This year continues to bring more coins of Asia Minor than Roman republic to my collection. Today a coin from Phrygia, Laodikeia - also spelled Laodicea, on the western edge of modern Turkey on the river Lycus, not Loadicea ad Mare, today a port city in Syria called Latakia. Phrygia, Laodikeia, 133/88-67 BC Obv: Diademed and draped bust of Aphrodite or the foundress Laodice right Rev: Filleted cornucopia to right; filleted kerykeion to left Size: 20mm, 6.55g Ref: BMC 40-4, SNG Copenhagen 501-2 There are several variations of this coins with single and double cornucopiae, with and without kerykeion (the Greek name for the staff of Hermes that Romans would have called a caduceus). Laodicea was founded by Antiochus II Theos in 261-253 BC in honor of his sister/wife Laodice. It was part of Roman Asia minor when this coin was minted and a thriving city during the later years of the Roman republic. During the period in which this coin is attributed, the city also suffered through the Mithridatic war (of course a Sulla connection). He [Mithridates] overran the rest of Phrygia, together with Mysia and those parts of Asia which had been lately acquired by the Romans. Then he sent his officers to the adjoining provinces and subjugated Lycia, Pamphylia, and the rest as far as Ionia. To the Laodiceans on the river Lycus, who were still resisting (for the Roman general, Quintus Oppius, had arrived with his cavalry and certain mercenaries at their town and was defending it), he made this proclamation by herald before the walls, "King Mithridates promises that the Laodiceans shall suffer no injury if they will deliver Oppius to him." -Appian, The Mithridatic Wars Quintus Oppius managed to survive after being paraded around by Mithridates, and was eventually surrendered to Sulla. Here are a few other favorite Cornucopia coins. L. Cornelius Sulla Felix, as Dictator, AR Denarius Italy, 81 BC Obv: Diademed head of Venus right, wearing single-pendant earring and necklace Rev: Filleted double cornucopiae; Q below Ref: Crawford 375/2; Sydenham 755; Cornelia Note: Marius claimed Apollo as his divine patron, Sulla invoked the goddess Venus and this is why she appears on the obverse of this coin. T. Carisius, circa 46 BC, AR Denarius Obv: Head of Roma right Rev: Cornucopiae on globe between sceptre and rudder Ref: Crawford 464/3 Kings of Mauritania, Juba II, 25 BC-AD 24, AR Denarius, Caesarea mint Obv: Diademed head right Rev: Cornucopia; transverse scepter in background, crescent to upper right Post your coins with cornucopiae or anything else that you find interesting or entertaining.
Those are all very nice Demetrios I 161 to 152 BC Mint: Antioch AR Drachm Obvs: Head of Demetrios right diademed within fillet border. Revs: BAΣΙΛEΩΣ ΔHMHTPIOY ΣΩTHPOΣ, Cornucopia. Two monograms below 17mm, 4.1g Ref: SNG Is. 1285, SC 1642.3b Antiochos VIII Mint: Antioch 97 BC AE 20 Obvs: Head of Antiochos right radiate within dotted border. Revs: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY EΠIΦANOYΣ, Two cornucopias. PE* to left. 20mm, 8.8g Ref: SNG Isr 2560, SC 2 2312.1a Aretas IV Mint: Petra 6 BC to 18 AD Obvs: Aretas IV head right. Revs: Monogram between two crossed cornucopias. AE 12x13mm, 2.2g cf. SNG ANS 1432, Meshorer 67
Nice, @Sulla80 ! RR Plaetorius Cest 67 BC AR Den Helmtd Diety quiv cornucopia S-C Eagle tbolt S 349 Cr 409-1 VF
VALENTIA, ROMAN PROVINCIAL AE As OBVERSE: Helmeted head Roma right, TRINI L F Q before. T AHI T F behind REVERSE: Cornucopia on thunderbolt within wreath; VALEN-TIA Struck at Valentia, Spain 138 BC 11.4g, 27mm CNH pg. 317, 4; Burgos 2512 ALEXANDER II ZABINAS AE22 OBVERSE: Radiate and diademed head right REVERSE: �'ΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ�"ΡΟΥ, Double cornucopia; A-Π flanking, star to lower left Struck at Antioch, Series 5 125-22 BC 8.2g, 22mm SC 2237 SINOPE, PAPHLAGONIA AE16 OBVERSE: Winged head of young Perseus REVERSE: SINW-PHS, cornucopiae between two pilei of the Dioskouroi, each surmounted by a star Struck at Sinope, 120-100 BC 4.09g, 16mm SNG Cop 306, SNGvA 231, Sear 3713 Ex JAZ Numismatics L CORNELIUS SULLA FELIX ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS CORNELIA AR Denarius OBVERSE: Diademed head of Venus right REVERSE: Double cornucopiae; Q below Rome 81 BC 3.77g, 19mm Cr 375/2; Syd 755; Cornelia 33 SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS AR Denarius OBVERSE: IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COSII - Laureate head right REVERSE: FELICITAS TEMPOR - Grain ear between crossed cornucopia Struck at Emesa, 194-195 AD 2.3g, 17mm RIC 374a
Nice cornucopias. I have that first one from Phyrgia, but not nearly as nice as the OP: Laodikeia, Phrygia Æ 20 (c. 133/88-67 B.C.) Laureate, draped bust of Laodice or Aphrodite right / [Λ]AOΔI[KEΩN], single cornucopiae, caduceus behind it. Walcher coll. 2789; SNG Cop 501-502; BMC 40-43; SNG Tuebingen 4127; SNG Munich 345-346. (5.06 grams / 20 x 17 mm)
Phrygia, Laodikea/Laodicea ad Lycum. Pseudo-autonomous. Time of Antoninus Pius; 138-161 AD. Struck c. 139-147 AD. Æ17 mm; 2.75 gm; 6h. Aelius Dionysius Sabinianus, [Αιλιοσ Διονυσιοσ Cαβινιανοσ] Magistrate. Obv: Bust of Helios r., radiate, wearing chlamys; border of dots. Rev: ΛΑΟΔΙ ΔΙΟΝΥ. Cornucopiae containing corn and fruit, on the bend of the horn sits infant Ploutos, his r. hand raised toward a hanging ear of corn; border of dots. BMC 98 [M.J. Borrell 1845]. Pl. XXXV 8. SNG Cop. 535; F. Imhoof-Blumer, MG 403, no. 116, pl. G, no. 27.
@David@PCC, nice trio - cornucopia on the Demetrios is spectacular. @Alegandron, the goddesss on the obverse of this coin is fun to see in various attributions; "Isis + Minerva + Apollo + Diana + Victory + Sabine + Vacuna + Tanit + Fortuna" on the obverse. Given your Carthaginian interests you might find this 1989 ANS/AJN article interesting, discussing North African/Punic influence and and Tanit/Cybele reflected on the obverse imagery of this coin, Ba'al-Hammon/Jupiter on the reverse. Here's my Plaetorius - with a cornucopia in front of this unusual deity - and what is that behind, above the quiver - a bow? M. Plaetorius M.f. Cestianus, 67 BC, AR Denarius, Rome mint Obv: CESTIANVS - S.C, bust of female deity to right, draped and wearing the helmet of Minerva, the laurel wreath of Apollo, the crown of Isis, the wings of Victory and with the bow and quiver of Diana on her back and with a cornucopia before Rev: M PLAET-ORIVS M F - AED - CVR, eagle standing right on thunderbolt, head left, wings spread Ref: Crawford 409/1; Sydenham 809; Plaetoria 4 Thanks Mike, I appreciate seeing another of these in any condition. Given the coin was issued over many years, I wish more could be gleaned from the detail differences. @PeteB - Thanks, interesting to see such a similar coin from Laodicea ad Lycum centuries later with radiate Helios in the place of Laodice/Aphrodite.
@Bing, all very interesting coins - I particularly like the VALENTIA (Roman Britain?) & SINOPE...the Septimius...quite an abundance of cornucopiae.
CORNUCOPIAE (species of Mushrooms or Roman Rulers, kinda the same. ) Pleurotus Hadrian Limes RI Hadrian, AD 117-138 Æ Limes Denarius 18mm 3.5mm after AD 125 Genius stndg sacrificing altar cornucopia RIC II 173 Orbiana RI Orbiana w Severus Alexander Augusta 225-227 CE Æ AS 23 mm 8.75g Rome Concordia patera double cornucopiae RIC 656 Claudius Gothicus RI Claudius Gothicus CE 268-270 AE Ant 24x21mm 2.3g FORTVNA REDVX; Fortuna standing left rudder and cornucopia Z RIC 41
Roman Egypt, Alexandria. Maximinus I, AD 235-238. Billon Tetradrachm (22.5mm, 13.33g, 12h). Dated RY 3 (AD 236/237). Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: Nilus reclining left on hippopotamus(?), holding reed and cornucopia; L-Γ (date) to left. Ref: Köln 2573; Dattari (Savio) 4589; K&G 65.44; Emmett 3293.3. Ex CNG. From the New Orleans Collection.
Laodikeia really liked their cornucopias! Phrygia, Laodikeia. pseudo-autonomous AE24 2nd-3rd Century. AD. Obv: LAODIKEIA, Bust of Tyche with mural crown. Rev: LAODIKEWN, Cornucopia. Poseidonia during second punic war. Paestum(Poseidonia), Lucania. Second Punic War 218-201 BC. AE Triens. Obv: Head of Dionysos right, wreathed with vine / PAIS to right. Rev: Cornucopiae, spray of leaves on left, four dots vertically to left. Second Punic War. 218-201 BC. Crawford 6/1; SNG ANS 15-18.
LOL, I don't have any coins of emperor Pleurotus, but I do think I might have eaten these in Japan. Orbiana has quite a generous cornucopia! @Edessa, another very large cornucopia with Nilus. @ancientone, interesting coins, Poseidonia a location that I don't remember encountering before. @Andres2, thanks, especially the Judean coin - an essential for this category of coins with cornucopiae Here is a double, Phrygian, cornucopia from central Turkey - Φιλομήλιον - Philomelion, Phrygia, today the city of Aksehir, Turkey Phrygia, Philomelion, Late 2nd-1st century BC, AE, ΜΕΝΕ−ΚΛΕ, magistrate Obv: Draped and winged bust of Nike to right, palm over her right shoulder Rev: ΦIΛOMH, double cornucopiae, each bound with fillet; between, thunderbolt surmounted by star and crescent, below magistrates name, ΜΕΝΕ−ΚΛΕ Ref: AMC 2544 (legend and magistrate variant), SNG von Aulock 3916 (?)
I have noticed an enormous influx of bronze coins from Asia Minor - as with any other time when there are large numbers of coins of a certain type or place - who know why and who knows how long it is going to last - and in a sense who cares. I’m just happy to be able to buy these beautiful pieces - and this last coin is stunning!
Thanks! All 3 came from the same seller about 15 years ago. The Aretas was the better part from a lot of 200 Nabataeans, of which I've sold 90% off.
Very nice coins @Sulla80! Asia Minor has a lot of obscure and interesting coin issues. My cornucopia coins: Demetrios II Nikator, First Reign (146-138 B.C.) AR Drachm, ΔΗ mint in Syria or Phoenicia, year ΔOP (174) = 139/8 B.C. Obverse: Diademed head of Demetrios to right. Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔHMHTPIOY ΠIΛAΔEΛΠOY NIKATOPOΣ, cornucopia; ΔH monogram and ΔOP (date) below. Reference: SC 1936; HGC 9, 978. 3.72g; 18mm Demetrios I Soter (161-150 B.C.) AR Drachm. Barbaric (Galatian?) contemporary imitation of Antioch mint issue dated 152/1 BC (SE 161) Obverse: Diademed head right of Demetrios I right. Reverse: Cornucopia; below, two monograms above AΞ(P) (date) below. Reference: For type: SC 1657. 4.30g; 15mm Antiochos VIII Epiphanes (Grypos) (121/0-97/6 B.C.) Æ Denomination B, Antioch mint. Struck ca. 109-96 B.C. Obverse: Radiate and diademed head of Antiochus VIII right. Reverse: BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ANTIOXΟΥ EΠIΦANOYΣ (“of King Antiochos the Illustrious”). Filleted double cornucopiae oriented to right. Reference: SC 2312; 5.72g; 21mm