I've long wanted one of these Roman provincials from Amphipolis with the Artemis Tauropolos reverse types and I had the opportunity to pick up one at a reasonable price. They come in a variety of sizes and with different obverse inscriptions, so attributing worn specimens (and few are high grade) can prove tricky. I can solidly attribute this one as BMC 5, p. 52, 73: Augustus, 27 BC - AD 14. Roman provincial AE 23. Macedon, Amphipolis, 10.25 g, 23.3 mm, 1 h. Obv: ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΘΕΟΥ ΥΙΟΣ, bare-head, right. Rev: ΑΜΦΙΠΟΛΙΕΙΤΩΝ, Artemis Tauropolos with inflated veil, riding on bull galloping right. Refs: BMC 5, p. 52, 73; Sear Greek Imperial 29. Here is the listing in BMC: But I'm going to propose something radical -- that the coin is a die-match to the BMC specimen, on the basis of the line-drawing! The British Museum has, unfortunately, not yet photographed the Roman provincials in their collection and I am unfortunately unable to compare my coin to their specimen. Note how the ΥΥΙΟΣ in the obverse inscription, particularly the close proximity of the iota and omicron, matches the example in the line drawing. Note also how the IΣAP at the end of ΚΑΙΣΑΡ behind the bust matches my coin: Am I crazy? Tell me what you think -- I'd also love to see any of your Artemis Tauropolis coins! Post anything you feel is relevant!
Nice sleuthing! I don't think it is crazy to declare a die match based on quality line drawings. It's probably more accurate than trying to match ex Dattari coins to their pencil rubbings .
I note also the rather bulbous forelock. But there are differences, too: above the head (dots & spacing), size of forehead. I doubt you can go further than "I speculate this may be a die match, pending a comparison of photos." So no, not crazy, just a bit loopy. I only have some stuff that is tangentially relevant, but since I recently picked up two Augustus provincials, I'll post 'em: This one was misidentified by the seller as being from Smyrna, but it's actually a rare issue from Phokaia. (A rather odd portrait style for Augustus, I think.) And the common issue from Philippi:
Crazy? --- like a fox. Mine is a completely different legend. From the last FSR sale AE22 6.46g ΚΑΙΑΡΟΣ ΣΕΒΑΣΤ I really need to do a better photo to show the obverse legend more clearly. The glossy patina makes it hard to see in this photo.
That one from Phokaia is NICE!! And it IS an odd portrait style for Augustus. I have one of those common ones from Philippi, too. It's one of those that doesn't photograph well and we say "looks better in hand"!
Another interesting aspect about these coins is the pre-Christian "Christian language" in its inscription. Mine says ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΘΕΟΥ ΥΙΟΣ, which means "Caesar, son of god." Yours says ΚΑΙΑΡΟΣ ΣΕΒΑΣΤ, meaning "Caesar, revered one (Augustus)." It's good to be reminded that Augustus is a title. ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ reminds us of that fact.
Sorry, can't post pics on my phone. From Ken Dorney http://www.tantaluscoins.com/browse...&qs=Octavian+amphipolis&sbt=0&sbc=0&go=Search
Nice one, Pish! Note that if you click the little mountain/sun image in the toolbar, you can just paste in the url of an image and it will look like this (well, two side by side here): (This is Pish's coin!)
There is nothing even slightly Christian about this legend since the god referred to here is Caesar. This legend is a translation of CAESAR DIVI F.
I have this Amphipolis coin, a bit scyphate, with riderless bounding bull and two neat monograms, but the obverse is unclear, probably a bit barbarous. Are these coins known in barbarized form? 18 mm, 7.05 gr.
I don't think this is barbarous; I think you're looking at pre-Roman coinage from the city. That is probably Zeus on the obverse (I think he's bearded). The city issued coins with Zeus on the obverse and a bull bounding right with part of the city name in monogram form below. This is similar to yours:
I've found a few provenance matches from line drawings. That's easier of course as the strike and shape help, as well as the die design.
Thanks @Roman Collector! You are right, there's a beard under the face, clear enough. And the monograms fit well enough. It sold for the exact amount I paid.
