Help w/ large Empress coin AE29

[adventus]

:) HI - This appears to be Julia Domna though I'm not sure. The hair bun seemed to match her. The reverse is what appears to be two victories holding a round shield over two cone-shaped objects. It is all on a base and it almost looks like sharp mountain peaks in the background. I believe it has OTIA in the MM. THE O has a dot in the center of it and there's another O just like it, last letter to the rt. Any Ideas?? Thanks! -a- :)

[Vladimir]

Hi Adventus!
It is Julia Domna indeed, but I believe that the reverse is the Mount Argeaus
I do not have picture for this exact type, but I will attach one that represents the reverse type. The coin is illustrated in D. Sear. Greek Imperial Coins and Their Values. p. 229, 2445. The mount could be surmounted by small figure or star. The exergue is indicating the regnal year of Severus and it should be not OTIA but [Epsilon]T IA or year 11 (I=10, A=1) which determine this coin to be struck in 203-204 AD. Hope this will help.
Vl.

[adventus]

Thanks Vl. - That's closer than anyone else has come to nailing it. Curious what the significance of Mount Argeaus is. Was it a Holy place or something like that? -a-

[Vladimir]

Hello Adventus!
There are not so many things that I can tell you about the Mount Argaeus.
Caesareia, was a city now in Turkey situated at the foot of Mount Argaeus. Today’s name is Kaisariyeh(one can easily see the refleaction of the old Caesareia) and the original name was Mazaka. The the place was the capital of the Cappadocian kings. The earliest coins are bronze of the time of Archelaus 36 BC – 17 AD. After him Cappadocia became a Roman Province. It appears that the town changed its name from Eusebeia to Caesareia about a thousands year early. The Imperial era for Cappadocia is from Tiberius to Trebonianus Gallus. Caesareia, was one of the main Imperial mints for the East and coins in silver and bronze were struck in large emissions. The usual types and weights for the silver issues were: Tridrachm - 11.70 grams; Didrachm - 7.80 grams.; Drachm - 3.90 grams; Hemidrahm (halfdrachm) - 1.95 grams. After the time of Severus the AR becomes debased. Both – silver and bronze coins - bear dates of the Emperors’ reigns – in your case ET IA or year 11th. The Silver coinage records the consulate (Y[Pi]ATOC = COS and letter A = 1, B = 2, … I = 10 etc.) and the tribunician power. Mount Argaeus, occurs very frequently on the coins of Caesarea as a mount, rock, sometimes placed on altar, sometimes with caves or with temples at the mount’s foot, and sometimes surmounted by star or figure of Sol (or the Emperor?)
I know that this is just a partial answer, but … :)
Vladimir

[adventus]

:) Thanks Vl. - Love this site!! -a-