Here is a beat up little bronze from Ascalon, Judea. Ascalon, Judea AE 3.91g 14mm Turreted head of Tyche right Galley sailing right with cruciform standard at stern ςOP above (date); AΣ below Local year 176; 72/73 AD (time of Vespasian) SNG ANS 6, 679-682 There are varied spellings of the name - it was one of the cities that remained loyal to Rome during the First Jewish Revolt and repelled an attack by the Jewish forces at the beginning of the war. I think I have another Ascalon coin from Trajan's era floating around and will try to post that later. Great coins everyone!
How about Aelia Capitolina (Judaea) starring Antoninus Pius: Or Caracalla from Anchialus Thrace (bottom)
Augusta Traiana, Thrace (now Beroe, in Bulgaria) 21-20 mm. Lucius Verus (161-169) RPC on-line volume 4 #3900
Since I do not focus on Roman Empire... Does the Aquilea Mint qualify? I still get confused by the Provincial thing. However, @TIF , this is a REALLY cool thread idea! RI Valens 364-375 CE AE 17mm Reduced Folles SMAQS Aquilea mint [EDIT: Oooops... I see it is in Italia... not provincial...]
Great idea for a post TIF! I currently have around 220 different cities so I can contribute a few. While searching for the rarer cities sometimes they are not in the greatest conditions. Here are some of the A's. I'll post the rest after GoT's. Athens: Achaea. Attica, Athens. Pseudo-autonomous AE22 Obv: Bust of Athena r. wearing crested Corinthian helmet and aegis. Rev: AΘH NA IΩN Bucranium bound by wreath. Time of Hadrian and the Antonines. BMC 810. Aegae: Aeolis, Aegae. AE13. Athena/Zeus Obv: AIGA EWN / Helmeted bust of Athena r. Rev: Zeus standing, facing l., holding eagle in r. and scepter. 13mm., 1.4g. Time of Augustus. Magistrate Diphilos Phaita. Unrecorded. Antioch ad Maeandrum: Caria, Antiochia ad Maeandrum. AE20 Pseudo-autonomous PRO: CARIA PO : ANTIOCHEIA PZ : Between -30 and 276 Obverse VSG: IERA SYNKLHTOS VT : HEAD MAN R / SENATE VA : CLOTHES Reverse RSG: ANTIOC'EWN RT : WOMAN STANDING HL(1) / ATHENA(1) / ALTAR LE(2) RA : PATERA(1) / HELMET / SPEAR(1) / SHIELD / FLAMING(2) Technical details M : AE Bibliographical references ZIT: SNG KOP 25 40(1) Antioch ad Cragum: Cilicia, Antiocheia ad Cragum. Valerian AE32 Region: Cilicia Locality: Mint: Antiocheia ad Cragum Material: AE Denom.: Weight: 10.3 Size: 32 Date: 253 / 260 Category: Person: Valerian I ObvType: Valerian bust r. RevType: eagle SNG von Aulock 5530; SNG Levante 478 Aelia Capitolina: Judaea, Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem). Marcus Aurelius AE24 Obv: Laureate bust of Aurelius right, Rev: Commodus on horseback right, raising right hand. 161-180 CE. Æ25, 10.4g. Meshorer, Aelia Capitolina 60, BMC 57 Acrasus: Lydia, Acrasus. Septimius Severus AE20. Septimius Severus of Acrasus, Lydia. 193-211 AD. Obv: AY KA L S SEOYHROS, laureate head right Rev: AKRAC-IWTWN, Asklepios standing facing, head turned, holding serpent-entwined staff. SNG Cop 8; Hunter p. 447, 2; Weber 6778; BMC 22. Amphipolis: Macedonia, Amphipolis. Marcus Aurelius AE24 City; Province; Region Amphipolis; Macedonia. Date 161–180 Obverse design laureate head of Marcus Aurelius, r. Obverse inscription ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙΣ Μ ΑΥΡΗΛ ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΟ[Σ] Reverse design turreted Tyche seated, l., holding patera Reverse inscription ΑΜΦΙΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ Metal Bronze Average diameter 24 mm Average weight 10.48 g Attaea: Mysia, Attaea. Hadrian AE18. Obv: ...ADRIAN... / Head of Hadrian r., laur. Rev: ATTAITWN / Zeus standing l., in r. thunderbolt, l. holds scepter. Aspendos: Pamphylia, Aspendos. AE14 Pseudo-autonomous First century A.D. Obv: Horse galloping right. Rev: AΣΠEN-ΔIΩN, Warrior standing right, holding shield and hurling javelin. Attaleia: Pamphylia, Attaleia. Trajan Æ18. AD 98-117. Obv: Laureate and draped bust of Trajan right, A K TPAIANOC ΠAPΘIKOC Rev: Helmeted and draped bust of Athena right, ATTAΛEWN
Fun! I'm going to try to sneak what I have from cities not already shown before @ancientone completely crushes this thread . In all seriousness, I'm really looking forward to all the contributions in this thread. IMHO, this is a really excellent collecting theme and I'm surprised that we don't have more people collecting by provincial mints. It's only 600 or so different, occasionally ultra-rare, cities . Augusta, in Cilicia COMMODUS Very Rare (only one specimen cited by Karbach). AE19. 4.77g, 19.3mm. CILICIA, Augusta, 183/184 AD (Year 164). Karbach, Augusta p.54, 81 (same obv die); RPC Online Temp 6170 (as Marcus Aurelius, one example cited). O: Laureate head of Commodus right, AV KOMODO [...]. R: AVGOVSTN(sic) ETOY EPD, horse standing right, head turned left; tree to left. The city of Augusta (cited located near Adana in modern day Turkey) was founded in AD 20 on the eastern Cilician plains and named after Livia, widow of Augustus. It was built in a loop of the river Seyhan between some low hills, and its ruins were only discovered in 1955. Unfortunately, the site was never excavated as that same year, the Seyhan Dam was completed and entire cite disappeared beneath its waters. The artificial Lake Seyhan and its dam are now a popular tourist and local attraction.
Apameia in Phrygia HADRIAN AE22. 4.10g, 22mm. PHRYGIA, Apameia, AD 117-138. SNG Cop 211; BMC 155. O: AΔPIANOC KAI CЄB, laureate head right, with slight drapery. R: AΠAMЄΩN MAPCVAC [KIBΩTOI], Marsyas reclining within a rocky cave, holding cornucopia and double flute; above, five chests; beneath, inverted vase from which water. Located near the source of the River Marsyas, the city of Apameia was named by the Seleukid king Antiochos I after his mother, Apama. Apameia was also known by the sobriquet Kibotos, or The Chest, alluding to either its great wealth as a trading emporium, or perhaps, and more likely, for the ubiquitous wooden packing crates that were used by the city's trade middlemen to re-pack goods bound from Egypt and Asia to Greece and later, the Roman Empire. The story of the city is told in the mythopoeic scene on the reverse of this coin, the legend naming the essential elements - AΠAMЄΩN (Apameia) MAPCVAC (Marsyas) KIBΩTOIA (kibotoi, or chests).
well, i don't have one from somewhere that hasn't been posted yet. i was all excited to do this one buy i see valentinian beat me to it! Faustina II, Augusta Traiana, Thrace, 161-175 AD O: ΦAYCTEINA CEBACTH. R: AYΓOYCTHC TPAIANHC, Artemis huntress with hound, right hand reaching for an arrow in quiver at shoulder and holding bow in left. Moushmov 2982. 26x24 mm, 11.4g
The rest of my A's with a few cities that have already been posted. Let's see them all! Apollonoshieron: Lydia, Apollonoshieron. AE16. Nero(A.D. 54-68). Obv. NERON KAICAP, laureate head right. Rev. [A]ΠOΛΛWNI EPEI - TW[N], Apollo, standing facing, holding patera and resting hand on lyre. Patera in inscription. RPC 3045;SNG Cop 33; BMC Lydia p. 24 Acmoneia: Phrygia, Acmoneia. Salonina Obv: KOP. CALWNINA / CEB. Diad. amd dr. bust r. Rev: AKMONEWN. Four ears of grain bound together. Von Aulock 3385 Ankyra: Phrygia, Ankyra. Faustina Jr. Artemis Ephesia Phrygia, Ankyra. Faustina Jr. Æ 20mm (4.26 gm). Obv: ΘAVCTINA CE BACTH, Draped bust right Rev: ANCYPH NWN, Cult statue of Artemis Ephesia. SNG von Aulock -; SNG Copenhagen 142var.; BMC - Apamea: Phrygia, Apamea. Demos AE24 Obv: ΔΗΜΟϹ / bare head of the Demos (youthful), r. Rev: ΑΠΑΜƐΩΝ / tree Adada: Pisidia, Adada. Marcus Aurelius AE19 Obv: ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΤΩ ΣΕΒ. Laureate head of Marcus Aurelius, r. Rev: ΑΔΑΔΕΩΝ. Draped bust of Sarapis wearing kalathos, r. BMC 5 Amasia: Pontus, Amasia. Caracalla AE32. Fire Altar Caracalla, 196-217 AD. AE32. Draped, cuirassed and laureate bust right / Altar aflame, tree at left. Abdera: Thrace, Abdera. Claudius and Divus Augustus AE20 CLAUDIUS and DIVUS AUGUSTUS Abdera in Thrace. TIBEPIW KLAYDIW KAIC GEPMA [NIKW CEBAC]. Head of the Claudius left. R-S: QEW CEBACTW ABDHPEITWN. Head of the Divus Augustus left. AMNG 242. RPC 1728. 7.16 G. Anchialus: Thrace, Anchialus. AE27. Caracalla. Apollo Thrace, Anchialus. AE27. Caracalla. AV K M AVP ANTWNINOC, laureate head right / OULPIANWN AGXIALWN, Apollo standing r. holding patera and laurel-branch. Varbanov (Engl.) 305; AMNG II 515. Apollonia Pontica: Thrace, Apollonia Pontica. Septimius Severus AE28. AV K L CEVHROC P, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / APOLLONIHTEWN, EN PONTW, tetrastyle temple with statue of emperor standing left within, in military dress; o in pediment. Varbanov 829.
That's impressive! I love it that there are so many different themes an ancient-coin collector can participate in or specialize in.
How about some provincial silver? Cilicia, Aegeae / Aigaei. Hadrian. CY 164 (117/8 AD). Tridrachm or tetradrachm. 10.1g 23.3mm. Obv: AYTOKP KAIC TPAIANOC AΔPIANOC CЄB, laureate bust of Hadrian right, slight drapery Rev: AIΓЄAIΩN ЄTOYC ΔΞP (date), diademed head of Perseus or Alexander the Great right; below, goat kneeling left, head right. The tetradrachms don't name Perseus but some examples include a harpa over his shoulder. Other coins of the city are clearly Perseus.
OK, playing by the alphabetical rules (somehow I missed that in my previous post!), here is my letter 'A' offering. Alexandria Vespasian AR Tetradrachm, 11.87g Alexandria mint, 75-76 AD RPC 2447 (14 spec.) Obv: AYTOK KAIΣ ΣEBA OYEΣΠAΣIANOY; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r., date LH before neck Rev: ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡ ΤΙΤΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ; laureate head of Titus, r. Acquired from Praefectus Coins, September 2014. Ex Harry N. Sneh Collection. Alexandria sure could produce some fine portraits when the engravers had a mind to.
Yeah, it's pretty godawful . I didn't buy it, but received it as a freebie from a seller. Hunting down the attribution was fun and I feel lucky to have it.
For the planners among you, here is a posting schedule for this thread (I also put it in the OP): Again... if you miss a posting day, just catch up any time after the letter has passed. The goal is to post as many cities as possible and the rules are merely guidelines to help make the project slightly less cumbersome .
Super thread and posts!!! I have the same problem as the last time...so many coins NOT easily accessed by location But I think this example of Geta/Thanatos falls under 'A'---Augusta Traiana (Southern Bulgaria or modern day Zagora, Bulgaria): Bronze assarion, Schönert-Geiss Augusta Traiana 501 (V145/R422), Varbanov II 1276 (R3), Moushmov 3087, SNG Cop -, BMC Thrace -, Nice EF, attractive portrait and reverse style, nice green patina, centered on a tight flan, some light scratches and marks, Augusta Traiana (Stara Zagora, Bulgaria) mint, weight 3.247g, maximum diameter 18.1 mm, die axis 180o, 209 - c. 26 Dec 211 A.D.; obverse AV K Π CE-ΠTI ΓETAC, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, from behind; reverse AVΓOVCTH TPAIANH, Thanatos standing right with legs crossed, left hand to face, right resting on inverted torch.