Skip to main content
Date58 B.C.E
MediumSilver
DimensionsDiameter: 11/16 in. (1.8 cm)
Credit LineTransfer from Hamilton College Archives, Burke Library. Gift of Nathaniel Emmons Paine, Class of 1874
Object numberS2018.1.20
Not on view
DescriptionThis silver denarius of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, a Roman consul, depicts a male figure kneeling to the right before a camel on its obverse. In his right hand, the man holds a palm branch, and in the left he holds the reins of the camel. On the reverse of this denarius is the sky-god Jupiter in a quadriga, or four-horse chariot, and a scorpion. This coin commemorates Scaurus' involvement in ending a seige on Judea in 64 B.C.E. The scorpion on the reverse of this coin, representative of the belief that men born under Scorpio were the "sackers of cities," is being trampled by the quadriga, symbolizing Scaurus' success.
This coin is a part of the Paine Coin Collection. This teaching collection of 32 Greek and Roman coins was formed by John Alsop Paine (1840 – 1912), Class of 1859, who was an archaeologist with the Palestine Exploration Society and a Curator in the Department of Casts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1889 until 1906. The collection came to the college through John Alsop Paine’s grandson, Nathaniel Emmons Paine (1853 – 1948), Class of 1874.
Collections
Additional Details
Provenance
2018: Hamilton College (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art), by transfer from College Archives, Burke Library;
?: Hamilton College, by gift of Nathaniel Emmons Paine (1853-1948);
?: Nathaniel Emmons Paine (1853-1948), presumably by inheritance or gift from his grandfather, John Alsop Paine (1840-1912);
?: John Alsop Paine (1840-1912), by excavation.
?: Hamilton College, by gift of Nathaniel Emmons Paine (1853-1948);
?: Nathaniel Emmons Paine (1853-1948), presumably by inheritance or gift from his grandfather, John Alsop Paine (1840-1912);
?: John Alsop Paine (1840-1912), by excavation.
Inscribed
"M SCAVR AED CVR EX S" on obverse; "P HVPSAE AED CVR" on reverse
Date: 137 B.C.E. - 127 B.C.E.
Medium: Silver
Object number: S2018.1.22
Unknown artist, Greek (Ancient)
Date: 413 B.C.E. - 406 B.C.E.
Medium: Bronze
Object number: S2018.1.16
Unknown artist, Roman Empire
Date: 117 C.E. - 138 C.E.
Medium: Silver
Object number: S2018.1.28
Unknown artist, Greek (Ancient)
Date: 490 B.C.E. - 461 B.C.E.
Medium: Silver
Object number: S2018.1.10
Unknown artist, Greek (Ancient)
Date: 370-300 B.C.E.
Medium: Silver
Object number: S2018.1.3
Unknown artist, Roman Empire
Date: 14 B.C.E. - 37 C.E.
Medium: Silver
Object number: S2018.1.25
Unknown artist, Roman Empire
Date: 54 C.E. - 68 C.E.
Medium: Silver
Object number: S2018.1.26
Unknown artist, Roman Empire
Date: 98 C.E. - 117 C.E.
Medium: Silver
Object number: S2018.1.27