Possibly Unique - Definitely Beautiful - Greek Tetradrachm

When we think of Greek coins we think of the owls of Athens, the turtles of Aegina or the colts of Corinth. We picture the beautiful renderings of Gods and Kings of great stature glorified by descriptive titles. Many of these coins are well documented, long studied and admired both in antiquity and the modern era.

A collector of ancient coins can not ignore the unmistakable appearance of a fine Greek coin with a beautiful portrait crafted with care so long ago. This coin is certainly no exception.

A coin with this date and monogram is considered possibly unique on the FORVM site.


"Nicolet-Pierre, "Thionèsis, roi de Characène (25/24-20/19 ou 19/18 avant J.-C.)" in Revue Numismatique. 6e sér. 20 is the primary reference for Attambelos and Thionèsis, his successor. It does not include an example of an Attambelos coin for this date. The date is included in the listing on p. 52 with the note, "Trésor 1976 ?" This note seems to be questioning if an example was in the hoard found in 1976, the hoard which provided the impetus for her research. Prior to discovery of that hoard, and in accordance with Hill, it was believed Attambelos' coinage and presumably his reign ended in Seleukid year 279, 34 - 33 B.C. Nicolet-Pierre includes a specimen dated Seleukid year 288, 25 - 24 B.C.; which is now believed to be the last year of Attembelos' reign"

I purchased the coin knowing it was exceptional for having a date (Seleucid Era SE). I didn't realize the date was considered possibly unique Z-Π-Σ, 7-80-200; SE 287 (BC 26/25)

My coin also possess the this Π monogram, although it looks a lot like the Hebrew letter TAV... TAV carries a meaning with loosely fits "Truth" The small extension off the left vertical is opposite the top right vertical extension on the Π in the date. Has this been properly described? Any correlation? Cross cultural link? I don't know a lot about Hebrew script or the development of regional languages in the area at the time and I am purely making an uneducated and unresearched, observation.


The top example at this link is the coin of unique comparison...

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=2025

The coin in the link is markedly heavier than my coin, nearly 4 grams different. My example is clearly debased silver (billon). Having a diameter of 27 mm and a weight of 10.64 grams. This series shows a great fluctuation in weight, while maintaining similar diameter. It must have been more important to look good than weigh good.

Along with a lot of text you have a monogram or control mark of which several variations exist.


Kingdom of Characene
Kuwait, Charax-Spasinu
Attambelos I (r. BC 47-24)
Bi Tetradrachm (s. ZΠΣ 287 SE AD 26/5)
Obverse: Diademed bust of Attambelos I right.
Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ATTAMBHΛOY behind, ΣΩTHPOΣ / KAI EYEPΓETOY before, Herakles naked seated left on a cuirass holding club, monogram above arm, Π below arm, ZΠΣ (date) in ex.
Ref: Unlisted date. Note, Trésor 1976
Note:Unique Date VF, cupric deposit. ex. Mervin Collection 8/2015

 

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oh that's cool AN....kind of like a parthian obverse and a seleucid reverse.
i wasn't familiar with this kingdom at all. so were they kind of like the elymiasis...sort of a vasal state of parthia?

 

Correct. They were former Seleucid vassals who became semi independent under Parthian Perisa and eventually disappear in the early third century with the rise of the House of Sasan.

 

Excellent post and coin, congrats! I've been hoping to pick up one of these Characene tets for awhile now.

 

What an interesting portrait!

 

These have very distinctive ethnic portraits, and yours is a great example. I wouldn't get too caught up in the business of it being a unique example. There is soooo much about the coinage of ancient Arabia that is undiscovered. Scholarship and collecting and cataloging have barely scratched the surface, and I'm certain many new varieties are yet to be discovered.

 

Fantastic write-up and awesome coin!

 

Wow, another great area to explore...Anoob is gonna start costing me money!

 

Love it Anoob. A very interesting type.

 

Here is a little bit of history of how this kingdom came to be:


Kingdom of Characene, Hyspaosines
Spasinou-Charax, AR tetradrachm (16.30 gr., 2,82 cm)
Obv: [ΒΑ]ΣΙΛΕΩΣ YΣΠAOΣINOY; diademed head of Hyspaosines to the right.
Rev: Heracles seated left on rock, holding club on knee; monogram to outer left, in exergue: (date) φP (= SE 190 = 123/2 BC.).
Assar fig. 16. Alram 491.2. BMC Arabia pl. 54, 1 var.

Charax Spasinou means “walls of Hyspaosines” and refers to the embankments Hyspaosines had built to protect the city against the flooding of the river Tigris.

In all likelihood Hyspaosines was an Arabian prince who was charged, probably in 166 BC, by the Seleucid king Antiochos IV with the building of a new port on the Persian Gulf. This city was supposed to become the center in the trade with India. After the death of Antiochos VI and the subsequent turmoil in the Seleucid realm, satraps proclaimed their independance.

So did Hyspaosines, probably around 140 BC.

Despite the upcoming Parthian empire, Hyspaosines seems to have been quite a succesful ruler who expanded his kingdom to encompass Kuwait and Bahrain.

The tetradrachm here has on the obverse a beautiful Hellenistic portrait of a man in the prime of his life, with a powerful physiognomy full of character.

The reverse shows Herakles seated on a pile of rocks with a club and lions’skin. Although not directly a Seleucid image, it fits very well with the founder of a dynasty. Subconsciously one is reminded of Bactria and the coins of Euthydemos, who, about a century before, succesfully withstood the forces of the Seleucids.

 

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Wow Dirk that's an awesome example!!!

THC I was hoping you would chime in! I know you got a few Bactrian tets to die for,

 

You sure can find them Masternoob, what a awesome coin and write up, great info!!

 

@Ancientnoob that is really awesome!!

 

I like ancientnoob's date.

Here is mine from a few years earlier:


Kingdom of Characene
(Tigris Valley - Kuwait)
Attambelos I
AR Tetradrachm
44 - 39 B.C.
12.39 gms, 27.1 mm
Obv: Diademed bearded head right
Rev: Naked Hercules seated left on stone (possibly an Omphalos stone)
club resting on knee held with right hand. Monogram above right arm. BAΣΙΛ[?] / ATTAMB[?] to right, [Σ]ΩTHP[?] to left.
Grade: gVF with sharp strike on good silver fabric. Coin is nicely centered
with attractive toning. Some letters off the flan as noted with only rough planchet surface in exergue.
Other: BMC 3. Listed in the Catalogue of the Greek Coins of Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Persia page 291 & plate LV #11. Coin may be dated
269-273 a.s. = 44-39 B.C.
The existence of king Attambelos I was unsuspected until 5 silver tetradrachms were acquired by a soldier in Mesopotamia and submitted to the British Museum in 1920. Purportedly purchased from BC Universal, New Britain CT in 2011. From private sale March 2014.