Faustina the Younger, Bronze As
Dublin Core
Title
Faustina the Younger, Bronze As
Subject
Faustina the Younger, Bronze As. 125-175 CE.
OBVERSE: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA (Faustina Augusta), draped bust right.
REVERSE: VESTA S-C (Vesta, by decree of the senate), Vesta standing left, holding simpulum and palladium.
Description
Faustina the Younger was the daughter of Antoninus Pius and the wife of Marcus Aurelius. She was not well regarded by historians like Cassius Dio; he claims she was licentious and unfaithful, but it seems that she and Marcus Aurelius may have had a good relationship. She stayed with him at military camps several times and even received the tile of Mater Castrorum (mother of the camp).
She died in 175 CE either on her way to or in the camp at Halala, located in modern-day Turkey. Her husband mourned her greatly and honored her by deifying her, by renaming Halala to Faustinopolis, and by opening a charity called Puellae Faustinianae, or “ The Girls of Faustina,” which helped young women.
Vesta is here holding a simpulum, a small ladle with a long handle used at sacrifices to make libations. The Palladium was a cult image, or statue, of Pallas Athena or Minerva which was used in ceremony. The Romans believed this statue, which was housed in the temple of Vesta, was rescued from the flames of Troy by Aeneas. The safety of the city depeneded on this statue. Both these items served to emphasize the piety shared by Vesta and Faustina.
She died in 175 CE either on her way to or in the camp at Halala, located in modern-day Turkey. Her husband mourned her greatly and honored her by deifying her, by renaming Halala to Faustinopolis, and by opening a charity called Puellae Faustinianae, or “ The Girls of Faustina,” which helped young women.
Vesta is here holding a simpulum, a small ladle with a long handle used at sacrifices to make libations. The Palladium was a cult image, or statue, of Pallas Athena or Minerva which was used in ceremony. The Romans believed this statue, which was housed in the temple of Vesta, was rescued from the flames of Troy by Aeneas. The safety of the city depeneded on this statue. Both these items served to emphasize the piety shared by Vesta and Faustina.
Source
Gift of James and Aneta McIntyre, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Salem, OR. 2006.010.041
Date
ca. 161-175 CE
Rights
Hallie Ford Museum of Arts
Format
1.125 in
0.440 oz
0.440 oz
Language
Latin
Type
Coin
Coverage
This item can be viewed on Hallie Ford Museum of Art's website.
Citation
“Faustina the Younger, Bronze As,” Hallie Ford Museum of Art Exhibits, accessed November 23, 2024, https://library.willamette.edu/hfma/omeka/items/show/92.