The Juno Coins of Gallienus' "Zoo"



Juno was the protector of the Roman state and queen of the gods. Though Juno's coins feature an animal usually described as a doe, depending on the coin it looks more like a cross between a goat, a antelope, and/or a stag. Most commonly, the animal is depicted with the beard of a goat, and antlers similar to that of some deer - a smooth curve up with a round antler, with flattening or flaring towards the end. In The Cunetio Treasure, the authors called this animal a "Capreolus", as this was the Latin term for a roe deer, which this animal resembles. Also, "Capra" was the Latin word for goat.

A similar animal on a Saeculares coin of Philip II is usually attributed as a goat, by Dr. John Twente has pointed out in several articles the much closer resemblance of that animal to the European elk (moose, in North America), and this seems a much more logical conclusion for these, also. It's also possible that there were two animals being shown on these coins, an elk and a goat, though this will require further study. On other coins (not of the Zoo series) Juno is often shown in association with a peacock.

Census Information

Type Legend Obverse Cunetio Göbl
Elk walking left COR SALONINA AVG draped bust 84 112
Elk walking left SALONINA AVG draped bust 3 2
Elk walking right COR SALONINA AVG draped bust 4 11

The coins of Juno are much more common from Salonina than from Gallienus, with many references not mentioning this type for Gallienus at all. In the Cunetio Hoard all of them were from Salonina. It's quite likely that the uncommon coins showing the bust of Gallienus with an elk reverse are mules, or minting errors where obverse and reverse dies were unintentionally mismatched.




Elk (?)




Obv: CORSALONINAAVG - Diademed and draped bust right, crescent behind.
Rev: IVNONICONSAVG - Bearded elk walking left. Delta (Greek D) in exergue.
RIC.16 (not a doe, but let's not quibble), VM.24, SR.3041, RSC.69, CT.1418, Göbl.725cc (112 examples)


Obv: CORSALONINA[AVG] - Diademed and draped bust right, crescent behind.
Rev: IVNO[NICONSAVG] - Bearded elk walking left. Delta (Greek D) in exergue.
Quite possibly a barbaric imitation, judging from the style.
RIC.16, VM.24, SR.3041, RSC.69, CT.1418, Göbl.725cc

Obv: CORSALONIN[AAVG] - Diademed and draped bust right, crescent behind. Die crack below "SAL"
Rev: IV[NON]ICONSAVG - Bearded elk walking left. Delta (Greek D) in exergue.
On the reverse, it appears that the engraver was going to show one foreleg raised, and then changed it to straight down. The item in front of the elk is perfectly formed to be an upraised leg, like on the centaurs, minus the hoof. Perhaps the engraver (or his boss!) caught this mistake before the die was finished?
RIC.16, VM.24, SR.3041, RSC.69, CT.1418, Göbl.725cc

Obv: CORSALONIN[AAVG] - Diademed and draped bust right, crescent behind.
Rev: IVNONOCONSAVG - Bearded elk walking left. Delta (Greek D) in exergue.
Normal obverse, though weakly struck losing the face details. Reverse seems to have been struck from a worn die, with the elk being quite soft. The reverse legend though is what makes this coin special - Juno's name is spelled "IVNONO" instead of the correct "IVNONI" as on the others. Very rare and unusual error.
RIC.16v, VM.24v, SR.3041v, RSC.69v, CT.1418v, Göbl.725cc(v)

Obv: CORSALONINAAVG - Diademed and draped bust right, crescent behind.
Rev: IVNONICONSAVG - Bearded elk walking right. Delta (Greek D) in exergue.
An example of the uncommon right-facing elk.
RIC.-, VM.-, SR.-, RSC.69v, CT.1420, Göbl.726cc


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All coins from the author's collection. Not a commercial site, these coins are not for sale.

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Coins of Gallienus' Zoo
last modified: 7 Mar 2006