Moneta's Temple and Gallery

PHOENICIA - Byblus, Azbaal (ca. 400-365 BC) AR shekel

Moneta — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 16:25:54 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: PHOENICIA. Byblus. Azbaal (ca. 400-365 BC). AR shekel (24mm, 13.28 gm, 6h). NGC MS 5/5 - 5/5. Penteconter proceeding left with prow terminating in lion's head, containing three hoplites with crested helmets and round shields, on zigzag line of waves; hippocamp swimming left below ship, 'Z (Phoenician) above hippocamp, murex shell below / 'ZBL' MLK GBL (Phoenician), lion left attacking bull left. SNG Copenhagen 132. HGC 10, 133 corr. (letters not noted on obverse). Blush hues and sparkling surfaces highlight devices struck from fresh dies. A fantastic pre-Alexander the Great disruption of Phoenicia area silver coin. This is a Heritage Auctions photo and description. I was bidding but it got a little rich for me at my age. But.. I had to display it here, but it is not physically in the Moneta Museum. Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3048 (11 August 2016), lot 32048. View & Download: Coinweek Ancient Coin Series - Phoenicians at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Coinage_of_the_Phoenicians.pdf

Carthage - Tanit & Horse Head, Sardinia

Moneta — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 16:36:36 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Head of Astarte (Persephone) (Tanit in Phoenician - Carthage mythology), wearing wreath of barley or wheat and wearing 3 prong earrings. Rx: Horses head right in front of Phoenician letter 'I'. Probably from the mint in Sardinia. 5.18 g and ~ 25 mm. Catalog references: A.57 m - Cop.175 var. - CNP.252 ah - Müller305 variety. The obverse type is traditionally described as the head of Tanit, a North African goddess adopted by the Carthaginians as a local form of the Phoenician deity, Astarte. She became the chief goddess of the Carthaginian pantheon as the consort of Ba'al-Hammon, the supreme male deity of Carthage. She was a goddess of fertility as well as of war, which made her an appropriate figure to appear on money struck for military purposes. The benefaction of Tanit was sometimes invoked through the terrible rite of child sacrifice. Infants were placed alive into the sloping hands of her cult statue, only to roll down into a fire pit below. This ultimate sacrifice was thought to bring great blessings upon worshippers of the goddess, but was generally condemned by Greeks, Romans, and Persians. Ironically, the depiction of the very un-Greek Tanit is strongly influenced by the representations of Persephone popular on the silver coinage of Greek Syracuse in the fourth century B.C. Over the course of the long struggle between Carthage and Syracuse for control of Sicily, the Carthaginians were exposed to Syracusan coinage and took it as a model for their own. The horse on the reverse may refer to the foundation myth of Carthage ("New City" in Phoenician). It is reported that when the Tyrian queen, Dido, set out to establish her new city, diggers initially uncovered the head of an ox. This was interpreted as a sign that a city built on that site would be wealthy but subject to others. Unsatisfied, she had her builders consider a different site. When work began on the new site, the excavators dug up the head of a horse. This omen was read as a sign that a city there would become great in war. It was therefore decided to found Carthage on the second site. Thus, the horse on Carthaginian coins can be understood to have a double usage, both as an emblem of the city and as an appropriate symbol for a military coinage. (source: Numismatica Ars Classica, Auction 110 Catalog)

Cappadocia - Ariobarzanes III

Moneta — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 19:17:34 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Silver drachm (52 - 42 B.C.) of Ariobarzanes III (Eusebus Philoromaios). Obverse legend: Anepigraph (none) Obverse description: Diademed and slightly bearded head of Ariobarzanes III right. Reverse description: Athena Nicephorus standing left, helmeted and draped, holding Nike in right hand and spear in left, leaning on her shield; in the left field, lunisolar symbol Reverse legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΡΙΟΒΑΡΖΑΝΟΥ ΕΥΣΕΒΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΦΙΛΟΡΩΜΑΙΟΥ Reverse translation: (from king Ariobarzanes pious and who loves the Romans). He was of Persian and Greek ancestry. The Roman Senate agreed that he was to be the successor of his father, Ariobarzanes II of Cappadocia; Cicero, Roman governor of Cilicia, noted that he was surrounded by enemies who included his mother, Athenais. Originally highly supportive of Pompey despite the cost, he was maintained in his position after Julius Caesar won the civil war in Rome, even gaining territory with the addition of Lesser Armenia. The liberator Cassius Longinus had him executed in 42 BC because he would not allow more Roman intervention in his kingdom. He was succeed by his brother, Ariarathes X of Cappadocia.

Judea - Pontius Pilate Prutah - Year 16 (29 - 30 A.D.)

Moneta — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 16:35:29 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Judea under Roman Procurators, in this case the famous Pontius Pilate (26 - 36 AD). Struck under Augustus (27 BCE - 14 CE). This example dated during the ministry of Jesus Christ, here displayed as Year 16= 29-30 A.D. This coin featured pagan symbols which violated Jewish rules. Obverse: Libation ladle (simpulum); Lettering: ΤΙΒΕΡΙΟΥ ΚΑΡΙCΑΡΟC LΙς [Translation: of Tiberius Caesar, year 16]. Reverse: Three bound ears of grain, the outer two droop; Lettering: ΙΟΥ ΛΙΑ ΚΑΙCΑΡΟC, [Translation: Julia the Queen]. Hendin 6th ed# 6370; Meshorer TJC 331. In VF condition at 1.90 g.; 15.9 mm. VIEW & DOWNLOAD For a great article on the coins of Pontius Pilate be sure to check out this Numiswiki article at this: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Coins%20of%20Pontius%20Pilate Handbook of Biblical Numismatics by Mel Wacks (a must see if you're truly interested in Biblical Coinage) at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Handbook%20Of%20Biblical%20Numismatics.pdf

Persian Achaemenid Dynasty - gold Daric, 519 - 486 BCE

Moneta — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 15:08:26 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Darius the Great (522-486 B.C.E.) of the Achaemenid Dynasty, of ancient Persia, issued these gold coins of ~ 8.4 gr, toward the end of the 6th century B.C.E. The gold daric and the similar silver coin, the siglos (see a matching type III silver siglos here in the Moneta Museum), represented the bimetallic monetary standard that the Achaemenids developed from that of the Lydians (Herodotus, 1.94) and King Croesus, perhaps the first western coin issuer. Darics were produced from the late sixth century B.C. until Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Persian Empire in 330 B.C. The coins’ design stayed broadly consistent except for slight stylistic variations. According to the Greek historian Xenophon, a single daric was equivalent to a soldier’s pay for one month. Researchers believe that the daric was the primary method of payment for mercenary soldiers, furthering the idea that the hoard could be associated with military operations in the area. These are very interesting and historically important coins. First documented by Herodotus himself there is a lot of study that has gone into these. This example is a rather nice one compared to most I have seen. Often the obverse is struck off-center but here almost every detail of a complete design is seen here. This is encapsulated by NGC as an AU example with Strike: 5/5 and Surface 4/5 due to some edge 'scruff' which I am not able to see at all. Description states ACHAEMENID EMPIRE; 5th - 4th Centuries BC; AV Daric (8.33 g). Obverse Hero-King w/ Bow & Spear (making it a Type III); reverse and incuse punch. There is a wonderful online source [Encyclopedia Iranica] for the essential information on this series, you can visit at this http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/daric#prettyPhoto You can see a silver siglos here in the Moneta Museum at this: http://www.moneta-coins.com/showphoto.php?photo=299&title=achaemenid-siglos-3b-lydiapersia&cat=536 In the Near East, money evolved independently, taking an entirely different trajectory. Around the same time that China was casting miniature tools in bronze, the kingdom of Lydia (located in modern Turkey) started striking coins in a natural alloy of silver and gold. Previously most transactions in the region had involved the exchange of bullion, which required weighing and assaying with every exchange. With the stater and its fractions “soon struck in pure gold or silver instead of alloyed electrum“ Lydia standardized monetary units while also certifying authenticity. Lydia was defeated by the Achaemenid Empire in 547 BCE. Learning metallurgy and minting from their new subjects, the Achaemenid kings started to issue their own coinage in precious metals with one signal difference: In contrast to the lions and bulls gracing Lydian staters, the new sigloi portrayed the monarch, depicting him as a kneeling archer with drawn bow. Wherever the Achaemenid currency spread, it carried an implicit threat of colonization. [NNP, Newman Numismatic Portal] From his book Cultural Change, Jewish, Christian and Islamic Coins of the Holy Land Hendin adds, “When mentioned in the Old Testament, the shekel is a weight, not a coin. But the daric mentioned in Chronicles 1 (29:7), Ezra (2:69, 8:27) and Nehemiah (7:70-72) was a circulating coin through the fifth and fourth century B.C.E. in the western Persian Empire.” For more information on the earliest use of silver, about 1000 years before the first coins, please see this article: https://armstronginstitute.org/839-3600-year-old-silver-hoard-likely-the-levants-first-currency VIEW & DOWNLOAD Great information of Achaemenid Gold Daric at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Achaemenid%20gold%20DARIC.pdf

Greek - Mysia, Kyzikos silver Diobol 525 - 475 BCE

Moneta — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 16:07:34 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: Obverse: Protome of a Boar facing left with a detailed Tunny fish to the right. Rx: Head of Roaring Lion to the left all within a square which has extended lion whiskers outside the square punch. A nice VF+ example with lots of detail, much better in hand than the photo shows. 12.2 mm, 1.21g; 11h. Von Fritze Group II, 9 pl. V, 10-11; SNG France 361-87.

Egypt - Cleopatra VII, 51-30 BC

Moneta — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 16:13:41 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Cleopatra VII Thea Neotera. 51-30 BC. Æ Diobol – 80 Drachmai (27mm, 20.27 g, 12h). Alexandreia mint. Diademed and draped bust right / BACIΛICHC (sic) [KΛEOΠ]ATPAC, eagle standing left on thunderbolt; cornucopia to left, Π to right. Svoronos 1871; SNG Copenhagen 419–21; BMC 4–5; Noske 382; Weiser 183. Good VF, green and brown patina. Outstanding portrait for issue!

EGYPT - Pharaonic Kingdom, Nektanebo II

Moneta — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 16:02:52 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: EGYPT, Pharaonic Kingdom. Nektanebo II. 361-343 BC. AV Stater (17mm, 8.23 g, 12h). Horse prancing right / Hieroglyphic representation of “good gold”: pectoral necklace (nebew = “gold”) crossing horizontally over a windpipe and heart (nefer = “good”). FF-BD 2g (D1/R2 – this coin); SNG Berry 1459 (same obv. die); SNG Copenhagen 1 (same dies); ACGC 1064 (same dies); Adams III 2075 (same obv. die); Hunt I 106 (same obv. die); Zhuyuetang 121 (same dies). Near EF, lightly toned, a little off center on obverse. One of the great (and very popular) rarities for ancient gold coinage collectors is the gold stater (or daric?) issued by the Egyptian Pharaoh Nektanebo II. The authors of the die study cited above could account for only 42 examples struck from 3 obverse and 3 reverse dies with 5 die combinations. They also listed 5 examples from the Mit Rahineh hoard (IGCH 1658) that they could not examine for their die study. The attribution to Nektanebo II is based primarily on circumstantial historical evidence and not the coins themselves, which do not bear any specific ethnic or monogram. Nekht-har-hebi, or Nektanebo II as he was known to the Greeks, was the nephew of the Pharaoh Tachos (Djedhor). Placed in command of the Egyptian army in Syria during the Satrapal Revolt, he turned his troops against his own king, and uncle, and took Egypt by force. In 351-350 BC, he repelled a Persian invasion but was driven from his throne in 344-343 by a second assault. He then fled Egypt and found refuge in Ethiopia and retained control of Upper Egypt for another few years. Nektanebo most likely would have issued his gold staters to pay the mercenaries in his army. What makes the coinage of Nektanebo stand out is the adoption of a purely Egyptian design. This is the only known ancient coinage to employ a hieroglyph – a purely Egyptian coin. Triton XXII, Lot: 396. Estimate $75000, NOT physically in the Moneta Museum.

PHOENICIA - Tyre, Circa 440-425 BC. Owl, Hook & Flail

Moneta — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 15:51:09 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: PHOENICIA, Tyre. Uncertain king. Circa 440-425 BC. AR Shekel (22.5mm, 12.74 g, 12h). Dolphin right; ŠLŠN (in Phoenician) above, waves and murex shell below / Owl standing right, head facing; crook and flail over shoulder; all in outline incuse within incuse square. E&E-T Group I.2.1, 45–6 var. (O5/R– [unlisted rev. die]); Rouvier 1775 = BMC 1; HGC 10, 314; AUB 1; Bement 1740; Kraay & Hirmer 681; Jameson 1775 = Rosen 756. EF, toned, traces of find patina, slight roughness. Not in the Moneta Museum, from Triton XXII, Lot: 346. Estimate $5000. Ex Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza & Kaplan and Millennia Collections View & Download: Coinweek Ancient Coin Series - Phoenicians at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Coinage_of_the_Phoenicians.pdf

Sassanian - Ardashir I - 223 - 240 A.D. & Zoroastrian Fire Alter

Moneta — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 19:23:07 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Founder of the Sassanian Empire. More to follow... SASSANIAN EMPIRE. Ardashir I, A.D. 223-240. AR Drachm (4.25 gms, 25 mm), Ctesiphon Mint (?), ca. 233-239 A.D. Condition AU or almost FDC. Göbl type III/2/2. Sunrise 714 or Sunrise-713 (further research required). Diademed bust right wearing close-fitting globular crest headdress and korymbos; Reverse: Ornate fire altar with ribbons. Ardashir I or Ardeshir I (Ardaxšīr; New Persian: اردشیر بابکان, Ardashir-e Bābakān), also known as Ardashir the Unifier (180–242 AD), was the founder of the Sasanian Empire. After defeating the last Parthian shahanshah Artabanus V on the Hormozdgan plain in 224, he overthrew the Parthian dynasty and established the Sasanian dynasty. Afterwards, Ardashir called himself "shahanshah" (King of Kings)and began conquering the land that he called Iran. There are various historical reports about Ardashir's lineage and ancestry. According to Al-Tabari's History of the Prophets and Kings, Ardashir was son of Papak, son of Sasan. Another narrative that exists in Kar-Namag i Ardashir i Pabagan and Ferdowsi's Shahnameh also states it says that Ardashir was born from the marriage of Sasan, a descendant of Darius III, with the daughter of Papak, a local governor in Pars. [Wikipedia] The reverse of the Sassanian coins usually show the Zoroastrian Fire alter; for Ardashir I the alter or "ATAR" is show without attendants. See the Moneta Museum (Next Image) for an example of all later rulers that have two flanking attendants. Atar (Avestan ātar) is the Zoroastrian concept of holy fire, sometimes described in abstract terms as "burning and unburning fire" or "visible and invisible fire" (Mirza, 1987:389). It is considered to be the visible presence of Ahura Mazda and his aša. The rituals for purifying a fire are performed 1,128 times a year. In the Avestan language, ātar is an attribute of sources of heat and light, of which the nominative singular form is ātarš, source of Persian ātaš (fire). It is etymologically related to the Avestan āθrauuan / aθaurun (Vedic अथर्वन् atharvan), a type of priest. It was later copied by the Latin ater (black) and possibly a cognate of the Slavic vatra (fire).[1] In later Zoroastrianism, ātar (Middle Persian: ādar or ādur) is iconographically conflated with fire itself, which in Middle Persian is ātaxsh, one of the primary objects of Zoroastrian symbolism. From Numiswiki, more information on the Sasanians: With the overthrow of the Parthians in 224, Ardashir I founded the Sasanian Empire which was for over four centuries, alongside the Roman-Byzantine Empire, one of the main powers in Western and Central Asia. At its greatest extent, the Sassanid Empire encompassed all of today's Iran, Iraq, the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Israel), the Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Dagestan), Egypt, parts of Turkey, much of Central Asia (Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan), the Persian Gulf countries, Yemen, Oman and Pakistan. It was overthrown by the Rashidun Caliphate in 651. Much of what later became known as Islamic culture in architecture, poetry, etc. was conveyed to the Muslim world by the Sasanids.

Apollonia Pontika Drachm 500 - 400 B.C.E.

Moneta — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 14:39:58 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: It's hard to find a more gruesome Gorgon than this example from Thrace on the Black Sea. Apollonia Pontika was a colony of Miletos and boasted a wonderful Temple of Apollo with a statue by the sculptor Kalamis, which was carried off by the Roman consul, L. Licinius Lucullus during the third Mithradatic War (73-63 B.C.). Despite its association with Apollo, in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C., the main types for the city's coinage were a gorgoneion - presumably as an apotropaic device to protect Apollonia from evil - and an anchor, emblematic of it's importance as a port city. The Gorgoneion is usually shown as the obverse, like I have it here, but in reality the upside-down anchor is considered the obverse. Besides the anchor an 'A' is shown on the right with what's described as a crayfish on the left. The extra fine & sharply struck coin is a Drachm of 14 mm and 2.58 grams. Topalov 7; SNG BM 153-6 Around 610 BC, Ionian Greeks from Miletos established an important outpost on the western Black Sea coast. Originally called Antheia, and located on a natural peninsula and three nearby islands, the city quickly became a prosperous trading post by exporting copper, honey, grain, and timber, while importing wine, salt, textiles, and pottery for resale to the inland Thracians. The city’s key trading partners at the time included fellow-commercial centers Miletos, Athens, Lesbos, Chios, and Rhodes.Prosperity soon enabled Antheia to expand and develop as an important cultural metropolis. An important temple to Apollo was constructed within the city in the late 5th century BC. For 500 talents, it commissioned the Greek sculptor Kalamis (of Boeotia) to cast a 13 ton, 10 meter high, bronze statue of Apollo for the new temple (Strabo VII.6.1). So popular was this temple of Apollo, that the city was now renamed Apollonia in its honor. In 72 BC, during his war against the Thracian Bessi, the proconsul of Macedon, Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus (cos. 73 BC), sacked the city and had the statue transported to Rome, where it was displayed on the Capitol (Pliny, NH XXXIV.18; Strabo VII.6.1).The 5th and 4th century BC coinage of Apollonia Pontika reflects that city’s origins: commercial wealth and maritime power. The gorgon was a popular apotropaic device, seen as warding off evil; thus a number of ancient Greek cities adopted it as a coin design. The anchor and the crayfish attest to the city’s reliance on maritime commerce for its economy, and the anchor depicted on these coins is actually one of the first anchors of modern design rendered in Greek art. For a very informative article on Medusa coinage designs see this Numiswiki article at this: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Medusa%20Coins

Carthage - Hannibal Portrait

Moneta — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 12:39:35 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: The Carthaginians in Sicily and North Africa Silver Half shekel (3.36gm.) Carthago or Sicily, c.213-211 B.C. Very Rare! Head Hannibal left. Elephant walking right; in exergue, Punic letter A (leph). Reference: SNG Copenhagen 383. Burnett Enna Hoard 120. I couldn't help myself, this coin is not in this museum but it's a very rare portrait coin of Hannibal, and everyone deserves to see it. (S. Nechayev, V-Coins)

Phoenicia - Sidon Dishekel - 353 BC

Moneta — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 13:48:20 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Apologies, this image is from a Roma Numismatics auction (9/2017). It's of a coin of such scarcity and quality that I'll never be able to own one but I wish to show here the major Phoenician types. The following description is also from their site. Phoenicia, Sidon AR Dishekel. `Abd`aštart (Straton) I, dated RY 13 = 353/2 BC. War galley under way to left over zig-zag waves; III- (date) above / King of Persia and charioteer in biga left, King of Sidon standing left behind, in Egyptian dress, holding cultic sceptre and votive vase; 'B (in Phoenician) above. E&E-S Group IV.2.1.m, 1339 (D31/R33); Betlyon 23; Rouvier -; HGC 10, 242; DCA 849. 25.55g, 27mm, 11h. Good Extremely Fine. Exceptionally well detailed for the type. Ex Jean Elsen list 231, 2005, no. 104. The dishekels of Sidon are not particularly rare. They are however nearly uniformly poorly struck, or heavily worn, or both. This coin satisfies the conditions of being both comparatively very well struck on both obverse and reverse, and has evidently seen very limited circulation indeed, evidenced by the preservation of fine detail on both sides. It is therefore an extreme rarity within the series on account of its superlative condition and level of detail, unmatched by any of the examples present on CoinArchives, and far superior to the Millennia Collection example which sold for US$30,000 in 2014. This coin dates to the final year of the reign of Abdashtart I (or Straton, as he was known to the Greeks). One of his first acts as king was to reduce the weight of the dishekel by approximately 12%, while increasing its silver content from 72 to 99 per cent, primarily to safeguard confidence in the Sidonian currency which had in his father's reign become increasingly debased. A complex figure, caught between East and West, Abdashtart was required to honour Sidon's allegiance to the Persian Great King on the one hand, yet found himself personally drawn towards Greek culture on the other. Yet, despite increasing discontent amongst the Sidonians at Persian overlordship of Phoenicia, Abdashtart initially displayed the outward appearance of being a loyal servant of Artaxerxes II. Early on in his reign, Abdashtart was able to obtain a guarantee of safe passage for an Athenian embassy to Artaxerxes, for which favour the Athenians honoured him with a decree set in marble on the Acropolis, next to the Parthenon. Importantly, this decree granted favourable trading rights and exemptions from taxation in Athens to the Sidonians. Thanks to this decree he obtained for himself an image as a philhellene, an image he promoted further through lavish patronage of Greek artists and musicians he invited to his court from the cities of Ionia and the Peloponnese. Following the redating of the reigns of the Sidonian kings by J. Elayi (An Updated Chronology of the Reigns of Phoenician Kings during the Persian Period), it is now understood that Abdashtart was responsible for leading the Sidonian revolt against Persian overlordship that occurred in 356 BC, and which was swiftly suppressed the following year. Though he was not deposed, he was forced to surrender unconditionally and all of Phoenicia was placed under the supervision of the Persian agent Mazaios, who was made satrap of Transeuphrates. Abdashtart's final years between 355 and 352 appear to have been difficult, and according to ancient sources it is likely he suffered a sudden and violent death. View & Download: Coinweek Ancient Coin Series - Phoenicians at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Coinage_of_the_Phoenicians.pdf

Phoenicia - Tyre Shekel 400 - 332 BCE

Moneta — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 11:50:56 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Phoenicia, Tyre AR Stater (Shekel). Circa 400-332 BC. Melkart, holding bow in extended left hand and reins in right, riding hippocamp to right; below, waves above dolphin swimming to right / Owl standing to right, head facing; crook and flail diagonally in background. Betlyon 37; SNG Cop. 301. Very Fine. and Scarce, and in nice condition for the type. Beautiful, lustrous metal. Ex. Pegasi/Agora Sale BB152, Lot#150 G. Markoe (Phoenicians, 2000) offers a succinct description of the early Tyrian coinage: “On its earliest issues, datable c.450 BC, Tyre chose, for its obverse, a flying dolphin and a murex shell, both obvious references to the city’s maritime greatness (the latter was subsequently replaced by the figure of a marine deity riding on a hippocamp). Equally revealing is the motif chosen by the city as the reverse emblem: an owl with a crook and flail. These implements, venerable symbols of Egyptian royal power and authority, were closely associated with the falcon god Horus, a subject widely adopted in Phoenician art. The Tyrian diemaker, however, chose to replace the falcon with an owl, an image unattested in the ancient Near East, but closely connected with the city of Athens. As the symbol of its tutelary goddess Athena, the owl appears prominently on the reverse of Athenian coinage, beginning in the late sixth century BC. Like its Athenian precursor, the Tyrian owl exhibits the same frontal head pose with staring eyes.” The adoption of the owl on the reverse of the coin attests to the importance of commercial relations between Tyre and its great Greek rival, Athens, on the one hand, and Egypt on the other. A similar influence is felt on early Palestinian coins, as strikingly shown by the coins of Gaza, which imitate not only the type and legend of the Athenian coinage, but are also struck on the Attic standard. Tyre too would eventually adopt the Attic standard shortly before the mid-fourth century. View & Download: Coinweek Ancient Coin Series - Phoenicians at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Coinage_of_the_Phoenicians.pdf

Phoenicia - Sidon

Moneta — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 13:07:07 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: Silver 1/8 Shekel of Abdashtart II (ca. 342 - 333 B.C.E). Persian King standing right, fighting lion on two legs; Phoenician "o/o" between. Rx: War gally over waves. Betlyon 34, BMC 67 - VF but photo is fuzzy and need to be re-done. 9.2 mm, .45g (11h) View & Download: Coinweek Ancient Coin Series - Phoenicians at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Coinage_of_the_Phoenicians.pdf

Judaea - 1st Jewish War

Moneta — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 12:57:03 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: AE Prutah of the 1st Jewish War against the Romans and particularly the 10th Roman Legion (Fretensis). The revolt took place between 66 - 70 C.E.; this coin is dated year '2' and was struck 67-68 A.D. OB: Amphora with handles, no lid; Rx: Vine Leaf on small branch, archaic Hebrew legend means "The Freedom of Zion". Very historical coin, aVF, 18.3 mm, 2.88g (6h). VIEW & DOWNLOAD For a great article on the coins of Pontius Pilate be sure to check out this Numiswiki article at this: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Coins%20of%20Pontius%20Pilate Handbook of Biblical Numismatics by Mel Wacks (a must see if you're truly interested in Biblical Coinage) at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Handbook%20Of%20Biblical%20Numismatics.pdf

Judea - "Widow's Mite"

Moneta — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 13:51:50 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Hasmonean Kingdom of Judea (Israel). Issue of Alexander Jannaeus (103 - 76 B.C.E.) AE Prutah (Lepton), ~16.3 mm, 1.92 gram, 12H, Legend between rays of star with eight rays within diadem. Inverted anchor. This is a very nice example of the common, low denomination coin of Judea. It has become associated with the famous coin mentioned in the Bible as the "Widow's Mite." While there was no 'mite' denomination, however, there was a mite at the time of the creation of the King James Bible, as indeed there had been at the time of earliest modern English translation of the New Testament by William Tyndale in 1525. The denomination was well known in the Southern Netherlands. The Lesson of the widow's mite is presented in the Synoptic Gospels (Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4), in which Jesus is teaching at the Temple in Jerusalem. The Gospel of Mark specifies that two mites (Greek lepta) are together worth a quadrans, the smallest Roman coin. A lepton was the smallest and least valuable coin in circulation in Judea, worth about six minutes of an average daily wage. In the story, a widow donates two small coins, while wealthy people donate much more. Jesus explains to his disciples that the small sacrifices of the poor mean more to God than the extravagant, but proportionately lesser, donations of the rich. (Wikipedia) (Augora Auctions #34, Lot 097) For much more information on this historical series see this Numiswiki article at this: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Widows%20Mite VIEW & DOWNLOAD For a great article on the coins of Pontius Pilate be sure to check out this Numiswiki article at this: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Coins%20of%20Pontius%20Pilate Handbook of Biblical Numismatics by Mel Wacks (a must see if you're truly interested in Biblical Coinage) at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Handbook%20Of%20Biblical%20Numismatics.pdf

Phoenicia - TYRE Shekel "30 Pieces of Silver"

Moneta — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 11:50:25 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: A Biblical related coin known as type "30 Pieces of Silver" accepted/rejected by Judas for the betrayal of Jesus Christ to the Romans. The Tyrian shekel weighed four Athenian drachmas, about 14 grams, more than earlier 11-gram Israeli shekels, but was regarded as the equivalent for religious duties at that time. Because Roman coinage was only 80% silver, the purer (94% or more) Tyrian shekels were required to pay the temple tax in Jerusalem. The money changers referenced in the New Testament Gospels (Matt. 21:12 and parallels) exchanged Tyrian shekels for common Roman currency. (Wikipedia) Other possibilities for the "30 Pieces" have been advanced but none were as common as the Tyrian Shekel and meet the criteria of Temple authorities. In 126 - 125 B.C.E. Tyre regained it's autonomy from the Seleukids and the Ptolomaimic Kingdoms and began minting this fine series of shekels. With such a long-running series, it is only natural that some dates within the series would take on an added significance for collectors of ancients. For example, there is the so-called “millennium shekel,” which was struck in civic year 126, or 1 BC/AD 1. The most popular date in the series, however, is the issue of civic year 159, or AD 33/4. Following traditional chronologies, this is the year in which Jesus was crucified by the Procurator Pontius Pilate. (CoinWeek) This silver tetradrachm (Shekel) weighs 14.27 grams, which is the median mass for this series, is dated LE 'Year 5' which equates to 122 - 121 B.C.E. It's rated by J. Knox as rarity R2 with 2 - 25 known. It bears a wonderful portrait of a beardless Melqarth. Being on a smaller and thicker flan, the lion's skin around his neck is off flan as is most of the eagle's head on the reverse. The eagle stands on the "beak" of a galley carrying a palm frond under it's right wing; in the filed to the left is a club, a symbol of Herakles (Hercules). with which Melqarth is associated. Melek-qart, "King of the City"; (Akkadian: Milqartu) was the tutelary god of the Phoenician city of Tyre. Melqart was often titled Ba'l Sur, "Lord of Tyre", and considered to be the ancestor of the Tyrian royal family. In Greek, he was identified with Heracles and referred to as the Tyrian Herakles. As Tyrian trade and colonization expanded, Melqart became venerated in Phoenician and Punic cultures from Syria to Spain. The first occurrence of the name is in a 9th-century B.C.E. stela inscription found in 1939 north of Aleppo in northern Syria, the "Ben-Hadad" inscription, erected by the son of the king of Arma, "for his lord Melqart, which he vowed to him and he heard his voice". Melqart is likely to have been the particular Ba‘al found in the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible, specifically in 1 Kings 16.31–10.26) whose worship was prominently introduced to Israel by King Ahab and largely eradicated by King Jehu. In 1 Kings 18.27, it is possible that there is a mocking reference to legendary Heraclean journeys made by the god and to the annual egersis ("awakening") of the god: And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry out loud: for he is a god; either he is lost in thought, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." Toned XF, BMC56 (Pegasi Auctions A32-223) VIEW and DOWNLOAD: SHEKELS AND HALF-SHEKELS OF TYRE - Illingworth: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekels%20-%20Illingworth.pdf TYRE SHEKEL DATING - Tye: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekel%20Dating.pdf Also, see the J. Knox site on Biblical history at this: https://biblecoins.com This Numiswiki site features much information on this series at this: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Tyrian%20Shekels For a great article on the coins of Pontius Pilate be sure to check out this Numiswiki article at this: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Coins%20of%20Pontius%20Pilate Handbook of Biblical Numismatics by Mel Wacks (a must see if you're truly interested in Biblical Coinage; 65M file size) at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Handbook%20Of%20Biblical%20Numismatics.pdf

stretrader99z — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 13:37:52 -0700

by: stretrader99z

Pontos - Amisos

Moneta — Sun, 23 Feb 2014 09:06:26 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: A decent example of this interesting design: Aegis, with Gorgon's head in the center; Rx: Nike advancing right, carrying palm branch. Name of city "Amisos" in Greek divided across both sides of Nike. AE 21. Established in the 6th century B.C., it controlled an important trade route to the south, located on the southern coast of the Black Sea, re-settled by the Athenians in the 5th C. B.C. Greek city of Amisos in Pontus Bronze 21mm Struck under Mithradates VI the Great circa 105-90 B.C.; or specifically circa 85 - 65 B.C. Reference: HGC 7, 242; Sear 3642; SNG Black Sea 1177-1191; B.M.C. 13. 20,74 Aegis, with Gorgon's head at center. Nike advancing right, carrying palm-branch; ΑΜΙ - ΣΟΥ across field; monograms to left and to right. In mythology, Amisos was believed to be the original settlement of the Amazons. It was originally founded by Greeks from the cities of Phokaia and/or Miletos in circa 560 B.C. It was a flourishing Greek city on the Black Sea coast commanding an important trade route to the south. Amisos was under the control of the Achaemenid Empire, then re-settled by Athenians in the following century and they renamed the place Peiraeus. In subsequent times it played important historical roles as a city of the Kingdom of Bosporus. It was given the status of a free city under the Romans. Gorgoneion on aegis. Reverse: Nike advancing right, holding wreath and palm branch. Script: Greek Lettering: ΑΜΙ ΣΟΥ; Unabridged legend: Αμισός, Translation: Amisos

1 comment

Miletos (Ionia); Obol - 5th C. BCE

Moneta — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 22:24:09 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: OB: Lion looking back; Rx: Quad Star pattern. MILETOS: Anonymous, ca. 5th century BC, AR obol (1.09 g.), S-4500 variety, head of lion facing left / star ornament within incuse square, about F/VF. VIEW & DOWNLOAD: The Story of Small Change for the Poor (Miletos): https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Miletos_Small%20Change%20525_494_BCE.pdf

SICILY SYRACUSE-Head of Arethusa

stretrader99z — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 11:18:15 -0800

by: stretrader99z

Description: AR Tetradrachm c.480/78-475 B.C. Slow quadriga?Head of Arethusa wearing pearl diadem,four dolphins around

ANTIGONUS GONATAS

stretrader99z — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:10:33 -0700

by: stretrader99z

Description: MACEDONIAN KINGDOM, ANTIGONUS GONATAS AR Tetradrachm (17.22 gm) 277-239 B.C. Head of Pan in center of Macedonian shield / Athena standing l. Price, Pl. XII, 79. Ex Schley Collection, c. 1900. Acquired: Antiqua Ltd. Catalog XVII,Page 5 #22 Wikipedia link:ANTIGONUS GONATAS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigonus_Gonatas

BAALTARS

stretrader99z — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:57:49 -0800

by: stretrader99z

ATTICA ATHENS

stretrader99z — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 10:55:48 -0800

by: stretrader99z

Description: AR Tetradrachm (16.91gm) 25mm 449-413 BC Helmeted Bust of Athena/ Owl Aquired: Calgary Coins

THRACE, Apollonia Pontika

stretrader99z — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:12:41 -0700

by: stretrader99z

Description: THRACE, Apollonia Pontika. Late 5th-4th centuries BC. AR Drachm (13mm, 3.34 g, 5h). Upright anchor; A to left, crayfish to right / Facing gorgoneion in shallow incuse circle. Topalov, Apollonia 44; SNG BM Black Sea 159. EF, toned. Acquired: CNG 91, Lot: 83.

1 comment

Byblos - Phoenicia

Moneta — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:33:53 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: AR 1/8 shekel (.75 gr) or Diobol of King Adrmelek. Galley contains two hoplites with round shields, beneath is a hippocamp facing left, in the field are two Phoenician letters = a k. Reverse: Bull kneeling left, attacked by lion, left, on his back; in field is the Phoenicain legend = Adramelek, King of Gebal. Sear 6010, BMC 26.96,1. Photo is Ob./Rx. is reversed, 4th C. B.C. [before c. 333] VIEW and DOWNLOAD: SHEKELS AND HALF-SHEKELS OF TYRE - Illingworth: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekels%20-%20Illingworth.pdf TYRE SHEKEL DATING - Tye: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekel%20Dating.pdf Coinweek Ancient Coin Series - Phoenicians at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Coinage_of_the_Phoenicians.pdf

2 comments

Metapontion - Lucania

Moneta — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:19:43 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: AR Nomos of Metapontum [under arch of the boot of Italy]. OB: head of Demeter, right, wearing corn [barley] wreath, wearing earring; Rx: Ear of barley, META to the left, right, plow in field. [330 - 290 B.C.] Similar to Sear 416 and BMC 1.98 Lucania, Metapontion AR Stater. Circa 330-290 BC. Wreathed head of Demeter to right, wearing triple pendant earring and necklace, with hair falling in loose curls behind; [ΔAI] under chin / Ear of barley with leaf to right; META upwards to left, plough above leaf, M[AX] below. Johnston Class C, 1.24 (same dies); HN Italy 1581. SNG ANS 2 #468; SNG Mun 3# 1001.

Thasos - Satyr & Nymph

Moneta — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:07:21 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Thasos, an island off Thrace, AR drachm, before c. 450 B.C. Not a full blown version but still a pre-classical style ithyphallic Satyr [archaic] advancing forward, carry off a nymph. Reverse shows a quadripartite incuse square resembling a swastika. [3.99g] Dewing 1325. S 1748. Thasos, an island off the coast of Thracia, was famous for its wine and the associated patron diety, Dionysus. The earliest versions of this most distinctive type [archaic] began around 550 B.C. and developed until 450 B.C. when Athens banned her allies the priviledge of coining. When Thasos revolted in 411 B.C. she revived this type in a classical style which attenuated the base ithyphallic presentation and clothed the nymph. Thasos also adopted the 'Rhodian' coinage standard at that time. The earliest versions depict the satyr with full beard and the nymphs hand raised in protest. Toward the end of the archaic period (450 B.C) the satyr now has a shortened beard and the nymphs hand is around the back of his neck [this coin]. This transition, from the archaic style to the classical one, may be seen to reflect the refining of attitudes toward the myth and its expression on the coinage. THRACIA - Thassos; Drachma (3.99g), ca. 463-411 BC Obv.: Satyr kneeling with nymph on arm r. Rev.: Quadratum Incusum with four deepened windmill-like segments. SNG Cop 1018, BMC 32-34.

Paphlagonia - Sinope drachm c. 350 B.C.E.

Moneta — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:45:09 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Sinope in Paphlagonia [penninsula into the Black Sea]. AR drachm from around 365 - 322 B.C. Obverse: head of nymph Sinope left with aplustre before, she wears an earring and sphendrone, hair is rolled. Rx: Sea-eagle, left, with wings spread standing on the back of a dolphin, Greek name below. behind the wings the name of the magistrate at the time [not in Sear w/this name]. 18.5 mm & 4.47 g. Similar to Sear 3696. This is probably a cast fake. See this https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?term=Sinope+drachm&category=1&lot=&date_from=&date_to=&thesaurus=1&images=1&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1&currency=usd&order=0 for a similar type (4.59 g). And their description of that coin: PAPHLAGONIA - SINOPE Type: Drachma Date: c. 350 AC. Mint name / Town: Paphlagonia, Sinope Metal: silver Diameter: 18mm Orientation dies: 6 h. Weight: 4.59g. Rarity: R1 Obverse legend: Anepigraph Obverse description: Head of the nymph Sinope to the left, hair in a sphendone with earrings and necklace; in front of the face, an aplustre Reverse description: Eagle flying left, wings outstretched on dolphin left Reverse legend: SINW// QEOT Reverse translation: (Sinope, Theoti) Catalog references: BMC.16 - B. treaty 2949 - Cop.280 - Delepierre2487 - HGCS. 9/399 Predigree: This copy comes from the stocks of Ritter (1994) and Hubert Lanz, from the Hirsch 314 sale, n° 2462 and from the Laurent F collection.

Neapolis - Man-headed Bull

Moneta — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:27:24 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Campania, Neapolis 340-241 BC AR Didrachm. Originally a Rhodian colony (Parthenope) of very early foundation. The city was re-colonized by Kymaians c. 600 B.C. and had it's name changed to Neapolis (New City) around 450 B.C. Allied with Rome from 326 B.C. Today the area is known as Naples Italy. Didrachm, OB: head of nymph , left, wearing earring & diadem; Rx: Man-headed Bull walking left, crowned by Nike flying above; full Greek word for Neapolis in exergue. Word under the Bull is unknown to me. Nice style but very porous, but retains some eye appeal. This exact type does not appear to be in Sear, Greek Coins - Europe.

Phoenicia - Melkarth

Moneta — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:13:42 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Phonicia- Arados AR Tetrobal. OB: Melkarth head right; Rx: Galley advances right over the waves. S 2201, BMC 37; 3.31 g VIEW and DOWNLOAD: SHEKELS AND HALF-SHEKELS OF TYRE - Illingworth: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekels%20-%20Illingworth.pdf TYRE SHEKEL DATING - Tye: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekel%20Dating.pdf Coinweek Ancient Coin Series - Phoenicians at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Coinage_of_the_Phoenicians.pdf

Phoenicia - Arados

Moneta — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:05:48 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: AR - silver Tetrobol of Arados in Phoenicia. OB: Turreted head of Tiche; Rx. prow of galley, left; above BC, below OMP=year 149 [111-110 B.C.]. 2.015 grams. VIEW and DOWNLOAD: SHEKELS AND HALF-SHEKELS OF TYRE - Illingworth: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekels%20-%20Illingworth.pdf TYRE SHEKEL DATING - Tye: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekel%20Dating.pdf Coinweek Ancient Coin Series - Phoenicians at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Coinage_of_the_Phoenicians.pdf

Caria Rhodes - Helios, Agesidamos

Moneta — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 14:57:02 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Silver Didrachm of Rhodes. Struck c. 250 -229 B.C.; ΑΓΗΣΙΔΑΜΟΣ for Agesidamos magistrate. OB: Facing radiate head of Helios; Rx: rose w/ bud, figure of Artemis. cd SNG Helsinki 534. Purchased from Malter Galleries. 6.65 grams. The Island of Rhodes was a very prosperous port city off the coast of Asia Minor. By the third century BC the city was wealthy enough to build the famous Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The statue and the coin depict Helios, the ancient Greek sun god. The statue was completed in 280 BC, not too long before this coin was struck, but it was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 BC. The reverse shows another emblem of Rhodes, a large rose flower with a rose branch and bud below. Above, in Greek, is the word "Artemis" with a figure of her running carrying a torch, below. BMC 18.242, 130-32. Ashton 206; HGC 6, 1439 Some history of the famous Colossus of Rhodes (Heritage Auctions): Rhodes was one of the great maritime cities of the Greek world, located on a spearhead-shaped island of the same name in the eastern Aegean Sea. Myth has it the island was born of a union between the sun god Helios and the nymph Rhode, who gave her name to the island a beautiful pink hibiscus flower native to it. The city of Rhodes was a relatively late foundation, circa 408 BC, when citizens of three other cities located on the island decided to unite and build a well-defended coastal capital on a regular plan provided by the Athenian architect Hippodamus. The Carian Satrap Maussolus brought Rhodes under his control in 357 BC, but two decades later it was "liberated" by Alexander the Great. During the Wars of the Diadochi, Rhodes was an independent power allied to Ptolemaic Egypt and famous for its outstanding artists, scientists and philosophers. In 305 BC, the Macedonian adventurer Demetrius, son of Antigonus, launched a stupendous siege of Rhodes in an effort to break its alliance with Egypt (earning Demetrius to sobriquet Poliorcetes - "besieger of cities" for his Herculean efforts). Among the engines he constructed for the task was the enormous Helepolis, an ironclad siege tower festooned with torsion catapults and weighing 160 tons. Despite his massive preparations and investment, Demetrius saw his efforts thwarted by the ingenious Rhodians and abandoned his siege within a year. The Rhodians gladly took possession of his mammoth engines and sold them for a tidy profit of 300 talents (1.8 million silver drachms), which they used to erect the first truly monumental bronze statue of antiquity, the famous Colossus of Rhodes. The master builder-sculptor, Chares of Lindos, conceived a 100-foot-tall bronze statue of the sun god Helios, wearing a radiate crown, his arm holding a torch aloft. Consisting of an iron framework covered by thin bronze sheets (not too different from the modern Colossus, the Statue of Liberty), the Colossus was begun in 292 BC and finished a dozen years later. The handsome face of Helios soon found its way onto Rhodes' coinage, as our beautiful Platinum Night tetradrachm demonstrates. This example dates from the later third century BC, after the world-famous Colossus had risen and (possibly) fallen. The handsome face of Helios boldly looks straight out at the holder, his head surrounded by an array of sunbeams. His features surely owe something to the island's late, lamented liberator, Alexander the Great, including the conqueror's famous leonine mane of hair and central part. The Colossus itself caused a sensation in the Ancient world and was immortalized as one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" by Greek chroniclers including Antipator of Sidon and Philo of Byzantium. Alas, the great statue had a brief lifespan of 54 years. A disastrous earthquake struck Rhodes in 226 BC and the Colossus, built long before any concept of seismic-safe construction, snapped off at the knees and toppled over. Ptolemy III of Egypt offered to pay for its reconstruction, but the Rhodians decided the heed to the words of the Oracle of Delphi, who declared the statue an act of hubris that had offended Helios. Its spectacular ruins lay scattered near the harbor, by one account, until after the Muslim conquest of Rhodes in AD 653. According to an account (possibly apocryphal) by Theophanes the Confessor, the city's Arab conquerors sold the remains to a Jewish merchant of Edessa, who needed 900 camels to transport the heavy metal to his homeland.

Pamphylia - Aspendos

Moneta — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 16:28:24 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: Aspendos was a Greek colony on the West coast of Anatolia (Turkey). This is the famous scene that shows games, similar to the Olympics, held in that area. There are several varieties of these but all I have for a reference is Sear [Asia & Africa] and I believe the closest example there is S 5387. The obverse side is the one with the wrestlers. This type should be wrestler on left grasps w/ right hand his opponents left leg and with left punches his stomach; on the right the wrestler grasps his opponents arms, but it's not all that clear here. The reverse side with slinger has the longer legend behind [EΣTF]EΔII[VΣ] (magistrate name upward to left and a triskeles in field before; slinger in throwing stance right, triskeles to right, all within pelleted square border. This one has very nice style and preservation. This stater was struck between 420 - 410 B.C. and is about 10.9 gm. silver. S 5387; B.M.C. 19.95, 15; SNG Paris 46; SNG von Aulock 45045; BMC 35. Free eBook: The Olympics - How They All Began /library/Olympic_Games_BAR.pdf From a ROMA Numismatics Auction catalog [Sept 2019, Lot #644]: Pamphylia, Aspendos AR Stater. Circa 380 - 325 B.C. Two wrestlers beginning to grapple with each other / ΕΣ]ΤFΕΔΙΙ[ΥΣ], slinger striding right, preparing to launch sling-bolt; triskeles to right. Coins depicting a pair of wrestlers were first issued by Aspendos beginning circa 400 BC, and continued to be struck until they were replaced by Alexander’s ‘universal’ currency in the 320s. These wrestler coins replaced the earlier types, which had generally featured a militaristic obverse depicting a hoplite warrior or cavalryman, with a triskeles or boar upon the reverse. The wrestler coins may seemingly be divided into two broad groups: the first, clearly minted earlier, shows a great deal of variation in the posture of the wrestlers; the second shows the wrestlers always in the same stances. This second group was in all probability inaugurated by an issue (von Aulock 4568) bearing the inscription MENETΥΣ EΛΥΨA, which Hill (NC 1920, pp. 115-116 ) interprets as the names of the two wrestlers: Menetos and Elypsa. The obvious conclusion is that the wrestlers depicted represent a commemorative statue group erected at Aspendos, with the first group of coins struck after the event commemorated, but before it was set in stone, and the second group with its unchanging stances being struck after the completion of the statue group. The reason for such a work is uncertain however. It is possible that one of Apendos’ citizens was victorious at the Olympic games, since such victories are believed to have inspired coin types on more than one occasion (at Messana and on Philip II of Macedon’s coinage). It is also known however that games were instituted at Aspendos in 402 BC, and that they represented a revival of an earlier festival. In any case, the prominence of this type, which endured on their coins for over a century, suggests it was of particular significance to the city, and the importance of this coinage in the region was such that the city of Selge in Pisidia issued a series of its own staters in the 4th century that clearly imitated Aspendos’ coinage. Pamphylia. Aspendos circa 380-325 BC. Stater AR 24 mm, 10.927 g Two wrestlers grappling / EΣTFEΔIIVΣ, slinger in throwing stance right, triskeles to right, all within pelleted square border. Extremely Fine with Fine Style. SNG BN 45.

PTOLEMY IV PHILOPATOR

stretrader99z — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:34:13 -0700

PTOLEMY IV PHILOPATOR

stretrader99z — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:34:13 -0700

Phoenicia -Arados, Baal Arwad

Moneta — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:41:32 -0700

by: Moneta

Description: PHOENICIA; Arados, AR Stater [circa 348-338 BCE]. I liked this one representative Phoenician coin because it has a more distinctly Phoenician character than many of the later Tyre issues. I have noted an evolution in the description of the obverse deity. It used be be described a 'bearded male deity', then as 'Melcarth', and here as 'Baal Arwad' [Arados]. From Ancient Imports auction on VCoins #281, Lot 118. [~$245 for all fees with a $275 est.] Obv: Laureate head of Baal Arwad right. Rev: Phoenician galley sailing right over waves. With Phoenician letters above [3 or 4?; read R to L: "hmg"?]. BMC 60; Sear Vol II, S-5971. Condition: Very Fine. Weight: 10.17 grams. [Persic weight standard] Diameter: ~19.6 mm. Phoenicians were not "Greek' settlers of Asia Minor. They are known to have ranged the entire Mediterranean Sea with many colonies established, notably Carthage in the 9thC. B.C.E. Their rugged ships are thought have been copied by the Northmen. They worked for Solomon in the building of the 2nd Temple and constructed a canal linking the Red Sea. Amazing traders, they bartered and had little use for coins until the Greeks defeated the Persians. Then they were used mainly to pay their sailors. Certain gold issues are claimed to show a map of the world. The Mediterranean is shown with British Isles and the NEW WORLD! Their Phoenician characters were found on wall inscriptions in Brazil and were the basis of phonetic alphabets and characters. Truly an amazing people! VIEW and DOWNLOAD: SHEKELS AND HALF-SHEKELS OF TYRE - Illingworth: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekels%20-%20Illingworth.pdf TYRE SHEKEL DATING - Tye: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Tyre%20Shekel%20Dating.pdf Coinweek Ancient Coin Series - Phoenicians at this: https://groups.io/g/Moneta/files/Moneta%20Library/Coinage_of_the_Phoenicians.pdf

KINGS of MACEDON

stretrader99z — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:49:48 -0800

PTOLEMY IV

stretrader99z — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:37:41 -0800

by: stretrader99z

Description: PTOLEMAIC KINGDOM: PTOLEMY IV 221-205 BC AE 39 74.71 g BUST of ZEUS AMON / EAGLE STG. CLUTCHING THUNDERBOLT

CARTHAGE

stretrader99z — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:34:11 -0800

by: stretrader99z

Description: Billon Tridrachm, 9.82g. 26mm. c.286-241 B.C. Head of Tanit l. Rv. Horse standing r.; palm tree behind. SNG COP 19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanit

1 comment

LEUCAS

stretrader99z — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:53:00 -0700

by: stretrader99z

Description: COLONEY OF CORINTH: LEUCAS 390-345 BC PEGASUS FLYING LEFT/ HELMETED HEAD OF ATHENA,MAST WITH YARD ARM BEHIND. AR STATER: 8.42 gm. Superb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Corinth Aquired: Antiqua, Catalogue IX page 6 # 29

ATTICA ATHENS

stretrader99z — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:19:34 -0700

by: stretrader99z

Description: AR Tetradrachm (16.91gm) 25mm 449-413 BC Helmeted Bust of Athena/ Owl Acquired: Calgary Coins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena

Nymph LARISA

stretrader99z — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:17:20 -0700

by: stretrader99z

Description: THESSALY, Larissa. Circa 356-342 BC. AR Drachm (20mm, 6.02 g, 11h). Head of the nymph Larissa facing slightly left, wearing ampyx, pendant earring, and necklace, horse right, about to roll. Rev.Slight doubling. Lorber, Hoard phase L-III; BCD Thessaly I 1154. VF Aquired: Tkalec AG 2002 ,Page 12, Lot # 44.

1 comment

ATTICA,ATHENS

stretrader99z — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:52:08 -0700

by: stretrader99z

Description: AR Tetradrachm (16.82) 163/2 B.C. Elephant symbol refers to occupation of Athens by Antiochus IV Rare. Date: January 15, 2004

SYRACUSE c. 415 B.C.

stretrader99z — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:47:46 -0700

by: stretrader99z

Description: AR Tetradrachm (17.28g) c.415 BC Head of Arethusa with hair floating in water,four Dolphins around/Fast quadriga,Nike flying to crown driver. Rare. Aquired:ANTIQUA Cat.XII Lot:28 Pg.8 Date: January 15, 2004 Unsigned dies of Eumenos

kings_of_macedonjpg

stretrader99z — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:24:32 -0700

by: stretrader99z

1 comment

ALEXANDER III THE GREAT - LIFETIME ISSUE

stretrader99z — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:04:31 -0700

by: stretrader99z

Description: AR Tetradrachm 16.84 gm. 332-323 B.C. Memphis Mint (Lifetime Issue) Head of Herakles/Zeus seated Rare Aquired: ANTIQUA Cat. VIII Pg.12 Lot:31

Thessaly - Larissa

Moneta — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:39:05 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: Larissa was the most important town of all the federated towns of the Thessalian plains; they were famous for their cattle and horses. Larissa was named after the daughter of Pelasgos and was situated on the river Peneios. This stunningly beautiful coin depicts the nymph Larissa 3/4 face to l., wearing necklace; hair confined by fillet and floating loosely, w/ampyx in front. The reverse features a horse that is usually described as 'grazing' but everyone familiar with horses knows that this particular position, head down with the legs as shown, indicates a horse that is about to go down and roll over. These gorgeous coins are part of the attractive Greek series of 'facing' female portraits. This one is modeled after the very famous issues of Syracuse featuring the facing head of Arethusa by Cimon. C. 350 B.C.; AR Drachm at 6.05 gm; ~ 19 mm. Head of the nymph Larissa facing slightly left with ampyx in her hair / ΛΑΡΙΣ / ΑΙΩΝ. Grazing horse to right. Herrmann cf. Table. V, 5; Lorber in SNR 79 Phase L-III; cf. BCD 316ff.

Moesia - Istros Dioscuri

Moneta — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 17:51:08 -0800

by: Moneta

Description: Istros was a Milesian colony that issued a large quantity of silver coinage, and was an important commercial center (400-350 B.C.). AR Stater. OB: Two young male heads facing, side by side, one upright, the other inverted. Rx: Sea-eagle stg.l. on dolphin l., which it attacks with its beak (see Sinope on the Black Sea). There are various monograms below the dolphin, here it is 'ΔI'.This unusual obverse type has been interpreted as representing the Dioskouroi, the rising/setting sun, or the two branches of the Danube river (Ister). Greek letters ΙΣΤΡΙΗ above [Istros]. Sear lists these as S1669 and weighing c.5.75 gm.; this one is about the right diameter but weighs only 4.8 gm., this one does not have the 'A' under the tail of the sea eagle. I think it's a later issue from the 3rd-2nd Century (313 - 280 B.C.E). HGC 3.2# 1802, SNG-B BlSe# 247, SNG-B BlSe# 248 Castor and Pollux are twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri. Their mother was Leda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, while Pollux was the divine son of Zeus, who raped Leda in the guise of a swan. [Wikipedia]