Theta- the symbol of death

[Victor]

This coin is from the 9th workshop, but rather than use Θ (theta), which is Greek for nine, the engraver used delta (Greek for 4) and epsilon (Greek for 5) which add up to nine. Theta was considered by some to be the symbol of death, so it was best to avoid using it.

There are other examples of this practice, however, on some LRB’s, Θ is used to denote a workshop, so perhaps there was an overly superstitious supervisor at Antioch during this period.


The second picture (courtesy of wikipedia) shows a mosaic from the Villa Borghese in which dead gladiators have a symbol (a sloppy theta) below their names to show that they are dead.



Constantine I
A.D. 327- 328
18x19mm     3.2gm
CONSTAN-TINVS AVG; head with rosette diadem.
PROVIDEN-TIAE AVGG; camp gate with two turrets and star between them, in left delta and right epsilon.
in ex. SMANTE
RIC VII Antioch 78

[tjaart]

Thanks for that Victor. Very interesting. I always wondered about the delta and epsilon on some of my campgates.

Any reason they didn't use say gamma and S?

Tjaart

[Victor]

Any reason they didn't use say gamma and S?

That's a good question, but I don't know why they chose delta and epsilon. Perhaps there was some symbolism associated.

[Genio popvli romani]

Theta was considered by some to be the symbol of death, so it was best to avoid using it.

Probably because Thêta is the first letter of greek Thanatos (Θάνατος/ Death) who was rarely named because of the fear that something bad would happen.

[Alisdair]

Thanks Victor, fascinating stuff. On the other hand, the Thessalonica issues of the VRBS ROMA type often have a Theta on the wolf's shoulder. Maybe the mint officials were less suspicious in Thessalonica!

[Victor]

Another example of the 9th workshop from Antioch using delta and epsilon instead of Θ (theta)



Anonymous pagan civic coinage
ca. A.D. 312
Æ quarter nummus
16mm  1.5gm
GENIO ANTIOCHENI; Statue of the Tyche of Antioch on rock, below the river god Orontes.
APOLLONI SANCTO; Apollo, stg.l. holding patera and lyre, in right field E over Δ
In ex. SMA
Mint of Antioch
Vagi 2954; Van Heesch 3a
 


On a related note, I have recently seen some of these coins with a reference from McAlee (probably copying and pasting from each other). This is the book The Coins of Roman Antioch. If you don’t have it yet, don’t bother getting it because you think it might have some information on these coins. It stops at Valerian and only seems to include the pagan civic coins as an afterthought and then only a few examples-- I have included a scan of the entire section below. The best reference for the pagan issue under Maximinus II is Van Heesch, Numismatic Chronicle 1993

[six2ten]

Thanks for the heads up regarding the Antioch book, was one I have been considering - but not any more!

[Victor]

Thanks for the heads up regarding the Antioch book, was one I have been considering - but not any more!

You're welcome...I wish I had known before I got it. It's taking up valuable space on my bookshelf.

[Spoudaios]

Hey Victor,
thanks for the valuable topic. I was wondering, do we have any reference on the thanatos theory?
If I well recall, theta is the number "eight" in greek alphabet, so I was wondering why substituting it with delta + epsilon = 9.

Thanks.

Best,

Spoudaios

[Victor]

I was wondering, do we have any reference on the thanatos theory?
If I well recall, theta is the number "eight" in greek alphabet, so I was wondering why substituting it with delta + epsilon = 9.

here is some some info from Wikipedia

In classical Athens, it was used as an abbreviation for the Greek θάνατος (thanatos, “death”) and as it vaguely resembles a human skull,[citation needed] theta was used as a warning symbol of death, in the same way that skull and crossbones are used in modern times. It survives on potsherds used by Athenians when voting for the death penalty.Petrus de Dacia in a document from 1291 relates the idea that theta was used to brand criminals as empty ciphers, and the branding rod was affixed to the crossbar spanning the circle. For this reason, use of the number theta was sometimes avoided where the connotation was felt to be unlucky—the mint marks of some Late Imperial Roman coins famously have the sum ΔΕ or ΕΔ (delta and epsilon, that is 4 and 5) substituted as a euphemism where a Θ (9) would otherwise be expected.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theta


The theta nigrum ("black theta") or theta infelix ("unlucky theta") is a symbol of death in Greek and Latin epigraphy. Isidore of Seville notes the letter was appended after the name of a deceased soldier and finds of papyri containing military records have confirmed this use. Additionally it can be seen in The Gladiator Mosaic. (you can see the picture above in the first post)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theta_nigrum



theta is indeed eighth in the Greek alphabet, but is also 9 in the number system.

            
αʹ   1      ιʹ   10      ρʹ   100
βʹ   2      κʹ   20      σʹ   200
γʹ   3      λʹ   30      τʹ   300
δʹ   4      μʹ   40      υʹ   400
εʹ   5      νʹ   50      φʹ   500
ϝ    6      ξʹ   60      χʹ   600
ζʹ   7      οʹ   70      ψʹ   700
ηʹ   8      πʹ   80      ωʹ   800
θʹ   9      ϟʹ   90      ϡʹ   900


https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_numerals

[Demming]

Are the Greek and Latin interpretations of theta identical or do they have minor differences?

[Victor]

Are the Greek and Latin interpretations of theta identical or do they have minor differences?

I have no idea if there were differences in interpretations, but would not be surprised if there were, as they are different languages from different cultures. The coins talked about in this discussion are Roman from the city of Antioch, but they were minted in the Eastern Empire which used to be Greek territory. Many people in Antioch probably knew Latin, but the native language of the area was Greek.

[livingwater]

Sorry this is not coin related but about alphabet/numerics.  I recall reading about Pompeii graffiti where a man wrote on a wall "my love's number is...."   He called his lover by the number value of the letters rather than her alphabet name.

The infamous Biblical 666 would have been understood by contemporary readers to refer to a name whose letters sum added to 666.  Over the centuries many have sought to identify this name.  Such silly notions as Ronald Wilson Reagan, six letters in each name, have nothing to do with the Greek language and its letters numeric value when the book of Revelation was written.  An occasional spelling of Nero, Neron, adds up to 666.  In early Church history some theologians thought the book of Revelation referred to the persecution of Christians by the Romans.  Later Protestant reformers thought the corruption of the Popes was the Harlot in the book of Revelation.  A Latin version of the Pope's title being the Vicar of Christ used in the middle ages happens to equal 666.  Those who interpret the book of Revelation for future end times believe the 666 Antichrist is yet to come.  To each their own.   

By the way, the Greek word for Jesus, Iesous, adds up to 888.  Some Christians think 8 is a symbol of new beginnings, 8 being the start of a new week.   

[Victor]

An occasional spelling of Nero, Neron, adds up to 666. 

I have always liked that interpretation, true or not, it sounds like it should be true.

[Victor]

I just got this example from the ninth workshop with delta and epsilon in separate fields, which may have been done for symmetry, as it would have been crowded otherwise.

Galerius
A.D. 300- 301
25x26mm     9.2g
GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS NOB CAES; Laureate head right.
GENIO POPV-LI ROMANI; Genius standing facing, head left, modius on head, naked but for chlamys across left shoulder, liquors flowing from patera in right hand, cornucopiae in left, in left field Δ over K, in right Є over V.
In ex. ANT
RIC VI Antioch 55b