As many of you know, I collect many Central Asian coins. I like coins from the Persian empire, (Achaemenids, Parthians, Sassanians). I also love Sogdian pieces, (which include a variety of cultures like Yeuh Chi, Huns, Chinese, etc), as well as all Hunnic and Kushan. I had seen some early pieces in the last year or two in Roma auctions. I never thought too much about them, but did pick this one up recently at another auction: BACTRIA: AR didrachm (7.88g), ca 329-323 BC, Mitchiner-24b, Nicolet-Pierre & Amandry-47, 48 (this piece), struck under Macedonian satrap, helmeted head of Athena right, monogram behind // owl standing right, head facing, AΘE, prow of galley above grape bunch behind, some roughness, a well-struck example with dark iridescent toning, VF to EF. Once I bought it, (I do this a lot), I researched it more. I bought it because it is very unusual having the entirety of the design on the coin. Given how they are laid out, usually some of it is off the coin. Anyway, isn't this effectively the very first coins ever struck in this area of the world? Some are attributed to Sophytes, a local ruler who surrendered to Alexander, while others attribute them to a Macedonian Satrap. There are two main types, these imitating Owls and another with a head in a Macedonian helmet and a rooster on the reverse. Luckily I bought it, since the more I think about it, the more I need to own it. My questions are: 1. Is this the very first struck coins in this area of the world? 2. Are researchers firm on which coins came first, the owls or the helmeted head/rooster? 3. What is the latest thinking on how the "Sophytes" coins fit into this chronology? There are coins bearing his name. Are they before these "Macedonian Satrapal" coins? 4. Anyone have any idea, why a massively landlocked area of the world like Bactria would put a prow of a Greek warship on a coin? I know @Terence Cheesman posted a tet of these last year.
UC-Berkeley has a large collection of Islamic era coins from Bukhara and Samarkand. Was able to study them in my Central Asian history class as an undergrad. They currently are not on display.
I LIKE this post and your questions. I never really paid attention to the History. However, due to a different climate / ecology at this time and several thousand years earlier, Human settled this area pretty extensively. So, commerce, trade was happening, but your question of first coin of the area is very intriguing! @zumbly posted a coin of a Water Diety from this area too, with the same question... why are Water Dieties, and now your Prow, being depicted on land-locked area coins. Cool. I only dabble in Central Asia to pique my interests. Here are some Sogdians: Sogdiana, Eastern Sogd, Samitan, Nanaiabiat Samidanian (ca. 700-800 AD) AE cash, 8th C. CE mint of Ismitan Obv: Droit :Tamga of the town of Samitan on both sides of the central hole. Rev: Sogdian legend. (uncertain translation) 19 mm x 1.16 g. Ref: Fedorov: pl. 24, 1-6 Comment: Extremely Rare; Its a coin known only from single finds Extracted from the claws of: @Ancientnoob Western Sogdiana, Hyrcodes, c. 3rd-4th Century AD AR scyphate "obol" or reduced drachm, 12mm, 0.56gm, 11h; Bukhara mint. Obv.: Diademed, bearded male head right. Rev.: Trace of blundered Greek legend. Deity standing facing, flames on shoulders, holding spear. Reference: BMC Bactria p. 118, 10 (pl. XXIV); cf. MACW 358 ("Dahae"). Ex: @John Anthony
As another example of the type, here is a tet for sale right now. This demonstrates the issue I mentioned of centering, and why I was happy with my example. While it is most likely my coin, (design, it is a tet and mine a didrach), they made many styles of these at a few mints. Not all had the monograms to the left of Athena. This one is attributed to being that type, and it sure looks like it, but with the monogram completely off the coin there is no way to be sure. Plus, this coin is asking about 6 times what I paid.
@medoraman - I share your interest in these early Baktrian issues . I will attempt to answer your questions : 1. I find HGC 12 a good reference - in it, Hoover divides these early issues into four groups. The first group he numbers 1 to 3 in his catalogue (yours is 3) so this makes them the earliest Baktrian coins in his opinion. I have an example of HGC 12 1 Baktria, 'Athenian Series' AR Tetradrachm. Uncertain mint in the Oxus region, circa 261-239/8 BC (date contentious) . Attic standard. Head of Athena right, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl; monogram behind / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind, grape bunch over tail, AΘE before. 2. These group 1 owls come first . minted to Attic weight standards Groups 2 to 4 are to a lower local weight standard . Group 2 - same design as group 1 , but local weights Group 3 - eagle reverse - here is my example Parthia(?), 'Eagle series' AR Drachm. Hekatompylos(?), circa 246/5-239/8 BC. Local standard. Head of Athena right, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl / Eagle standing left, head right; behind, grape cluster on vine with leaf, and kerykeion (caduceus) above. Group 4 -cock reverse with Sophytes legend - which answers your 3rd question (sadly I don't have one) 4. Group 1 were closely imative of Athenian issues ,including ships prows.
Lol, I happen to have HGC 12 sitting on my desk in a pile of coin books. Duh. I will pull it out and read. Thank you. Just getting into these. Don't know why I didn't consider the question as to which coins were the first minted in this area earlier, considering I collect basically all other pre-Islamic coins from here. Edit: This is on the corner of my desk as I type this. This is why I LOL'ed.
So, after reading every word in HGC about these, where are you getting your dates from? He was leading me to believe my example was most likely struck by Macedonian settlers during Alex III reign. Your date is about 80 years later than that. The paper which published my actual coin also dates it from 328-323 BC.
Dating : the more articles I read (several on Academia.edu) and references I look at the more confused I become. My dates are those assigned by the seller, which I have left unchanged as they are meant to be based on academic papers dating from after HGC was published. However, these papers are not all in agreement . Personally, I shall wait until (and if) some consensus emerges.
Very fair sir. Personally, I would be surprised if the later dates hold. It seems very late, stepping all over Seleucid, Parthian, and other series dates to have them struck so late. Earlier dating, like near the end of Alexander's reign to when the Seleucids took over the area seems to make most sense. Plus, if that dating is used, "Sophytes" could be the historical Sophytes, the ruler who surrendered to Alexander and was allowed to rule his kingdom. When in doubt, I prefer not to invent a second person with an unusual name, otherwise unknown to history, simply to make convenient timelines work.
