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Roman Lead Tessera Antiquity Gallienus & Salonina Imperial Artifact Holy Land 19mm Authentic
Authentic ancient artifact, guaranteed genuine and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. Registered Holy Land find.
Culture: Roman EmpireDate: Circa 253–268 ADMaterial: Lead (Plumbum)Type: Tessera / Token / Commemorative Lead PieceDiameter: 19 mm
Description:This rare leaden tessera dates to the joint reign of Emperor Gallienus and his wife, Empress Cornelia Salonina, during the mid-3rd century Crisis of the Roman Empire. Unlike official state coinage, leaden tesserae served a variety of localized functions, including theater entrance tokens, charitable distribution markers (annona), or commemorative pieces issued by specific guilds or regional administrations.
The obverse features the jugate or facing portraits of the Imperial couple. Gallienus is typically depicted with a radiate crown or laurel wreath, while Salonina is shown with her characteristic high-coiffed hairstyle. These pieces are particularly interesting as they reflect the Imperial family's effort to project stability and dynastic unity during a period of significant military and economic upheaval.
Finding such a specimen in the Holy Land underscore the active Roman administrative and social life in the Levant during the 3rd century. The leaden medium allowed for local production of tokens that mirrored the iconography of the central Roman mints.
Authentication:The artifact displays a genuine, multi-layered "white" lead carbonate patina. There are distinct traces of earthen mineral encrustation consistent with the soil chemistry of the Holy Land. The wear is characteristic of ancient handling, with softened features that follow the natural flow of the metal. No modern casting seams or artificial chemical aging are present.
Comparable Examples:
The British Museum: Registration Number 1906,1103.447 (Roman lead tessera series)
Ashmolean Museum: Roman Lead Token Collection (3rd Century Imperial types)
Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque Nationale de France: Tessères Romaines en plomb.
References:
Rostovtsev, M., Tesserarum Urbis Romae et Suburbi Plumbearum Sylloge, Paragraph 428.
Gulath, H., Römische Bleitesserae, pp. 85–92.
Mitard, P-H., Les tessères de plomb gallo-romaines, Paragraph 14 (comparative typology).
Condition:
Very Fine archaeological condition for lead. The profiles of the Emperor and Empress are clearly discernible. The patina is thick, stable, and attractive. The piece remains structurally sound with no significant cracks or lead rot.
7-3
