War. Glamorized, stylized and expediatized (pretty sure I just made up that last one) through Weaponry! (Alexander the great mosaic) Weaponry doesn't just predate history, it predates humanity! From monkeys to fish. Even the animal kingdom had gotten into the game of "leveling" the playing field millennias before man existed. Though the date is up for debate, I am fairly certain that the first time man used weaponry was when he saw another fella with a woman that left him longing. So he balled up his fist, lined up his knuckles and propelled it towards his fellow man's jaw (if anyone wants to debate that a fist is not a weapon you can take it up with the law. A professional boxer or mixed martial artist whom uses his fists outside of the ring is fined with assault with a deadly WEAPON). I was gifted this wonderful book on the history and evolution of weapons a few years ago. So, I will not be trying to best it herein. (My 3yo sons finger seems to be choosing gun over sword...that or he's trying to plug the 18th century weapons barrel) It is very fascinating how we can trace the evolution of weaponry as well as some militaristic maneuvering through this hobby of ours. And that's what this thread celebrates...WEAPONRY ON ANCIENT COINAGE!!! The King of Kings knew how to "double fist" it. On his coins you can find him with a weapon in each hand! BOW AND DAGGER: ACHAEMENID KINGDOM OF PERSIA. UNCERTAIN KINGS, about 500-380 BCE Siglos, silver ("dagger type IV"). AR 16 MM5.52 g. The Great King running r., wearing kidaris, holding bow in his outstretched l. hand, dagger in his r. hand. Rv.Countermarked Rectangular incuse. Babelon, Perses pl. 2, 26. SNG Cop. 284.Rare. Previous: Savoca Coins BOW AND SPEAR: Achaemenid AR Siglos (15-17 mm, 5.46 g), c. 450-400 BC. Obv. The Great King, bearded, in "Knielauf" to right, holding bow and spear. Rev.Irregular incuse. Carradicepl. 11, 15; SNG Cop. 282. Irregularflan.Punchmark on obverse,otherwise,very fine. From:AuctionesGmbH Here is a recent addition that I have yet to share with you all. I've been looking for one of these since I first started collecting and found this bronze beauty for a fantastic price! SWORD AND SHIELD: Caria. Mylasa . ΕΥΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ (Eupolemos), strategos 295-280 BC. Bronze Æ 15mm., 4.46g. Three overlapping shields, with spearheads on bosses / EYΠOΛEMOY, sheathed sword, in left field, labrys. Good very fine SNG München 21; Lindgren III 435. Herakles knew about weapons and utilized, maybe, the most basic weapon next to the fist or a rock. He probably introduced 50 cent to... DA CLUB: Alexander III the Great 336-323 BCE AE 19 (19 mm) Macedonian mint. Head of Alexander the Great as Hercules right, wearing the lion-skin headdress / AΛEΞANΔPOY, between bow and club; thunderbolt above. Price 276 Commodus (wishing he was as bad@$$ as Herakles)(177-192 AD). AE As (24-25 mm, 10.34 g), Rome, 192 AD. Obv. L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, Head to right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev. HERCVL / ROMAN / AVGV / S C, Legend divided by club within laurel wreath. RIC III 644; C. 193; BMC 722. You want maximum damage??? How about this next one? Though, may I please refer to this as a BATTLEAXE... No? It's just that it's terribly embarrassing to say as mine has a hole in it. Fine. My BIPENNIS...with a hole: Thyateira, Lydia, AD 1-100, AE14, semi-autonomous issue. Bearded head of Herakles right / ΘYATEIΡHNΩN, bipennis (double-axe; labrys). BMC 8; RPC I 2379; SNG Tuebingen 3838. Perseus used a sword/sickle hybrid called a HARPA or HARPE: AmisosPontos, Obv: Helmeted head of Athena Rev: Perseus holding harpa (sickle sword) and Medusa's severed head 29 MM 18.95 gr With all these weapons flying around I better suit up. Starting with a good ol...HELMET! THRACE. Mesambria Ae (4th-3rd century BC). Obv: Facing Corinthian helmet. Rev: META. Four spoked wheel. SNG BM Black Sea 272- 275. Condition: Extremely fine. Weight: 1.91 g. Diameter: 13.46 mm Please post all your favorite weaponed up coins or whatever you deem relevant...and BRUTAL
Cool posting @Ryro ! Nice coins... I have one that really thought was cool, and that you do not see too much as being used as a weapon on a coin: WHIP! RR AR denarius 3.8g 18.0mm T Didius Rome 113-112 BCE Roma star ROMA mono - Two Gladiators whip sword S 171 CR 294-1
Here is a type that I believe is unique to Numerian from this single reverse die. It is highly unusual to see the emperor wielding a sword. Obv:– IMP C NVMERIANVS AVG, Radiate, cuirassed bust right Rev:– PACATO-R ORBIS, Emperor advancing right, holding shield and sword, captive, cowering beneath Minted in Lugdunum (C in exe) Emission 9 Officina 3. Summer A.D. 284 Reference:– Cohen 41 (30 F). Bastien 618 (2 examples).
Nice coins and great thread Ryro, I was lucky enough to see that Alexander Mosaic at the Naples museum and was mesmerized. BOW & QUIVER Obv: Distyle temple containing facing sPamphylia, Perge, c. 50-30 BC. Æ (16mm, 4.64g, 12h). Cult statue of Artemis Pergaia facing within distyle temple. R/ Bow and quiver. Colin series 7.2; SNG BnF 373-8. Good VF PAMPHYLIA. Perge. Ae (Circa 50-30 BC). tatue of Artemis Pergaia. Rev: APTEMIΔOΣ / ΠEPΓAIAΣ. Quiver. SNG BN 373-8.
Tank? Are there any coins that show a person shooting an arrow from an elephant or even from a horse? Trident (tetradrachm of Demetrios Poliorketes): Sling and fist (stater of Aspendos): Shields (as of Trajan)
I go with traditional bow and arrow in Zeus hand on Seleucid coins (One of the finest series to my eyes) Seleukos IV. 187-175 BC Tetradrachm (17.11 gm). Ekbatana mint
Mysia/Pergamon regal coinage 2nd c. BC Obvs: Head of Athena right, wearing crested helmet with griffin Revs: ФIΛETAIPOY, bow. 13mm, 1.6g Ref: BMC 15.119.54
I don't recall any coins where the emperors hold swords other than the argenteii of Diocletian and the tetrachs.
You got it! The Alexander Mosaic, dating from circa 100 BC, is a Roman floor mosaic originally from the House of the Faun in Pompeii.
Neat thread idea. No coins here, but in keeping with the theme, my latest two weapons pick-up's: Top: Dagger, Luristan, bronze, 1200-800 BC, 33 cm (13”) Cf. Mahboubian, Art of Ancient Iran, #379; Cf. Overlaet “Luristan Exacavation Documents Vol. IV,” PK.3-10, p. 216 Bottom: Sword, Talysh area of northwestern Iran, bronze, 1200-800 BC, 45.5 cm (18”), tip broken Cf. Mahboubian, Art of Ancient Iran, #397a-i
The Kestrosphendone, or Macedonian dart-sling THESSALY, Thessalian League AE Chalkous. 3.55g, 15.2mm. THESSALY, Thessalian League, circa 170 BC. Warren, “Two Notes on Thessalian Coins,” NC 1961, pl. I, 11; Rogers 4 var. (arrangement of ethnic); BCD Thessaly II 24.2 var. (same); HGC 4, 236. O: Macedonian shield with star in center. R: ΘEΣΣA ΛΩN around from upper left, dart–sling (κεστροσφενδóνη) with dart inside. Ex BCD Collection From CNG's description : The Kestrosphendone - Secret Weapon of the Third Macedonian War "While Rogers thought that the object on the reverse of this coin was a lyre, Jennifer Warren has argued that it represents a powerful new weapon – the dart sling, or κεστροσφενδόνη – first introduced during the Third Macedonian War between Rome and Perseus of Macedon. The weapon is described by the Achaean Polybius (xxvii, 9), who was taken to Rome as a prisoner following the war: “The form of the dart was as follows. It was two palms long, the tube being of the same length as the point. Into the former was fitted a wooden shaft a span in length a finger’s breadth in thickness. Into the middle of this were wedged three quite short wooden wings. The two thongs of the sling were unequal in length, and the missile was so fitted into the center of the sling that it was easily freed. While the thongs were whirled round and taut, it remained fixed there, but when at the moment of the discharge one of the thongs was released, it left the loop and was shot like a leaden bullet from the sling.” Livy (xlii, 65, 9-10) adds that: “They (the Roman army) suffered particularly from the dart-slings.” The Macedonian shield supports a connection to Perseus, and Warren offers a compelling insight on the reverse design: “On this Thessalian issue the kestrosphendone would be as apposite as the harpa, the special weapon of his hero namesake, on the reverse of Perseus’ similar Macedonian copper coins.” This type (cf. SNG Alpha Bank 1147–8) also carries a Macedonian shield on the obverse."
Another thread has considered the meaning of FDC, fleur de coin, flower of the die. That coin fits the bill, doesn't it?