Hi everyone Finally joining the AI users, I have found that Chat GPT gives great descriptions of ancient coins. Let me give you two exaples from two Greek bronzes: Mysia, Pitane. AE17 (4th-3rd centuries BC). Obverse: Head of Zeus Ammon right. Reverse: ΠΙ - ΤΑ / ΝΑΙΩΝ. Pentagram. Reference: SNG BnF 2349 var.; GCV 3981 Size: 17.3 mm. Weight: 2.60 g. Condition: Very fine. Chat GPT's interpretation of the coins theme: The combination of a horned figure and a pentagram on the coin from Pitane, Mysia, suggests a rich tapestry of symbolism that may reflect various cultural, religious, and philosophical themes. Here are some interpretations of this combination: Nature and Fertility: The horned figure may symbolize deities associated with nature, the wilderness, or fertility, while the pentagram could represent the five classical elements and the interconnectedness of life. Together, they might convey themes of growth, renewal, and harmony with the natural world. Protection and Power: The pentagram is often viewed as a protective symbol, while the horned figure could represent divine or supernatural power. This combination might signify a relationship between protection, human endeavor, and the divine, suggesting that the figure could safeguard the community. Spiritual Duality: The imagery may evoke a duality of existence—between the earthly and the divine, nature and civilization. The horned figure could represent primal forces, while the pentagram symbolizes more abstract, spiritual concepts, implying a balance between these elements. Cults of Fertility and Agrarian Deities: It could reflect the worship of specific fertility deities or cult practices that emphasized the cycles of nature and agriculture. The horned figure may represent a deity linked to pastoral life, while the pentagram embodies agricultural prosperity and success. Philosophical Connections: The combination may suggest an interest in esoteric knowledge and philosophical principles. The pentagram's association with mathematical and cosmic order could align with the horned figure’s representation of natural forces, indicating a blend of rational thought and mystical beliefs. Cultural Syncretism: As a crossroads of various cultural influences, the imagery could represent a synthesis of local, Hellenistic, and possibly foreign ideas. It might indicate Pitane's unique identity, merging diverse traditions into a cohesive expression. Cosmic and Spiritual Elements: The pentagram's association with the divine and the cosmos, when combined with the horned figure, may imply a deeper exploration of the universe's mysteries, reflecting ancient inquiries into existence, creation, and human experience. Together, the horned figure and pentagram on the coin could encapsulate a multifaceted worldview held by the people of Pitane, reflecting their beliefs, aspirations, and cultural values. The nuances of this imagery would likely be better understood in the context of local practices, rituals, and archaeological findings, which can shed light on how these symbols were perceived and utilized in ancient Mysian society
Here is another: Mysia, Plakia AE12, 4th century BC. Obverse: Turreted head of Kybele right. Reverse: ΠΛΑΚΙΑ. Lion, devouring prey, standing right on grain ear right. Reference: SNG BN 2378-82; BMC 5. Size: 11.7 mm Weight: 1.33 g Here is Chat GPT exploring the theme of this coin: The coin from Plakia, Mysia, featuring the turreted head of Kybele on the obverse and a lion devouring prey while standing on an ear of grain on the reverse provides rich symbolic elements for interpretation. Here’s a breakdown of these features: Obverse: Turreted Head of Kybele Kybele's Significance: Kybele, also known as the Great Mother or Magna Mater, is a major deity in ancient Anatolian and later Greek and Roman religious practices. She symbolizes fertility, nature, and the earth. The turreted crown often represents her association with fortified cities and divine protection. Symbol of Power and Protection: The turret implies strength and security, suggesting that Kybele protects the city of Plakia. Her representation on the coin underscores the city’s reliance on her for well-being and prosperity. Fertility and Motherhood: Kybele is also associated with fertility and the natural cycle of life. Her presence on the coin could evoke themes of agricultural abundance and the nurturing aspects of the earth. Reverse: Lion Devouring Prey on Grain Ear Lion as Symbol of Strength: The lion is a powerful symbol in many cultures, representing strength, courage, and nobility. Its depiction in the act of devouring prey emphasizes the themes of dominance in nature and the circle of life. Connection to Agriculture: The lion standing on an ear of grain suggests a link to agriculture and the sustenance provided by the earth. This imagery could imply that strength and vitality (represented by the lion) are supported by abundance in agricultural production (the grain). Predation and Fertility: The act of the lion devouring prey reflects the natural cycle of life and death, a concept that ties back into fertility. While the lion signifies power and dominance, the grain symbolizes the nourishment from the earth, indicating that prosperity arises from both strength and sustenance. Symbol of Guardianship: The combination of the lion and the grain ear may imply that the inhabitants of Plakia are both protectors and beneficiaries of the land. The lion could symbolize the protective strength of the city, ensuring that resources are available and safeguarded. Overall Interpretation The coin from Plakia encapsulates a multifaceted narrative about the city’s identity and relationship with nature, power, and fertility. The turreted head of Kybele signifies a divine protection and nurturing force associated with the earth and agricultural wealth. In contrast, the lion devouring its prey on grain underscores themes of strength, dominance, and the essential connection between fertility and sustenance. Together, these elements illustrate a harmonious balance between protection, power, and the earth's resources, highlighting the values and beliefs of the people of Plakia during that historical period. The coin serves not only as currency but also as a medium to convey civic pride and the cultural significance of their deities and nature. Further research into local myths and archaeological findings could provide even more insights into these rich symbols. I don't know about you guys, but I sure learned something.
Great stories, but how much of it is accurate? I ask because I've been using AI for three years to write coin articles, and up to now, it is notorious for adding facts that sound amazing to flesh out an article but are not applicable. I constantly have to correct its factual accuracy even when providing paragraphs of source information for reference. I noticed a lot of "may," "maybes," "implies," and "suggests" in your generated descriptions. The program uses a lot of speculation as content filler rather than hard facts. How much information did you feed it? I don't know the story of your coins so that write-up might be spot on. I hope it is, but if you're not certain, don't assume it is. So, do tell me, how accurate is it?
Excellent point! Articles created by AI tools should be scrutinized before accepting what they contain as fact. I've seen scientific papers created by these tools that include irrelevant citations along with citations from false/misleading sources.
That's a great point indeed. It sure seems to speculate. I gave it my description of a Cilician coin that has Aharu Mazda on obverse and Baal on reverse, and asked it if it found anything puzzling about the coin. It went on to discuss this: "This coin reflects the complex interplay of religious and cultural influences that characterized Cilicia during the late 5th century BC. By featuring both Ahura-Mazda and Ba'al, the coin suggests a desire to unify a diverse population of different backgrounds and beliefs, appealing to both Zoroastrian and Canaanite traditions. " So I found that it caught what I am fascinated by. It isn't presicely factual, though. I don't count on it as a 100% certain answer, but I don't see how it can provide that either, given that much of what we assume about the past is theory, not fact. As for how much information I fed it, that varied from just the plain description of size, weight and iconography, to some longer texts that I have made myself. It is quite accurate in the description of the deities and their position/meaning. The questions about why particular cities used paticular deities, is more speculation. It doesn't have "facts" to draw on here, just probability.
AI is an excellent writing assistant but not a reliable researcher. It can give a professional voice to your writing when your professional skills lie in another discipline, but it always comes down to knowing what you're writing about. The fact that you know where it's right or wrong is what counts, and you correct or clarify accordingly. In my opinion, where there are few to no facts to draw on, speculation is fine, and using "may," "maybes," "implies," and "suggests" is okay, provided you don't use all of them at once, and certainly not several times each. Too much speculation dilutes your facts. This is a case where less is more. As much as I like AI, when using it, I have to be aware of other issues too. In your story above, I find this type of generated filler sentence amusing: "This coin reflects the complex interplay of religious and cultural influences that characterized Cilicia during the late 5th century BC." It pretends to be a supporting fact, but it describes every civilization that's ever existed, so it's meaningless. I feel like in the background; it is writing a generic, "....the complex interplay of religious and cultural influences that characterized [insert culture here] during the [insert date here]. There is now software that scans documents and looks for AI-written content, and it looks for stuff like that so I try to remove filler text that doesn't offer any value or insight. Again, less is more.
I agree a 100% if what you are looking for are facts, which we often do. Then again, several of us ancient coin collectors also look for a little adventure. Thus, I welcome the speculation, as I find it grounded in probability. You would actually find the writing style you are citing in many works on ancient coins, because we don't know enough about the distant past to be exact and precise. Still, I have avoided using AI until now, because I don't trust the whole project, to be honest. But that's another discussion
Hello: I particularly use it recently and the free version. Regarding identification it has given me data and clues generally correct, but perhaps redundant (posting the photo of the coin in question) and has sent me as a suggestion to the sites, classic forums where I first search. Including Coin Talk. I suppose that to add data, history etc being an identified piece is very useful, but to try to identify something, I don't know, because I use the free version. I will try sending a friend with the paid version to check results. But if this keeps “improving”, I think it will take the fun out of searching and discovery. But that's just my opinion. Best regards and good beginning of the year to all.
There is undoubtedly a lot of speculation in the coin history books, but my point was not to criticize properly applied speculation in academic works. Rather, it was cautionary regarding the excessive speculation and other issues generated by your AI story above. I realize it was your first go at it, and thanks for sharing it. It's a wonderful example of the issues we face when writing with AI. For example, Chat GPT gave you a lengthy and imaginative four-point framework supporting the section Reverse: Lion Devouring Prey on Grain Ear. However, reading it shows that the software just ran with it to fill up four points. It could all be reduced to a single point once the speculation (points made without reference to any fact), redundancy, and generic and irrelevant sections are removed. Of course, it would perform much better if you stuffed it with information about the coin. As they say, garbage in, garbage out. Writing with AI still requires learning to write in general and, specifically, how to get AI to give you what you want. It's not as easy as you'd hope it would be. Thanks for sharing that article.
Hi Valentinian. On this coin I used 4 prompts. First was: "Thank you GPT. I have a greek coin believed to be from Pitane, Mysia. It has a man with ram horns on obverse and a pentagram on reverse. I don't believe the horned man is Zevs in this particular incidence. Who else could it be?" Looking at this promt, I think I have overestimated the robots capacity to disagree. At the same time, I wanted to hear an alternative to Zevs, who I guess we all know pretty well. Second prompt was: "Thank you GPT. The pentagram is an unusual feature on Greek coins. What could be the context of its use in Pitane, Mysia?" 3rd prompt was: "If we consider your summary of the horned man (or god), and those of the pentagram, then what do you think of the combination of the horned god and the pentagram?" Last prompt was: "Excellent, thank you. The reverse side with the pentagram has the inscription ΠΙ - ΤΑ / ΝΑΙΩΝ and a serpent coiled to the right. Does this have any significance in the interpretation of the coin?" Being a new user of this tool, I find it useful to read the feedback from @Denis Richard and others. The robot seems to be more agreeable than I had expected, probably because its owners want their customers happy with the answers? As the robot got used to making its interpretations of coins, fewer questions from me were necessary, as it now knew the format.
