I'm revisiting some previously neglected mixed lot coins and this one is more interesting than most of them. I haven't been able to nail down the exact attribution. Perhaps it is unpublished... that's not particularly unusual for a provincial coin. I'm confident that it is Severus Alexander and from Anabarzus though. CILICIA, Anazarbus. Severus Alexander AE 24.8, 9.2 gm struck CE 230/1 Obv: AVT KM AV CE AΛE ΞANDPOC; laureate bust right Rev: ANAZ CNΔOΞMHTP・ETOHC; heptastyle temple; Γ-B across fields; AMK below temple Ref: similar to Righetti 1503 and Righetti 1504 Letters in blue: best guess Letters in red: the date (CY 249, = CE 230/1, per a coin in CNG's archives which is also similar to mine, although less similar than the Righetti examples cited above) Location of Anazarbus: If any of you can provide a definitive reference, I'd appreciate it. Feel free to post your coins of Anazarbus, Cilicia, or provincials of Severus Alexander
Nice TIF. I don't think I can help you out. Your Greek is so much better than mine. This is my only coin from Cilicia, but its from Korykos and struck a couple of centuries before yours: CILICIA, KORYKOS CITY COINAGE AE 19 OBVERSE: Turreted head of Tyche right; A behind. Circle of dots REVERSE: ΚΩΡΥΚΙΩΤΩΝ, Hermes standing left, holding caduceus, ΕΥ/ΕΠΙ/ΕΡ in left field Struck at Cilicia 1st century BC (100-30 BC) 5.87g, 19.42 SNG Levante 792; SNG France 1075
For a while, I thought I have affair with a silver denarius of Severus Alexander showing Liberalitas holding cornnucopia and abacus on reverse- RIC 148. BNut now I suspect this. Believe me I don't even know the metallic composition of this coin which weighs 2.06 g.
My Anazarbus coins are later: Herrenia Etrucilla / Dionysos AE29 Valerian AE28 with six agonistic urns ET gamma OC (year 273=254-5 AD) Valerian / one urn on table, AE26 ET BOC (a year earlier) This last one is AMKT rather than just AMK. I recall AMK but have forgotten what the T means. Do you know?
Your coin seems to be identical to Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. XXI, Lycaonia, Isauria and Cilicia, p. 36, 26. One small correction. The reverse marginal legend is read by the BM as ANAZENΔOΞ ・ MHTP ・ ETBMC. The ending ETBMC is ET(OYC) BMC. "ETOYC" is the Greek word for "year", here abbreviated as ET. BMC in Greek numerals is 2 + 40 + 200. Thus ET BMC means "year 242" or AD 223/4. Your reading of the obverse legend agrees with the BM. Nice coin.
Thanks for the help, dltsrq! I'll look for that British Museum citation. ET[OYC]... I should have realized that since I also collect Roman Egyptian coins . The remaining letters sure look like OHC rather than BMC though. I'll take a closer look.
Hmm, I'm not sure what the T means. Maybe Tetrarchos (ruler)? Just a guess, although that probably doesn't make sense because "AMK" is an abbreviation of praise for the city, not the ruler (I may be wrong in this assumption). You know this, but for others: AMK is an abbreviation for ΠΡOTH MEΓIΣTH KAΛΛIΣSTE, which means "first, greatest, and most beautiful" (Wayne Sales, in Ancient Coin Collecting IV: Roman Provincials, which he quoted from Greek Numismatic Epigraphy by John E. Hartmann and George MacDonald). What about the Γ-B? Elsewhere, for a coin of Tarsos issues a few years later by Maximinus I, I read that the Γ-B indicated "metropolis of three provinces, holder of two neocories". In this Roman provincial era, did Cilicia had three main cities: Tarsos, Anazarbos, and _____? Was Anazarbus a metropolis of three cities? Maybe Sayle's book will shed some light on this... I've only flipped through, picking up little bits here and there.
Interesting temple coin! The legends could really get all over the place with some of these provincials. My only Anazarbus comes from just slightly later. I really like the oversized flan of this one. MAXIMINUS THRAX AE Hexassarion 20.44g, 38mm CILICIA, Anazarbus, 235 - 238 AD. Ziegler 663 (Vs2/Rs4), SNG Levante 1480 (same obv. die). O: AY K G IOY OYH MAZIMEINOC CEB, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: ANAZ END MHTRO B-G CYNQYCIA OI KOYMENHC, (ME and NH ligate), female figure (Synthysia), holding bipennis over shoulder, standing left before bull standing left. Ex Kelly J. Krizan, M.D. Collection. Notes: Extremely rare, two specimens recorded by Ziegler
Poor Alexander Severus Here are two of my favorite coins from him. Obverse and Reverse die match. Rome mint Circa 222 CE
Anazarbus and Tarsus were rivals and spent a lot of effort trying to outdo each other in terms of number and quality of temples, games etc.
an interesting provincial TIF! i'll post a my two provincials i never nailed down, and are probably unlisted. here's on of elagabalus.... and marcus aurelius...
Sev-Alex?? ... => oh yeah, I got some "stuff" ... A semi-creepy, but amazingly cool punch thingy ... ... and this very cool desert-patina of Sol, an eagle, a quadriga of horses and even an adjacent extra tree tossed-in for bonus points!! => find Waldo
