City Wall with no door.

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Ancient Aussie, Oct 21, 2017.

  1. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member

    Here's an interesting gate that maybe you can help me with. (Except where incomplete, the Greek I can read; that's not where I need the help.)
    Obverse:
    AY K A CEΠ CEVHPOC Π
    Sep Severos
    (Note the use of a Latin V in his cognomen)

    Reverse:
    HΓE Γ? KAI ΛA[...] ΓOY
    below gate in two lines (Ploteinopoleiton) ΠΛΩTEINOΠOΛEITΩN PLWTEINOPOLEITWN

    sepsev01-gz636-sm.jpg
    It is a provincial for Septimius Severus from Plotinopolis, but I do not find any listed for him in the online Mousmov or Wildwinds pages. Presumably those pages are complete, but if not, they have been incomplete for well over a decade. However, I do not own a copy of Mousmov (nor Varbanov) and cannot check the listings to see what the online listings are missing. The numbering appears continuous from Faustina Junior to Caracalla, with no room for Septimius. I know the coin is quite rare, but cannot believe that Mousmov has no listings for Septimius from Plotinopolis. Can anyone enlighten me from any reference?

    Anyway, the three-arch gate features a quadriga with three passengers atop; two appear to be waving or hailing the figure standing at extreme right. The third passenger is on a lower step at the back (driver?).
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2017
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  3. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Fantastic coin, have not seen anything like it, cannot help with attribution at the moment but will enquire in another forum if you like.
     
  4. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member


    That would be nice. A little background. The coin is an AE28 (27x28mm) and weighs 12.15g. Die axis is 7 o'clock. I bought it back in 2003, and I think I was bidding against Ray Wilk for it. As it turned out I was able to acquire another, similar but not identical. Ray and I used to get together back then, and I sold the second coin to him. That is the one he shows on his web page. This one has not seen the light of day on the web until today.

    If you like Provincial gates you may enjoy this one issued for Geta. It's an AE25 (11.6g) from Kallatis.
    Geta01-pm700-sm.jpg

    It pretty much has everything you want in a gate; layered stonework, turret towers, partially lowered portcullis, standing figure (right tower), viewing ports, and mark of denomination (pentassarion). And the youthful portrait of Geta isn't bad either. In all a fun coin.

    Gates were a major subspecialty of mine back in the day, and I have many hundreds, Imperial and Provincial.
     
  5. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Thanks for sharing, your right just about perfect for a provincial gate.
     
  6. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Geta along with the rest of the Severans had some of the best gate and arch coins that I have seen, here's one with Geta, Caracalla, Julia Domna and S/Severus standing on a wall or arch. Moesia Inferior, Marcianopolis. 338_large_fb558f62c103225261f67857ae5b6461.jpeg I think think this deserves to see another of your great coins lrbguy.
     
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  7. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    The information I am getting is that is Varbanov 1840 English version, like this one on Ray Wilk's site...http://citygate.ancients.info/gates11.htm
    further description.....this is his German translated: Apparently there are (at stempelgl. Vs.) three Rs.Stempel:
    a) high, relatively narrow building with raised center arc, quadriga in step (# k0467)
    b) flat construction with raised center arc, quadriga in stand (# k0451)
    (c) flat construction with approximately equal arcs, Quadriga in the step (this Ex., Varb.1840)

    Variants a) (c) possess, in the ethnic, sharp and round, b) round epsilon alone..
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2017
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  8. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    This is the coin in the Varbanov catalogue lrbguy, 22549988_10212830010418672_8854948803518222700_n.jpg
     
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  9. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member

    I have always liked the Marcianopolis gate with family atop. In addition to the one you are showing there is another style. Have you seen it?

    But let's turn the thread back to its beginning and show another view of the Anchialos city walls, without door.
    sepsev01-rt82b-sm.jpg

    Septimius Severus, as in the OP, but now it's a three turret view with two towers, solid brickwork, no door. The coin measures as an AE29/ 15.77g, but if the delta on the reverse is an indication of denomination, then it cannot be a tetrassarion for which the numeral delta (d=4) is used, since it is heavier then a pente. So perhaps the letter stands for the first letter of the name of the denomination and the coin is tariffed as a dekassarion? Not sure.
     
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  10. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Nice one, at a couple of grams heavier than my one, maybe the next denomination up. I do recall another Marcianopolis gate with four statues that are all similar size, maybe the celator got lazy and couldn't be bothered putting as much detail into the figures as my one.
     
  11. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member


    Thank you for this. The Varbanov illustration coin is like the one I sold Ray, and I agree it is "c" in the list. The horses are aligned in step with each other. In my example the horses stand and look at each other. If I am getting the sense of what he wrote, that would make mine a "b" example. That also fits for the "raised center gate."
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2017
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  12. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Here's another ex Ray Wilk with statues on top. Macrinus and Diadumenian, Thrace Marcianopolis, 25.46gm, 11.91gm, Varbanov 929. 2015-01-07 01.08.10-6.jpg
     
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  13. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member

    I have to photograph it, but I think I have obverse and reverse die matches for the coin you showed at the start of the thread. It is not as nice an example, but the details seem to line up. I will work on getting that up tomorrow afternoon.

    As for the Macrinus and Diadumenion piece, yes that is what I was referring to. In fact that reverse looks almost identical to mine, right down to the centration dimple.
    How does it look to you?
    mac&dia01-gz417b-sm.jpg
     
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  14. Valentinian

    Valentinian Well-Known Member

    City walls and gates make a great theme collection. Some collectors add in temples, considering the theme to be "architecture." Here are some reference works:

    http://augustuscoins.com/ed/catalogs/architectural.html

    Here is a coin of (H)Adrianopolois:
    GordianIIIPRcitygate6471.JPG
    Gordian III, 238-244.
    25 mm. 9.19 grams.
    Sear Greek Imperial 3652. BMC Thrace 44. Moushmov 2701.
     
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  15. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Looks like a die match. But there is still another type of my Domna/Caracalla coin I will see if I can dig up a pic.
     
  16. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the references, very interesting. That Gordian is one of the better ones I have seen. Good detail on walls and towers.
     
  17. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    88000690.jpg Here is the link to this similar type to mine https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=192285 It describes them as four persons lrbguy.
     
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  18. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Another important city near Anchialos was Augusta Traiana here is some info on how this city came about. As the Odrysian kingdom's self-independence was abolished in 45 AD, Anchialos became part of the Roman province of Thrace and was formally proclaimed a city under Emperor Trajan. At the time the city controlled a vast territory bordering that of Augusta Traiana (Stara Zagora) and reaching the Tundzha to the west, bordering that of Mesembria to the north and the southern shore of Lake Burgas to the south. Source Wikipedia. The coinage of city gate's closely resembled that of Anchialos, except for a third tower rising from centre. Septimius Severus, 15.4gm, 29mm, Varbanov 961. 348.jpeg
     
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  19. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Septimius Severus 16.jpg
    SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS
    AE27
    OBVERSE: AV K L CEP CEVHPOC, laureate and cuirassed bust right
    REVERSE: OVLPIANWN AGXIALEWN, city gate, flanked by two battlemented towers, four arches on wall; N in ex.
    Struck at Anchialus, Thrace, 193-211 AD
    27mm
    Varbanov 205
     
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  20. coin_nut

    coin_nut Well-Known Member

    I have this one camp gate. I only dabble in ancients and know very little about them. This one I have labeled as Constantine I, 326-327, Sisica mint? I assume this one is not very rare or valuable. A14-Constantine I obv.JPG A14-Constantine I rev.JPG
     
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  21. dlhill132

    dlhill132 Member

    Wow, awesome gates eveyone!

    Doug
    arelate1.jpg arelate3.jpg
     
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