I need some help putting together an ancient Greek cake of archaic coins! I only have a few (and a saweet new one to share at the end) and would like to see all the different types of archaic coins you all have! But first I better set the table and share some ingredients... Now, one of the many things I've learned from ancients that I now know is that the word archaic's meaning is not simple or basic as it is most commonly used for in today's vernacular. But simply the beginning. It evolved into being used to describe things that were basic, as usually the beginning of things are. But brothers and sisters, as you know, that ain't the case with archaic Greek art and especially those wonderous archaic Greek coins! (Archaic Greek statues) Islands off Thrace. Thasos circa 525-463 BC. Obol AR, 10mm., 0,91g. Naked satyr kneeling right / Quadripartite incuse square. nearly very fine SNG Ashmolean 3653; Rosen 144; Le Rider Thasos Group I & pl. I, 4 The archaic period, which no ancient Greek ever referred to it as, lasted from the eighth century BCE to about 480 BCE after those rascally Persians invaded again. (Ryro about to pounce on a new coin... Or more archaic art) MILETOS, 1/12 Stater, 6th cent BC, Lion forepart, head l./ star pattern in square, S3532 (£65); EF, good metal quality, great detail on lion's mane, but off-ctr with his face. Don't get a bee in your bonnet. I'm not trying to boar you: Ionia. Ephesos circa 550-500 BC. Hemiobol AR 5mm., 0,37g. Bee / Quadripartite incuse square. very fine Karwiese Series III; Rosen 572. Lesbos. Uncertain mint circa 500-450 BC. Obol BI 8mm., 0,89g. Confronted boars' heads / Quadripartite incuse square. very fine Klein 348 When it comes to archaic art the Greeks get pretty hard Kore (It's a pun aaaaand archaic art) Mysia. Lampsakos circa 500-450 BC. Obol AR 7mm., 0,77g. Female janiform head / Helmeted head of Athena left within incuse square very fine. SNG BnF 1128-31. Ok, ok. You've probably caught on that I'm itchin to show off my new Griffin almost as much as I am to see what coins you all post! With just a little further ado, here's a Griffin head from an archaic Table and then my coin! (How awesome must this entire table have been???) IONIA, Phokaia(?). Circa 6th-5th century BC. AR Hemidrachm or Diobol (10mm, 1.57 gm). Head of griffin left / Quadripartite incuse square. BMC Ionia pg. 215, 82; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG Kayhan 514; SNG von Aulock 2116 var. (seal right). Good VF, porous, small flan. Similar pieces with a seal behind the griffin's head are clearly Phokaian (as von Aulock 2116). Coins without the seal are possibly from Teos. Depending on the weight standard that might apply, this coin could be either a hemidrachm or a diobol. So please add on as many archaic coins as you can! And let's just see how tasty we can make this Greek archaic cake!
Very nice little theme, @Ryro!! I don't have many (do I even have more than 1)? Uncertain, Caria AR Tetartemorion, Circa 500-450 BC Obverse: Confronted foreparts of two bulls. Reverse: Forepart of bull right within incuse square. References: SNG Kayhan 949ff Size: 6mm, 0.13g cf: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1943222
Great coins @Ryro! I love those unique threads of yours. Here are some archaic coins I would like to contribute to the cake: First my most archaic coin that has the head of Apollo with a more than obvious archaic style (the main reason I got it). P.S. I can't believe people used to pay with these extremely small coins, it would get lost quite quickly?? Ionia, Kolophon AR Hemiobol (Circa 530/25-500 B.C.) Obverse: Archaic head of Apollo left. Reverse: Incuse square punch. Reference: SNG Kayhan 342. Weight: 0.30g Size: 6mm And my other favorite archaic coins: Ephesos, Ionia. Drachm (500 - 420 B.C) Obverse: Bee with curved wings, EΦEΣION. Reverse: Quadripartite incuse square Reference: BMC Ionia pg. 49, 12; SNG Copenhagen 210; SNG Kayhan 140 Weight: 3.20g Size: 14mm Ephesos, Ionia. Tetartemorion (500 - 420 B.C) Obverse: Bee with curved wings Reverse: EΦ, eagle's head right within incuse square Reference: SNG Kayhan 126; Karwiese Series IV Weight: 0.20g Size: 6mm Islands off Thrace, Thasos. AR Eighth Stater / Diobol (Circa 500-480 B.C.) Obverse: Satyr running right. Reverse: Quadripartite incuse square. Reference: SNG Cop-191ff; Le Rider, Thasiennes 4; HGC 6, 333. Weight: 1.03g Size: ?mm
Nice coins, pics, and write-up @Ryro ! Makes for some fun! ARCHAIC GREEK: MAKEDON Makedon Alexander I 498-454 BCE AR Obol 10mm 0.75g Horse - Quadripartite incuse sq SNG ANS 32 Rare KOLCHIS (Land of the Golden Fleece) Kolchis 5th-4th C BCE BI hemidrachm 11.5mm 1.8g Archaic female head possibly Georgian goddess Dali - Bull head border SNG Cop 98 KEBREN Kebren AR Obol Archaic hd Apollo Left - Hd Ram in Incuse sq 5th C BCE 7.65mm 0.64g SNG Ash 1086
ARCHAIC TETARTEMORIONS Troas Assos 500-450 BCE AR Tetartemorion 6.4mm 0.21g Griffin springing right - Astragalos within incuse square Klein 475 VF Rare ASIA MINOR Uncertain mint AR Tetartemorion Lion - Incuse 5mm 0.13g Ionia AR Tetartemorion 4mm 0.13g 530-500 BCE Rosette - Incuse sq punch 5 pellets SNG von Aulock 1807 Iona Kolophon AR Tetartemorion 530-520 BCE Archaic Apollo Incuse Punch 0.15g 4.5mm- SNG Kayhan 343 Left old Ionia Miletos AR Tetartemorion 5.6mm 0.21g Roaring Lion Hd - Bird Klein 430 SNG Kay 941
From what I've read, the archaic period of non-Eastern coinage ends around 480 BCE. Perhaps if you define it by certain style elements, that number could be moved a bit either direction. There's something magical and wonderful about archaic coins IONIA, Klazomenai 498-494 BCE AR drachm, 6.77 gm Obv: forepart of winged boar right Rev: incuse square, somewhat quadripartite Ref: Rosen 563; Jameson 1492; Asyut 615; Traité II 487; SNG Copenhagen 1-2) ex NFA MBS (18 October 1990), part of lot 310 KINGS OF LYDIA, temp. Ardys - Alyattes c. 630s-564/53 BCE (dates from a CNG listing of a similar coin) Electrum trite, 4.8 gm, 13.4 mm. Sardes mint. Obv: head of roaring lion right, sun with four rays on forehead Rev: two incuse square punches Ref: Weidauer Group XV, 64; BMC 2 (I do not have these books and cannot verify) IONIA, Samos 510-500 BCE AR drachm, 13.7 mm, 3.2 gm Obv: forepart of winged boar left Rev: facing lion scalp with dotted square, within incuse square Ref: SNG Cop 1673 MACEDONIA, uncertain c. 500 BCE AR trihemitetartemorion (trihemiobol), 5 mm, 0.26 gm Obv: monkey squatting left Rev: round shield or pellet within incuse square Ref: "Uncertain Thraco-Macedonian Coins, Part II", Nomismatika Khronika (1998, Tzamalis), 67
ARCHAIC GREEK ENEMIES Achaemenid Persia PERSIA Achaemenid Daris I-Xerxes II 485-420 BC AV Daric 14mm 8.3g LydoMilesian Sardes king wearing kidaris kandys quiver spear bow Incuse Carr Type IIIb Group A-B pl XIII 27 Persia Achaemenid Empire Darius I 510-486 BC AR 0.11g 5mm 1-32nd Siglos Persian hero-king in running incuse Klein 758 Rare Persia Achaemenid Type III spear over shoulder Darius I to Xerxes II Ca 485-420 BCE AR Siglos Bankers Marks Incuse rev
APOLLONIA PONTIKA AR Hemiobol OBVERSE: Anchor, A in field REVERSE: Swastika with two parallel lines in each quadrant Struck at Apollonia Pontika, circa 500BC .28g, 6.54mm SNG BM 149; Moushmov 3146 ex. Aegean Numismaics ACHAEMENID EMPIRE AR Siglos OBVERSE: Persian king or hero in kneeling/running stance right, holding spear and bow REVERSE: Incuse punch Struck at Persia, 485-420 BC 5.5g, 16mm Carradice Type IIIb, Group A/B (pl. XII, 18) ATTICA, AEGINA AR Stater OBVERSE: Sea-turtle (T-backed); head in profile REVERSE: Large square incuse with skew pattern Struck at Aegina, 480-457BC 11.96g, 20mm SNG Cop 507 AEOLIS, KYME AR Hemiobol OBVERSE: Eagle's head left, KY to left (M beneath the head, nearly off flan) REVERSE: Quadrapartite incuse square of mill-sail pattern Struck at Aeolis, 450BC .46g, 7mm SNG Cop 32 TROAS KEBREN AR Obol OBVERSE: Archaic head of Apollo left REVERSE: Ram'S head left within an incuse square Struck at Troas, Kebren Circa 450 BC .56g, 7mm Rosen 534; Traité pl. xxxix, 25, SNG Ashmolean 1086 ex. Aegean Numismaics
ARCHAIC BOAR-ing LION Mysia Kyzicus AR Hemiobol 480-450 BCE Boar-Lion Sear 3850 ARCHAIC FLYING PIG (this rare breed died out during the Greek Classical period. The Amazons kept using them as skeet.) Ionia Klazomenai 480-400 BC AR Drachm Pentobol 3.5g 13mm Forepart winged boar r gorgoneion incuse sq Cf SNG Copenhagen 12 Rare
Selinos Stater 540-525 B.C. Obv Wild celery or selinion leaf. Rv Incuses square with 12 triangular segments HGC 1211 8.77 grms 19 mm
LYDIA, Kingdom of. Kroisos. AR Siglos. 5.31g, 19.1mm. LYDIA, Sardes, circa 560-546 BC. Rosen 663; SNG Kayhan 1024-1026. O: Confronted foreparts of a lion and a bull. R: Two incuse squares, one larger than the other; to left, countermark: head wearing crested helmet right.
Some super fun additional ingredients! You all have reminded me that I have a few more to share... Though, I was remiss in leaving out an image of some of the amazing archaic pottery: Here are a few more archaic beauties I have laying around I might not have archaic gold like @TIF and @Alegandron (amazing pieces you 2...even if Gandy cheated posting one of Greece's enemies). But like (nothing like) @lordmarcovan's ridiculously opulent coin, I also have an electrum, huh, huh fouree, chewwww! (Nobody noticed that, right??) Ionia. Ephesos circa 600-550 BC. 1/48 Stater EL fourrée 3mm., 0,15g. Lion's paw / Incuse punch. nearly very fine Karwiese series I / Type 1 (for prototype). Mysia, Kyzikos AR Hemiobol (7.99 mm, 0.37 g), c. 525-475 BCE. Obv. Forepart of boar left; tunny to right. Rev. Head of roaring lion left; star in upper left field. SNG France 375. Nicely toned and extremely fine And of course, to quote Tracey Morgan, "The freaky deakys need love to, Kenneth, freaky deakys need love to." How could I forget my GORGONS!?!?!? Mysia, Parion. Civic issue. Ca. 500-475 B.C. AR drachm (13.69 mm, 3.12 g). Facing Gorgoneion / Complex multiple incuse punch design in roughly cruciform pattern. SNG Cop. 256; Asyut 612. Near VF, lightly toned; Ex-Frank Robinson I might not have one of those SaWeet Alexander I's like @Andres2 and @Alegandron...but I have a coin purported to be just before he took over: Macedon, Neapolis AR Obol. Circa 500-480 BC. Gorgoneion with protruding tongue / Quadripartite incuse square. Traite II 1, 1742, pl. 55, 17. BMC p. 84, 13; SNG ANS 423. 0.65g, 8mm. Extremely Fine. Fine late archaic style. Barely making the cut is this little Athenian obol (?): Attica, Athens. Ca 480-460 BC. AR Obol (9mm, 0.62g). Helmeted head of Athena right / Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig behind, AΘE to right. Kroll 13; Svoronos pl. 8, 42. Former Kairos Numismatik And lastly, what I often have referred to as my favorite coin! SICILY. Syracuse. Deinomenid Tyranny 485-466 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm - 17.45 g). Struck circa 480-475 BC. Charioteer driving walking quadriga right, holding kentron and reins; Nike flying above crowning horses / Diademed head of Arethusa right, surrounded by four dolphins swimming clockwise. Boehringer 134 (V60/R93); SNG ANS 38 (same dies); Randazzo -. rev sl off-ctr, sl surface imperfections,most notably a horizontal scratchlike flaw in obv right field. Hats off to @Terence Cheesman for brigning a healthy snack to go along with the cake! I have never seen anything like that beauty! Thanks for sharing all that we have seen so far. Please don't be afraid to double dip if you have more. I LOVE these coins
I like your Macedonian gorgon Ryro , would fit nicely in my collection Successor of Alexander the first:
Nice coin @Andres2 ! Here is my Perdikkas MAKEDON Perdikkos II 454-413 BCE AR heavy tetrobol 2.4g 15mm 12h mint 437-431 BC horseman holding two spears prancing Forepart Lion in incuse square Raymond 184ff SNG ANS 47ff
Most don't know it, but Per dikkos is actually the greek form of the latin name Biggus Dickus. They were distantly related and both suffered the same demise, as they were both hung.
Hey, I forgot about these Archaics: THRACO-MAKEDON TRIBES- MYGDONES or KRESTONES 480-470 BCE AR Obol 0.79g 11mm Goat Quadripartite incuse square AMNG III 14 ARGOLIS Argos 490-470 BC AR Triobol 14mm 2.9g Forepart of wolf lying - A 2 incuse sqs pellet crossbar within shallow sq incuse BCD Peloponnesos 1009 RARE