Page:Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol 1.djvu/450

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404
On the Ancient Roman Coins.
[Sept.


Fig. 28. ? L z? anno 7. Jupiter naked with a spear in the left a. d. 291. 5 hand, and thunder in the right ; at his feet an eaole. Fig. 29. |lh, anno 8. Jupiter seated with the same accom- A. n. 292. 5 paniments ; beneath A. Band. 39. Fig. 30. — LH, anno 8. Same type as fig. 28. Band 39. Fig. 31. ILenatoT) anno 9. Female figure in tunic, holding A. d. 293. 3 a flower in the right hand ; gathering her garment with the left: below a. Band. 39. This coin was procured at Kanouj, by Mr. E. V. Irwin, C. S. and was presented to the Society by Captain Sanders, Engineers, 1832. Fig. 32. 1 004. Ll ' ann0 10 " ™" e eagle bearing a wreath. Weight 120 grs. Copper. This device is not in Bandurius. AKMA OVA MAEIMIANOC CEB Imp. Cms. Mar. Aur. Maximianus Aug. LA) anno 1. Female holding an olive branch or flow- er, and a cornucopia. Band. 80. LA? same device. Two cornucopiae ; star on the right. Fig. 34. A. D. 284. Fig. 35— Fig. 36. A- D. 235. Fig 37. A. D. 290. L B, anno 2. Similar device ; star on the left L Sj anno 6. A winged female holding a flower wreath in the right hand, and a palm branch in the left. L S) another in every respect similar. L Sj another belonging to J. P. Band. 81.

The above series of coins embraces ten years of Diocletian's, and six of his col- league Maximian's, reign. These two emperors called themselves the Jupiter and Hercules of the state, and frequently impressed the effigies of those gods upon their coins.

The fabrication of money, bearing Greek inscriptions in Egypt, ceased alto- gether in the twelfth year of the reign of Diocletian, A. D. 296, when Egypt was united to the rest of the empire by the defeat of the tyrant Achillaeus ; after which period, its coin bore the usual Latin legends. Our series reaches within two years of this date.

PL III. . "} This coin was procured at the ruins of Manikyala, in the Fig. 33. $ Punjab, by Lieut. Burnes and Dr. Gerard, in 1832.

From the L S, and the appearance of the device, I supposed it to be a Roman coin of Egyptian fabrication of the second or third century : but on a closer exa- mination, I am inclined to think, that it is a Bactrian coin, similar to those which are described by Mr. Wilson, in his paper on Indian coin? in the As. Res. XVII.

PI. II. fig. 25. Their device is a figure on horseback, with arm outstretched ; the L S, forms part of the head and ear of the horse, and the arch of his neck are faintly visible on the coin, although not represented in the plate, for want of shading. The bandtlettes of the head on the obverse also agree better with the coins of the Bactrian dynasty, as well as the size and weight of the coin.