Bought this coin last week at HJB in downtown Chicago: Would love to know why it has two dates: ΘΝ = 59 — year 59 of the Caesarian era, whose epoch at Gabala was about 46 BC. ΔΜ = 44 — year 44 of the Augustan/Actian era, beginning with Octavian's victory at Actium in 31 BC. Syria, Seleukis and Pieria, Gabala, dated Years 59 and 44 AE 22, 5.89 g RPC Online I 4452; BMC (Greek Coins of Galatia, Cappadocia, and Syria, Imperial Coinage, With heads of Emperors, Augustus, p. 243) 3 and Pl. XXVIII.7 Ex Collection Prof. David MacDonald. VF Ob.: Bare head of Augustus to r. Rev.: ΓABAΛEΩN (of the people of Gabala) Goddess (Astarte?) seated to l. on throne wearing chiton and stephane, holding poppy-head in r. hand and l. hand on scepter; before her, at feet, small sphinx. Dates ΔΜ in l. field, ΘΝ in r. field. In exergue ΖΗ (control / administrative mark of uncertain meaning). Please share your coins with two dates or anything you deem relevant. Picture courtesy HJB:
Sorry, these were the best I could do. Good luck in your quest for info. Oh, wait. I can do Augustus. But not dual-dated.
I asked AI ChatGPT and this is its answer, which I'm sharing with you: "The coin is dual-era dated. The two inscriptions refer to two different eras, not two different dates of manufacture: ΘΝ = 59 — year 59 of the Caesarian era, whose epoch at Gabala was about 46 BC. ΔΜ = 44 — year 44 of the Augustan/Actian era, beginning with Octavian's victory at Actium in 31 BC. Because those epochs are 15 years apart, the numbers are also exactly 15 apart: 59 − 44 = 15. Both correspond to AD 13/14, the last year of Augustus' life. The reason for the dual-era date is that Gabala was simultaneously reckoning time from two different politically significant epochs. Both were most likely used because the two eras represented two layers of Gabala’s civic-political chronology. The older Caesarian reckoning commemorated the Caesarian reorganization/liberation of Syrian cities in the 40s BC; after Actium, an Augustan era beginning in 31 BC was also adopted by a number of Syrian cities. Putting both numbers on the coin allowed Gabala to express the current year in both the established local/Caesarian system and the newer Augustan imperial system. The deliberate practice of dual-era dating, can be interpreted as reflecting continuity between two civic eras. This particular evidence was not an isolated accident of this Augustus’ issue. Gabala later continued to put two numerical groups on some coins. A Trajan issue, for example, has ΗΚΡ = 128 and ΓΜΡ = 143, again numbers exactly 15 years apart. CNG specifically notes the controversy surrounding Gabala’s coins with two sets of numbers. This actually makes RPC I 4452 interesting: two genuine chronological dates and a separate recurring Gabala control mark, a particularly elegant little piece of Gabala chronology—the dual era plus the separate ΖΗ control mark makes the reverse unusually informative."
It really is! I always enjoy it so very much. At HJB's office you can also ask to read any of the huge number of books and catalogues they have. Maybe at some point you are visiting Chicago and visit HJB, of course I would also love to meet you in person
So you really have to come again ! 1982 was a long time ago The fall is a wonderful season here - the winter not so much; it gets very cold and windy, but who knows what happens with the climate change the world is experiencing nowadays.
