FAUSTINA II Marcus Aurelius Wife 161AD Pautalia Thrace HERA Roman Coin i54376

Description

Item:
i54376
Authentic Ancient Coin of:
Faustina II
- Roman Empress & Wife of Emperor Marcus Aurelius -  161-175 A.D. -
Bronze 17mm (3.24 grams) of
Pautalia in Thrace
Reference: Varbanov 4478
ΦAVCTEINA CEBACTH, draped bust right.
OVΛΠIAC ΠAVTAΛIAC, Hera standing left holding patera and  scepter.
You  are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a  Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of  Authenticity.
Hera
is the wife and one of three sisters of
Zeus
in the
Olympian pantheon
of
Greek mythology
and
religion
. Her chief  function is as the goddess of women and marriage. Her  counterpart in the
religion of ancient Rome
was
Juno
. The
cow
,
lion
and the
peacock
are sacred to  her. Hera's mother is
Rhea
and her father
Cronus
.
Portrayed as majestic and solemn, often enthroned,  and crowned with the
polos
(a high  cylindrical crown worn by several of the
Great Goddesses
), Hera  may bear a
pomegranate
in her  hand, emblem of fertile blood and death and a substitute  for the narcotic capsule of the
opium
poppy. A scholar  of Greek mythology
Walter Burkert
writes  in
Greek Religion
, "Nevertheless, there are  memories of an earlier aniconic representation, as a  pillar in Argos and as a plank in Samos."
Hera was known for her jealous and vengeful nature,  most notably against Zeus's lovers and offspring, but  also against mortals who crossed her, such as
Pelias
.
Paris
offended her by  choosing
Aphrodite
as the most  beautiful goddess, earning Hera's hatred.
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Kyustendil
(
Bulgarian
:
Кюстендил
,  historically
Велбъжд
,
Velbazhd
) is a town in the far west of
Bulgaria
, the capital  of
Kyustendil Province
,  with a population of 58,059 (2005 census). Kyustendil is  situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley,  90 km southwest of
Sofia
. It was named  after the medieval lord of the surrounding region,
Constantine Dragaš
.
A
Thracian
settlement was  founded at the place of the modern town in the
5th
-4th century BC and  the
Romans
developed it  into an important stronghold, balneological resort and  trade junction called
Pautalia
in the 1st  century AD.
The
Hisarlaka
fortress was built in the 4th  century and the town was mentioned under the
Slavic
name of
Velbazhd
(Велбъжд, meaning "camel") in a 1019  charter by the
Byzantine
Emperor
Basil II
. It became a  major religious and administrative centre.
Annia  Galeria Faustina Minor
(((
Minor
Latin for
the younger
),
Faustina Minor
or
Faustina  the Younger
(
February  16
between 125 and 130-175) was a daughter of
Roman Emperor
Antoninus Pius
and Roman Empress
Faustina the Elder
. She was a Roman Empress and wife  to her maternal cousin Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius
. Though Roman sources give a  generally negative view of her character, she was held  in high esteem by soldiers and her own husband and was  given divine honours after her death.
//
Biography
Faustina, named after her mother, was  her parents' fourth and youngest child and their second  daughter; she was also their only child to survive to  adulthood. She was born and raised in
Rome
.
Her great uncle, the Emperor
Hadrian
, had arranged with her father for Faustina  to marry
Lucius Verus
. On February 25, 138, she and Verus  were betrothed.
Verus’ father
was Hadrian’s first adopted son and  his intended heir. However when Verus’ father died,  Hadrian chose Faustina’s father to be his second adopted  son, and eventually, he became Hadrian’s successor.  Faustina’s father ended the engagement between his  daughter and Verus and arranged for Faustina's betrothal  to her maternal cousin,
Marcus Aurelius
; Aurelius was also adopted by her  father. On May 13, 145, Faustina and Marcus Aurelius  were married. When her father died on March 7, 161, her  husband and Lucius Verus succeeded to her father’s  throne and became co-rulers. Faustina was given the  title of
Augusta
and became Empress.
Unfortunately, not much has survived  from the Roman sources regarding Faustina's life, but  what is available does not give a good report.
Cassius Dio
and the
Augustan History
accuse Faustina of ordering  deaths by poison and execution; she has also been  accused of instigating the revolt of
Avidius Cassius
against her husband. The
Augustan  History
mentions adultery with sailors, gladiators,  and men of rank. However, Faustina and Aurelius seem to  have been very close and mutually devoted. Her husband  trusted her and defended her vigorously against  detractors.
Faustina accompanied her husband on  various military campaigns and enjoyed the love and  reverence of Roman soldiers. Aurelius gave her the title  of
Mater Castrorum
or
Mother of the Camp
.  Between 170-174, she was in the north, and in 175, she  accompanied Aurelius to the east. However, these  experiences took their toll on Faustina, who died in the  winter of 175, after an accident, at the military camp  in Halala (a city in the
Taurus Mountains
in
Cappadocia
).
Aurelius grieved much for his wife  and buried her in the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome. She  was deified: her statue was placed in the Temple of  Venus in Rome and a temple was dedicated to her in her  honor. Halala’s name was changed to
Faustinopolis
and Aurelius opened charity schools for orphan girls  called
Puellae Faustinianae
or 'Girls of  Faustina'.
[1]
The Baths of Faustina in
Miletus
are named after her.
In their thirty years of marriage,  Faustina bore Marcus Aurelius thirteen children:
Annia Aurelia Galeria Faustina
(147-after 165)
Gemellus Lucillae (died around  150), twin brother of Lucilla
Annia Aurelia Galeria
Lucilla
(148/50-182), twin sister of Gemellus,  married her father's co-ruler
Lucius Verus
Titus Aelius Antoninus (born  after 150, died before 7 March 161)
Titus Aelius Aurelius (born after  150, died before 7 March 161)
Hadrianus (152-157)
Domitia Faustina (born after 150,  died before 7 March 161)
Fadilla
(159-after 211)
Annia Cornificia Faustina Minor
(160-after 211)
Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus  (161-165), twin brother of Commodus
Commodus
(161-192), twin brother of Titus  Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus, later emperor
Marcus Annius Verus Caesar
(162-169)
Vibia Aurelia Sabina (170-died before 217)
="">
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