| Note |
The identity of the figure has seemed uncertain, here and for the same design in year 16 (4730). The quadriga initially seems to suggest the Emperor, but his quadriga is normally walking, not galloping. On the Amsterdam specimens, on one the object held by the figure seems clearly to be a whip, while on the other he seems definitely to be radiate. Helios with whip seems very clear on the CNG coin (‘Helios-Sarapis’). Thus Helios is adopted here. The design also occurs in year 16, but probably not 20. The small object above the quadriga is usually indistinct, but on the CNG, Berk and Amsterdam coins it looks like a small object (a half-length bust?) carried by two birds (eagles?). ‘Über den Pferden sieht man eine Wolke, darauf die geflügelte Eos, die Göttin der Morgenröte, in einer Biga’ (Kellner), but Eos is accompanied by a horse on coins of Marcus Aurelius. Curtis had a specimen which he described as ‘Emperor (rad. as Helios) in quadriga r., salutes Nike above horses: in ex. LIZ’: Curtis’ annotated copy of Milne. But, as pointed out by Patrick Matthijs, the object and birds are very similar to the ‘Canopus’ pulled by two eagles on coins of year 13 (and perhaps 14) (4372.2 and 4506)
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