Coin Portraying Emperor Antoninus Pius
138-9
Medium
Billon
Dimensions
Diam.: 2.6 cm (1 1/16 in.)
Classification
coin
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
62767
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The front (obverse) of this coin portrays Emperor Antoninus Pius, facing right, nude. The back (reverse) depicts Dikaiosyne standing slightly left, grain crown, girdled chiton, himation around and over shoulder and arm; she holds scales in an extended right arm, and a full cornucopia cradled in her left arm. The date this coin was struck is indicated in the inscription " L B ", which means the second year of the emperor's reign, or 138-139 CE. Antoninus Pius reigned as emperor from 138-161 CE.
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....