Help Reading Roman Provincials

I was looking for suggestions on resources for help in reading the greek text on early Roman provincials.

Thanks in advance!

 

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This is a good start :
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Greek Alphabet

 

Thank you for the link @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix. That link is interesting and I'll spend some time looking it over. I would like to be able read inscriptions such as ЄΠI ΓAIOY KЄCTIO Y ΛNTIO ЄT ЄIP, AYTO KAI OYЄCΠACIANOC CЄBACTOY YIOC and AYTOKPA KAICAP OYЄCΠACIANOC CЄBACTOC. I know what these say from auction descriptions, I would just like to read them for myself.

 

I don't have it but the Dictionary of Roman Coin Inscriptions by Stewart J. Westdal has both Roman and Provincial inscriptions.

 

Thanks for the lead.

 

Are the last two on two sides of the same coin (Vespasian with Titus reverse?).? The first one reads like a reverse naming the responsible magistrate. ET EIP is the year date (115). You need to show pictures that will help explain the context of the letters some of which are abbreviations. You do not need to learn to read all Greek to decipher these legends.

 

As those who know him would expect, @dougsmit is correct on all accounts.

The first coin is a Vespasian Didrachm.
O: AYTOKPA KAICAP OYЄCΠACIANOC CЄBACTOC. (Emperor Vespasian Caesar Augustus)
R: AYTO KAI OYЄCΠACIANOC CЄBACTOY YIOC. (The Son of Emperor Vespasian Caesar Augustus)

I did the translation years back when i purchased the coin but it was from deciphering auction listings, not because I actually read the coin.

The second is Caius Cestius Gallus.


SELEUCIS and PIERIA, Antioch. Nero. AD 54-68. Æ As (30.5mm, 15.36 g, 12h).
Caius Cestius Gallus, legatus Syriae. Dated year 115 of the Caesarean Era (AD 66/7).
O: Laureate head right; coiled serpent to right. IM • NER • CLAV • CAESAR
R: ЄΠI ΓAIOY KЄCTIO Y ΛNTIO ЄT • ЄIP in five lines within wreath (In the magistracy of Gaius Cestius, Antioch, year 115)

I imagine ΛNTIO is Antioch and I know ET is an abbreviation for year and that EIP = P-100, I-10, E-5 hence 115. However, I'm just taking the auction houses word for the rest and that's why I would like to read it for myself.

Thanks for any education!

 

The David Sears book "Greek Imperial Coins" -- what most people here call Roman Provincial coins -- is fairly easy to find second-hand, and has several multi-page lists of commonly-encountered Greek inscriptions with translations.

 

If you're used to reading Roman coins, once you recognize the letters, you start to see/hear some of the Latin words and names on provincials like :

• KAI == KAIC == KAICAP == KAISAR or Caesar

or titles like :

• ΓЄPM == GERM == Germanicus
• ΔAK == DAC == Dacius

and names like:

• OYЄCΠACIANOC = OUESPASIANOS == Vespasian
  
• ΓAIOY == GAIOU == Gaius
  
• KЄCTIOY == KESTIOU == Cestius

Then there some Greek template words that you'll see often

• CЄB == CEBASTOS == SEBASTOS == Augustus/Venerable
• AYTO == AYTOKPA == AUTOKRA == Imperator
• APICT == ARIST or Optimo

 

This is great @Sulla80. ЄΠI must, then, indicate a magistrate.
I suppose KЄCTIOY is split up as KЄCTIO Y just because it didn't fit within the wreath?

 

With my limited legend reading vocabulary, I read ЄΠI as a preposition meaning “in the time of” or “under” or “belonging to”. You need someone with more Greek skills to explain how cases affect the translation.

and I see Y as wrapping over the line.

 

Memo

A==2==BRUTE==A

 

I’m afraid this is going to be above my pay grade, but it addresses the ЄΠI question. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=116344.0

 

Thanks, interesting discussion and some fun cartoons of "man on lion" and "man against lion" here.