Viggen Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Most ancient cultures believed in astrology – the notion that changes observed in the heavens above were strongly linked to events on earth below. Along with the reassuringly predictable motions of the stars and planets, more troubling things sometimes appeared in the sky. Rare and unpredictable, comets and meteors were particularly potent symbols, and their appearance on a few ancient coins has sparked the interest of historians and astronomers as well as numismatists. Great article on Coins Week, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 (edited) Apart from visible omens which the superstitious Romans quickly identified (or ignored at their peril), they weren't quite so into astrology as some cultures. They refer to 'Chaldean Astrologers' sometimes, although I suspect that elements of such beliefs were always on the fashional vanguard or the alternative fringes of Roman society. Because the pagan Romans adopted a more personal client/patron relationship with their unseen deities, treating temples as the atrium's of their chosen gods, interpreting the movements of the heavens wasn't the first action of a devout Roman - it was more likely he would sacrifice and attempt to bargain with a god rather than try to figure out what that god was actually doing to the world. Or at least, so it appears to me, so I suspect that it might be all too easy to apply an incorrect significance with respect to Roman coinage. Edited June 24, 2014 by caldrail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) Nice article.I wrote about Elagabalus and his stone some time ago.http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/16297-elagabalus-bringing-the-syrian-sun-god-to-rome/ A large stone seems like an appropriate home for a mountain god. However, both Dio and Herodian make it clear that Elagabal, at least by the third century CE, was a sun god. Herodian records that some small projecting pieces and markings on the stone were believed to be a rough picture of the sun. The stone itself was said to have fallen from heaven. Perhaps it was believed to come from the sun. When Elagabalus brought Elagabal to Rome, the deity was exclusively represented as a sun god.. Several of Elagabalus's coins bear the legend SANCT(O) DEO SOLI ELAGABAL(O) and the emperor styled himself sacerdos amplissimus dei invicti Solis Elagabali. Thank you for posting.guy also known as gaius Edited June 25, 2014 by guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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