2020-08-25
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Silver denarius in honor of the diva Faustina
Why the Emperor's wife was ranked among the gods
Annia Galeria Faustina Major – the name of the wife of the Emperor of Ancient Rome Antoninus Pius. This woman married Antoninus Pius when he was still a simple citizen and gave birth to 4 children: 2 girls and 2 boys. She did not interfere in the management of the state, loved her husband and gave birth to his children, died at the age of 36 – why was a temple erected in her honor after her death and she was counted among the gods under the name Diva Faustina?
Her husband loved her very much – this is a strong argument if the husband is the current Emperor of Ancient Rome, but not enough to deify a person.
She was respected by her fellow citizens for the fact that she, herself a mother of two girls, tried to make educated not only their daughters, but also tried to instill in the rest of the women of the Empire the desire to be fully developed individuals. And this is the second century ad, when heroes are by definition men who by their nature are characterized by great deeds in the field of state building, on the battlefield, in the field of philosophy and other Sciences.
Women were judged by the male gaze – and the score could be very high, but not high enough to sit in the Senate. The expression 'statesman' speaks for itself.
Annia Galeria Faustina Major was not and could not be a feminist, but this woman understood that a woman's natural intelligence and external attractiveness should be complemented by knowledge in the field of parenting, cooking, organizing family life, as well as government: women should understand the problems of her husband, which he would want to share with her over dinner. And for this girls must learn, learn and learn: married on this time not will.
To be the wife of the Roman Emperor is not a sufficient reason to be loved, respected and copied your style of behavior even in small things. Faustina was braiding an interesting hairstyle on her head – braids gathered in a bun at the top and front like a hat. Whether she invented it herself or was prompted by her hairdresser is unknown, but it is known for certain that the women of Ancient Rome copied this hairstyle not only during her lifetime, but also for two or three generations after her death.
As I understand it, copy the hairstyle of another woman – this is how women demonstrate their attitude to the idol-both then and now.
To do Antoninus Pius justice, none of the Roman emperors issued as many coins in memory of his wife as he did - there was plenty to choose from for the collection. However, I took a lot of trouble to find a silver denarius with her image in such a state that the diva Faustina's hairstyle looks as if it was made quite recently, and not 1870 years ago.
Серебряный денарий в честь дивы Фаустины
Серебряный денарий
Country
:
Римская империя
Denomination
:
1 денарий
Year
:
II век н.э.
Mint
:
Circulation
:
Material
:
Серебро
Weight
:
Diameter
:
Alexander R.
