C. Julius Octavius Volusenna Rogatianus, governor (Pontus-Bithynia) ; Gordian III, Roman Emperor ; Marcus Aurelius E(...), agoranomos (Nicomedia)

Nicomedia

1/2 Libra = 1/2 Litra

Lead

Cast

Triangle

8.50 cm

10.20 cm

- cm

Mass (g)	Mass (grain)	Date of measurement	Reference	fragmented	cleaned	reference weight
267.43	-	-	Auction Leu 2020	No	No	Yes

Symbol	Technique	Direction	Position	Number	Synecdoche

Auction Leu 2020: Bithynia, Nicomedia. Gordian III, 238-244. Weight of 1/2 Libra (Lead, 85x102 mm, 267.43 g), Iulius Octavius Volusenna Rogatianus, legatus pro praetore of Pontus and Bithynia, and the agoranomos of the city, M. Aurelius E[...]. RY 4 of Gordian III = 240/1. E/T૪/C Δ A/[Y]TOK/[PATOPO/[C KAIC]APO/[C M A]NTΩ/[NIO]Y ΓOPΔI/ANOY E[YCE]B/OYC EYTYX૪C / CEBACTOY. Rev. ... / THC ΕΠ/ΑΡΧΙΑC .. / ΙΟ[Υ]ΛΙΟΥ ΟΚ/[ΤΑ]OY ΟΥΟΛΟ/CEPNA POΓAΤI/ANOY ΠPECBE/YTOY KAI ANTICT/PATHΓ૪ TOY CEB/AC[TOY] / AΓOPΑNΟΜ૪ΝΤΟC / Μ AYPH[ΛI]૪ E.... CPAI -. Pondera -. Of the highest rarity, apparently the second known example and of great interest. Some deposits, otherwise, very fine.
Öztürk 2021: The weight is catalogued as number 2007 in the catalogue of Action Leu Numismatik. This weight, dating to the second regnal year of Elagabalus [sic! see https://pondera.uclouvain.be/artifact/13358/], could be from Sakarya or Kocaeli. From the inscription on side B, we learn that the name of governor of C. Julius Octavius Volusenna Rogatianus, who is also attested on an unpublished weight at Halûk Perk Museum. According to this weight, the governor was in the province in the second reign of the emperor Gordianus III. For this reason, on the side B of the weight sold by Leu Numismatik it should be alpha, not delta.

No

Language	Technique	Legend type
Greek	Relief	Authority, Date
Greek	Stamped / Countermarked / Struck	Authority

E
T૪
C Δ A
[Y]TOK
[PATOPO
[C KAIC]APO
[C M A]NTΩ
[NIO]Y  ΓOPΔI
ANOY E[YCE]B
OYC EYTYXOC
CEBACTOY

. . .
THC ΕΠ
ΑΡΧΙΑC . .
ΙΟ[Υ]ΛΙΟΥ ΟΚ
[ΤΑ]OY ΟΥΟΛΟ
CEPNA POΓAΤI
ANOY ΠPECBE
YTOY KAI ANTICT
PATHΓ૪ TOY CEB
AC[TOY]
AΓOPΑNΟΜ૪ΝΤΟC
Μ AYPH[ΛI]૪ E...

(Side A) Ἔ|το͜υ|ς α̣ʹ Α|[ὐ]τοκ|[ρ]ά̣[τ]ορο|[ς] Κ̣α̣[ί]σαρο|[ς Μ(άρκου) Ἀ]ν̣τω|[νίο]υ̣ Γορδ[ι|ανοῦ Ε[ὐσε]β̣|οῦς Εὐτυχο͜ῦς | Σεβαστοῦ.
(Side B) [ὑ]π̣[ατ]|ε̣ύ̣ο̣ντο|ς τῆ͜ς ἐπ|[αρ]χίας Γ(αίου) | [Ἰου]λ̣ί̣ου Ὀκ|τα̣(ουί)ο̣υ Οὐολο(υ)|σέ<ν>να Ῥογατ̣|ι̣ανοῦ πρεσβε|υτοῦ καὶ ἀντιστ|ρατήγου τοῦ Σεβα(στοῦ) | ἀγορ̣ανομο͜ῦντος | Μ(άρκου) Αὐρη[λί]ο͜υ E. . .

ed. Öztürk 2021

GREEK , ROMAN

FROM 238 TO 241

Year 4 of Gordian = 240 CE.
or Year 1 (?) = 238 CE.
Öztürk 2021: Year 1 of the second reign or Gordian III.

Name	Date of acquisition	Inventory number
Antiquities Trade	Oct. 23, 2020	None

Reference	Page/Column	Reference (number)	Plate / Figure	Comment
Auction Leu 2020d	274–275	2007	fig. 2007	None
Öztürk et al. 2021	305–306	2B	None	None

Auction Leu 2020: C. Iulius Octavius Volusenna Rogatianus is attested as a legatus pro praetore from a similar weight (https://pondera.uclouvain.be/artifact/3718/) dated by W. Weck to the sole reign of Valerian (W. Eck: C. Iulius Octavius Volusenna Rogatianus. Statthalter einer kaiserlichen Provinz, in: ZPE 90 (1992), pp. 199-206), but the name of the emperor was, as our weight shows, very likely misread and designates Gordian III as well. Thus, the tenure of office of Rogatianus as governor of Pontus and Bithynia can be moved from the early 250s to the late 230s and early 240s, placing him between D. Simonius Proculus Iulianus (shortly before 239) and Ti. Claudius Attalus Paterclianus (23 September 243-early 244). As some of these impressive lead weights were found in the vicinity of Nicomedia, it is commonly assumed that they name the legati pro praetore of the province of Pontus and Bithynia (see also above, lot 2006), and were manufactured in the provincial capital Nicomedia under the supervision of the agoranomos of the city, who is usually named alongside the governor on the reverse. The obverse, on the other hand, provides the regnal year, name and titles of the emperor in Greek, in the case of our example, that is 'Year 4 of the Imperator Caesar M. Antonius Gordianus Pius Felix Augustus'.