Featured Follow the coin theme GAME - ancient edition - post ‘em if you got ‘em

It's a tiny one but it's Sicilian. AE 15-16 mm, 4.50 g. 400-350 BC.

NEXT : Byzantine Sicily

 

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LEO V and son CONSTANTINUS
813-820, "Syrakus" .Au-Tremissis 20.5 MM 2.80 grs,
Crowned frontal bust of Leo V with a crossed globe. Rs: Crowned frontal bust of Constantine with a cross globe. Sear cf. 1632. Fouree

Next up: more coins of Syracuse

 

NEXT: hippocamp

 

THESSALY, Larissa Kremaste
4th century BCE
Æ Trichalkon; 16mm, 6.0 g
Obv: head of Achilles left
Rev: ΛΑΡΙ; Thetis, holding shield of Achilles with AX (=Achilles) monogram, seated left on hippocamp
Ref: BCD Thessaly I –; BCD Thessaly II 403.1; HGC 4, 13
Ex BCD Collection
Ex Hopper Collection (Sotheby’s, 9 March 1989), lot 519 (part)

Next: Achilles

 

12 hrs,
I don't have Achilles, how about Amazon?!
Stater from Cilicia Soloi, with female Amazon warrior, and a bunch of grapes to signify the city's famous export, wine.

Next, a coin that denotes a famous export or a commodity that the place is known for.

 

Abila was known for its vineyards.


Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman provincial Æ 15 mm, 1.62 g, 6 h.
Decapolis, Abila, AD 162/3 (year 226 of the Pompeian era).
Obv: ΦΑYϹΤЄΙΝΑ ϹЄΒΑϹΤΗ, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: ϹЄΛЄYΚ ΑΒΙΛΑ ϚΚϹ, bunch of grapes.
Refs: RPC IV.3 6509 (temporary); Spijkerman 6; Rosenberger 5a; Sofaer 8.

Next: More grapes.

 

Not exactly grapes, but a vine leaf, do you accept?

1st Jewish Revolt, AE prutah, Jerusalem 67 AD.
Obv.: שנת שתים (Year 2), amphora
Rev.: חרות ציון (Liberty of Zion), vine-leaf
(I am unsure of my Hebrew, if I'm mistaken please correct !)

Next : Judaea Capta (Roman or provincial)

 

Next up: not your average mythical creature

 

Abrasax: a rooster-headed serpent-legged demon.


EGYPT, Uncertain. Gnostic amulet
Lead, 13 mm, 3.00 g, 12 h, 2nd-4th centuries
Obv: IAⲰ
Rev: Abrasax facing, with the head of a rooster and snakes for legs, holding a whip in his right hand and a shield in his left
Ref: Apparently unpublished

From the auction listing:

The worship of the ancient demon Abrasax (or Abraxas) rose to great prominence in Roman times through the teachings of the Christian Gnostic Basilides of Alexandria (circa 85-145 AD), who called Abrasax the 'great archon' and the first of the 365 Gnostic Aeons. The etymology of his name is still unclear: it may go back to the Egyptian words 'abrak' and 'sax', translating as 'the honorable and hallowed word', but it is noteworthy that the letters of his name, in Greek isopsephy, add up to 365, the amount of days in a solar year: Α = 1, Β = 2, Ρ = 100, Α = 1, Σ = 200, Α = 1, Ξ = 60, thus: 1+2+100+1+200+1+60 = 365.

Basilides' followers believed, among other things, that Abrasax sent Christ as a ghost to the world, which lead to sharp refutations by Early Church Fathers such as Hippolytus of Rome, Clement of Alexandria and Eusebius of Caesarea. The popularity of Basilidianism was mostly restrained to Egypt, where a vivid Gnostic sect is attested in the 2nd-4th centuries, but its legacy still lives on today, as one compelling theory proclaims, in the famous magic word 'abracadabra!'.

Next: another unusual deity/personification/creature

 

Mighty hard not to post this beast. It was @TIF 's example that turned me on to the type. A skull headed monster that eats virgins... why don't I have two of these?


Next up: more Ketos monster

 

Since @Ryro called me out I'll post mine (any excuse to post it, really... I love the little monster ).


CARIA, Kindya (or maybe Halikarnassos)
500-496 BCE
AR tetrobol, 2.18 gm, 11 mm, Samian standard
Obv: head of ketos right
Rev: geometric pattern within incuse square
Ref: Kagan and Kritt, 'The Coinage of Kindya,' NC 1995, 1 var. (head left); SNG Keckman 920 var. (same); SNG Kayhan 815; "Asyut Hoard" 688

Next: let's keep the monster theme going

 

Looks like no one is going to bite on another monster so let's change it to a coin from Caria .

 

There is nothing more to say on monsters after the "Head of Ketos" coins that you and @Ryro posted - nice coins.

Karia, Myndos, AR drachm, mid 2nd century BC, Hermolykos, magistrate
Obv: Laureate head of Serapis right
Rev: Headdress of Isis set on two grain ears, thunderbolt below; [M]YNΔΙWΝ to left, [ΕP]MOΛYKO[Σ] to right
Ref: Myndos 10; BMCRE 2; Waddington 2466; SNG von Aulock 2636

Next: more of anything related to the Egyptian goddess Isis

 

Next: Julia Domna

 

Julia Domna AR Denarius. Rome Mint 196-211 AD. Obverse: IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right. Reverse: VENVS FELIX, Venus standing facing, head left, holding apple in right hand and drawing drapery from shoulder. RIC IV: 580, RSC III 198 Size: 18mm, 2.63g.

Next - one of the first Denarii you bought.

 

Coincidentally this tiny denarius of Julia Domna is also my first denarius!

next, your first denarius!

 

My first denarius was my first Secret Saturnalia gift as well!


Next: your first antoninianus

 

From my very first lot of ancient coins. I started this hobby with a lot of 34 coins (this one included), a lot of 4 denarii in good conservation and a lot of 8 denarii in average condition (Domna denarius above was among them)

Next - the first ancient coin you really, really liked.

 

The first ancient coin I really, really liked...

I'd been collecting ancient coins for over 6 years when I bought this in 2007.
I'd noticed Arethusa on the Spink website first and then at a coin fair they had her at their table. I said "Hold her for me", ran to the nearest ATM and back. I didn't buy any coins for about 4 months after that.

I need to take better photos - this is an attractive coin in hand, where the many defects are overlooked, at least by me.

Ref. Tudeer 82/SNG ANS 290.




An older and out-of-focus photo', but more forgiving of nicks!


Next - something else nice from Sicily

 

next: crab