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Annia Galeria Faustina Augusta Minor
"I thank the gods that I have a wife just like her—so devoted, so full of love, so unpretentious. (Meditations)" Faustina married Marcus Aurelius in 145 CE. She bore him 12 or 13 children, including the future emperor Commodus. Contemporary accounts describe her as unfaithful, allegedly engaging in affairs with sailors and gladiators. It was claimed that Commodus' interest in gladiatorial combat and his cruelty were due to him being the son of one of these gladiators.
Some accounts even wrote that Faustina took pleasure in anointing herself with the blood of gladiators slain in the arena before going to her husband’s bedchamber.
On the other hand, she faithfully accompanied Marcus on all his military campaigns. She shared the hardships of distant expeditions with him and the army, earning the title Mater Castrorum ("Mother of the Camps").
Denomination: Denarius, Ag
Obverse: Veiled and draped bust of Faustina Junior to right, DIVA FAVSTINAE PIAE
Reverse: Diva Faustina seated to left on throne, holding Phoenix in her right hand and scepter in her left; before her, two aquilae, MATRI CASTRORVM
Mint: Rome, 176 A.D.
Weight: 3,34 g
Diameter: 18mm
Provenance: Fritz Rudolf Künker
Riferimento : 16.6 RIC III 753, RSC 161
Collezione : IMPERIUM ROMANUM 03 - Antonine