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The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal ... - IndianCoins.org

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264 E. A. SYDENHAM.Tiberius. <strong>The</strong>ir date, <strong>the</strong>refore, can only be decidedfrom evidences <strong>of</strong> style.Some variety <strong>of</strong> opinion has been expressed as towhat particular edifice is portrayed on <strong>the</strong> reverse.Eckhel 7 considers it to be <strong>the</strong> temple <strong>of</strong> DivusAugustus, built by Tiberius, <strong>and</strong> represented later oncoins <strong>of</strong> Caligula <strong>and</strong> Antoninus Pius. However, apartfrom <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> temple <strong>of</strong> Divus Augustus wasnot completed during <strong>the</strong> reign <strong>of</strong> Tiberius, an examination<strong>of</strong> its plan shows conclusively that it wasnot circular, but a rectangular octostyle building <strong>of</strong>8somewhat unusual proportions.Hobler rejects <strong>the</strong> view that it is <strong>the</strong> shrine <strong>of</strong> MarsUltor on account <strong>of</strong> certain dissimilarities in <strong>the</strong>ornamental detail shown on <strong>the</strong> denarii with reverse,MAR-VLT (Coh. 190). In spite <strong>of</strong> this discrepancyI believe <strong>the</strong> circular shrine <strong>of</strong> Mars Ultor, situatednear <strong>the</strong> temple <strong>of</strong> Jupiter Feretrius on <strong>the</strong> Capitol,which was built by Augustus in 19 B.C., is quite <strong>the</strong>most probable suggestion.<strong>The</strong> temple shown on this dupondius corresponds, inits general structure if not in certain details, with thaton <strong>the</strong> denarii just mentioned, <strong>and</strong> moreover, if itcompared with <strong>the</strong> representation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> temple <strong>of</strong>Mars Ultor on <strong>the</strong> Asiatic " medallions ", with <strong>the</strong> reverselegend MART-VLTO (Coh. 201),is<strong>the</strong> resemblance iseven more striking. It is true that <strong>the</strong> two sidepedestals do not appear on <strong>the</strong> earlier coins (19 B.C.).But that, amongst his numerous building enterprises,Tiberius should have renovated <strong>the</strong> shrine that had7 Vol. vi, p. 127.8Lanciani, Ruins <strong>and</strong> Excavations, p. 123.

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