribes, called Proto-Bulgarians (1), from the Volga-Ural region went eastward and started to make raids against the Eastern Roman Empire territories and the other populations already settled in the former Roman provinces of Moesia and Thracia. In 681 AD, the Proto-Bulgarians, after having crossed the Danube, took over most of the lands of the present-day Bulgaria and founded the first Bulgarian state, a mixed confederation of populations: Proto-Bulgarians (the hegemonic group), Slavs, Latinised Thracians and other minority ethnic groups such as Goths, Greeks and Romans.
Likely, under the first Bulgarian rule, a settlement near the ancient ruined Odessos began to be called Varna.
Between the end of 10th and the beginning of 11th century, after the restoration of the Eastern Roman (“Byzantine”) power, a new city named Varna was rebuilt on the ruins of the ancient Odessos. Later, Varna was under either the Byzantine or Bulgarian rule until the Ottoman occupation in 1393.
Coming back to the Roman period, the large public baths (Thermae) were among the most impressive buildings of the Roman Odessos. They were built in the 2nd century AD over an area of 7000 sq.m., among the largest thermae of the Roman world. The building of the Thermae likely started after 157 AD and were functional until the end of the 3rd century AD.
Here below some pictures of the Large Roman Thermae:
The Small (South) Roman Thermae, dating back to the 3rd–6th century AD, are still well preserved too. They were built on top of an ancient Greek-Thracian sanctuary likely honouring the Greek deities of Apollo and Aphrodite (also before the Hellenic colonization, Thracians living on the seaside of the Pontus Euxinos worshipped some of the Greek gods). Following other theories, the pre-Roman sanctuary was dedicated to the Thracian goddess Bendis, equivalent to the Greek goddess Artemis.
Other ancient Roman finds may be seen throughout the all the city area.
Specifically, at the Tzar Simeon I Square, the remains of the south-east gate and of the walls’ tower of the ancient Odessos were unearthed few years ago. The finds date back to the Late Roman Empire / Early Byzantine period , 5th-6th century CE.
Notes:
(1) The Proto-Bulgarians were probably a mixed group of tribes with a bulk of Turkic origin and language.
References:
© 2022 Sestertius
_______
(* ) Actually, more accurately, the Roman era should be MMDCCLXXVI (2776) AVC (Ab Urbe Condita) since the Romans did not know the number 0 (zero), so the year of foundation of Roma was the year 1 and not the year 0. Anyway, we use here the common transcription.
An armour and two amazing Montefortino-type helmets (4th century BC), so called after the necropolis of Montefortino. They probably belonged to the Celtic tribe of Galli Senoni, living in Norh-East Italy before the Roman conquest. This kind of helmet, modified through the times, was adopted by the Romans too.
The Galli Senoni occupied part of the former Etruscan territory (the Po River Valley and the Adriatic region) around the 400 BC. The name of the Italian city of Senigallia on the Adriatic coast remind us their ancient presence.
(Tota Italia Exposition, Roma) #helmet #elmo #gallisenoni
The so-called Arch of Drusus was erected in Spoletum (present-day Spoleto in the Umbria region, Italy) in honour of Drusus Minor and of his cousin Germanicus. Drusus Minor (son of the Emperor Tiberius) died in 23 AD and Germanicus (Tiberius’ nephew) died in 19 AD. They were both considered potential Tiberius’ heirs but their premature death paved the way to Caius Caesar “Caligula” (son of Germanicus) as successor.
Some pictures of the city of Varna (the ancient Odessos) on the Black Sea:
© 2020 Sestertius
On August 19th, 14 AD (773 AUC), the princeps Octavianus Caesar Augustus died in Nola (Italy). He was aged 75.
He was born in Rome and originally named Caius Octavius.
The month of August, originally named Sextilis, was renamed after his name.
Breve storia fotografica della telefonia italiana attraverso alcune fotografie di tombini stradali / Photo history of the main Italian telecom company through old and recent manhole covers:
© Sestertius, 2021
SESTERTIVS 