Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

Astrapaios^ Astrdpton 8ii
would-be lupiter^, 'restored' the types of Vespasian- and Titus*
in gold. Domitian, who was often called lupiter^ by the poets of
his day and sometimes Tonans^, naturally made the device his
own*. And Antoninus Pius, another pretender to the sky-god's
Fig. 775- Fig- 776.
honours'', issued silver coins of similar stamp (fig. 776y, on which
however the thunderbolt is unwinged. Lastly®, a relief in the
museum at Mantua (fig. yy^y^ portrays the regalia, as it were, of
^ Supra p. lOO n. 6.
^ Morell. op. cit. ii. 274 pi. 5, 28, Cohen op. cit." i. 419 no. 650, Collection de Ponton
(PAnikoiirt Paris 1887 pi. 6, 149.
* Cohen op. cit.^ i. 380 no. 318 pi. 16, ib.'^ i. 462 no. 403 fig.
* Stat. silv. I. 6. 27, Mart. ep. 9. 28. 10, 9. 86. 8, 14. i. 2, cp. Dionys. per. 210 oOs
Aios oi)K dX^yovTM dirwXfcrev Avaovh alxfJ-v.
= Mart. ep. 6. 10. 9, 7. ^6. 4 (supra i. 751 n. 8), 7. 99. i, 9. 39. I, 9. 65. i, 9. 86. 7,
10. 51. 13.
Bronze coins of Domitian, issued 85— 95 A. D., show him
standing towards the left, in military attire, with a thunder-
bolt in his right hand and a headless spear in his left, while
a palm-bearing Victory places a wreath on his head (Morell.
op. at. ii. 461 pi. 15, 23 and 24, Cohen op. cit? i. 512
nos. 509—515).
An engraved cornelian in my possession (fig. 777. Scale -j)
represents Domitian (?) as a youthful lupiter standing in a
similar pose, with the same attributes in his hands, an aigis
round his neck, and an eagle at his feet.
® Morell. op. cit. ii. 436 pi. 9, 28 (silver of 8r A.D.), 437
pi. 9, 33 and 37 (silver of 81 A.D.), 438 pi. 10, 7 (silver of
82 A.D.), Cohen op. cit.''' i. 475 nos. 61 (gold of 80 A. D.) and ^..^
*''
62 (silver of 80 A. D.), 517 no. 554 (silver of 80A.D.), 518
nos. 574 (gold of 81 A.D.) and 575 (silver of 81 A.D.), 519 no. 597 (silver of 82 A.D.).
' Supra p. loi n. 5.
^ Cohen op. cit." ii. 304 no. 345
collection.
(silver of 145 A. D.). I figure a specimen in my
^ A relief said to have come from the amphitheatre at Rome (Gruter Inscr. ant. tot.
orb. Ron. i. 7 no. i with pi. after Boissard Antiqq. iii. 128, Montfaucon Antiquity
Explained ttdSis. D. Humphreys London 1721 i. 32 f. pi. 12 no. 5) amplifies the coin-type:
an eagle is perched on the thunderbolt, and the throne is flanked by a pair of globes. The
accompanying inscription [Corp. inscr. Lat. vi no. 3139*) purports to record a vow made
by lulius Pudens Severianus to lupiter Optimus Maximus and to luno Regina for the
health of M. Aurelius Antoninus Pius Felix Augustus and lulia Augusta, i.e. Caracalla and
his mother, or Elagabalos and one of his wives (lulia Paula? lulia Aquilia Severa?). But
the whole monument appears to be an impudent forgery (cp. stipj-a i. 714 n. 4).
^^ D. G. Labus Museo della Reale Accademia di Matttova Mantova 1830 i. 69 f.
pi. 20 ( = my fig. 778), E. Braun Vorschule der Kunstrnythologie Gotha 1854 P- 5 ?'• 6-