Sestertius \, Rome, 248. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG Laurate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip I to the right, seen from behind. Rev. SAECVLARES AVGG / S - C Lion advancing right. \, otherwise, good very fine.
Seriously impressive coin, @ro1974. Best I'm likely to do is this, as a live complement to the reading of the song that you posted. ...Except, I've forgotten this part the few times I've started a thread: are you okay with people posting Any coins with lions on them? ...Maybe including medievals?
Amazing strike on that reverse, @ro1974! Beautiful coin. Here's one of my favorite lion coins: Greek Ionia, Miletos. AE Hemiobol, 3.35 g, 18.3 mm, 12 h. Aeschylinos, magistrate, ca. 200 BC. Obv: Apollo Didymeus standing right, holding small stag and bow; monogram below. Rev: Lion seated right with head turned to left, star above, monogram right, ΑIΣXΥΛΙΝΟΥ in exergue. Refs: Deppert 941-56 var; Marcellesi 56.
Those are nice images of lions, @ro1974 and @Roman Collector! Here's one fighting with a king: PHOENICIA, Sidon. Ba`alšillem (Sakton) II. Circa 401-365 BC. AR Sixteenth Shekel (10 mm, 0.72g). Phoenician galley / Persian king or hero, holding dagger in right hand, standing right, fighting lion standing left on its hind legs; all within incuse square.
Thanks for that, @ro1974. And, Rats, pictures of my denier of Edward I as duke of Aquitaine are eluding capture. But here's a dirham of Baibars, the early Mamluk sultan of Egypt who nearly succeeded in ensuring that Edward didn't get home from his crusade. It's kind of cool how both used a lion passant (also called a leopard in Edward's context, and a panther in Baibars') in a heraldic capacity. The 'lion' is at the bottom of the obverse. (Album, Checklist of Islamic Coins, 2nd ed. /1998, #883.) Back, a little less ambiguously, to lions, here's some more music. ...Kind of evokes C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I like how it ends with the singer saying, "Cheer up, little children...."
Hey Ro! good to C ya again old friend....great song and very nice coin! (awingowot)..i don't believe i have an ancient with the critter...and i don't wanna be a lion><
TARAS, CALABRIA AR Diobol OBVERSE: Head of Athena in crested helmet left decorated with Skylla REVERSE: Herakles kneeling right, strangling lion Struck at Taras 380-334 BC 1.2g, 11mm Vlasto 1316
Soon-to-be ex-lion, actually: Constantine I Bronze nummus Ticinum mint, A.D. 307-308 RIC 99 Obv: CONSTANTINVS P F AGV[sic] Rev: VIRTVS PER-PETVA AVG - Hercules, strangling Nemean lion; club behind left leg ST in exergue 26 mm, 7.1 g.
Well, @gsimonel, if that wasn't weird, I don't know what is. From my screen, your post showed a different coin, also very Constantinian, but now that I'm replying to it, a picture of the right one shows up. ...Hmm. Hope it's just my machine, which is dying of old age anyway. (...Like I say to myself, this is what you get for having lived this long.) Anyway, the one you were talking about in the first place, with the conspicuously early Constantinian, commensurately pagan motif, is nothing I ever saw before. As such (at least), very cool.
@ro1974.....Nice coin with lovely reverse detail... Here's a couple more.. Shahis of Ohind AE Jital of Vakka Deva around 870 AD Dia 18mm / 1.9 grams. Obv. Elephant facing left with the name "Sri Vakka Deva" above in Nagari. Rev. Lion to the right with gaping mouth, tongue out and one front paw raised. Diamond symbol in the rump. Toramana II...Lakshmi seated on lion/lion rug?
Exceptionnal sestertius @ro1974 My only lion (appart from coins minted at Lyon (Lugdunum) ) Syracuse Agathokles 317-289 BC Head of Hercules right, SIPAKOSIWN in right field Lion walking right, bow above 7.75 gr, 23 mm Ref : Sear #1201 Q
Islamic. Seljuks of Rum. Ghiyath al-Din Kay Khusraw II. First reign, AH 634-644 / AD 1237-1246. AR Dirhem (22mm, 3.01g). Siwas mint. Dated AH 640 (AD 1242/1243). Obv: Lion advancing right, with paw raised; star and sun above. Rev: Name and titles in four lines within square border; mint and date in outer margin. Ref: Album 1218.
My ancient lions (not including lion-skin headdresses on Herakles/Hercules, Melqart, etc.): Mysia, Kyzikos, AR Diobol, ca. 450-400 BCE. Obv. Forepart of boar left; to right, tunny upwards. Rev. Head of roaring lion left within incuse square. Seaby 3846 [Sear, David, Greek Coins and their Values, Vol. 2: Asia & Africa (Seaby 1979)]; Von Fritze II, Group II, No. 9 (p. 36) [Von Fritze, H., "Die Silberprägung von Kyzikos" in Nomisma IX (1914), at pp. 34 - 56]; BMC 15 Mysia 108-113 [Wroth, Warwick, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 15, Mysia (London, 1892) at pp. 34-35]; SNG BnF 361-366 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, France, Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothéque Nationale, Vol. 5, Mysia (Paris 2001)]. 10 mm., 1.22 g., 6 h. Roman Republic. C. Poblicius Q.f. AR Serrate Denarius, 80 BCE. Obv. Head of Roma right, wearing helmet decorated with grain ears; ROMA behind, V above / Rev. C•POBLICI•Q•F; Hercules standing left, strangling the Nemean Lion; bow and quiver to left, club below, V above lion. Crawford 380/1, RSC I Poblicia 9, Sear RCV I 308 (ill.), Harlan, RRM I Ch. 5 at pp. 23-27, BMCRR Rome 2896. 20.13 mm., 3.84 g. Septimius Severus, AR Denarius 203-204 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, SEVERVS PIVS AVG / Dea Caelestis in headdress riding side-saddle on lion right, facing right and holding thunderbolt & scepter; below, water gushing from rocks left; INDVLGENTIA AVGG; in exergue: IN CARTH [probable reference to water project in Carthage]. RIC IV-1 266, RSC III 222, Sear RCV II 6285. 18x20 mm., 3.9 g. Septimius Severus, AR Denarius 207 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, SEVERVS - PIVS AVG / Rev. Africa in elephant-skin headdress standing facing, head right, holding out drapery containing basket of fruit[?], lion crouching to her right at her feet, head left, PM TR P XV CPOS III PP. RIC IV 207, RSC III 493, Sear RCV II 6341. 18.73 mm., 2.95 g. Ex. Madroosi Collection (Joe Blazick). Philip I AR Antoninianus, 248 AD, Rome Mint, 1st Officina. Obv. Radiate, draped, & cuirassed bust right, IMP PHILIPPVS AVG/ Rev. Lion walking right, SAECVLARES AVGG; I in exergue. RIC IV-3 12, RSC IV 173, Sear RCV III 8956 (ill.). 23 mm., 3.41 g. (Games commemorating 1,000th anniversary of founding of Rome.) And one more recent lion, from the James Mudie series of 40 medals struck in 1820 to commemorate British victories in the Napoleonic wars: Great Britain, Siege of Acre, 1799 (Struck 1820). Obv. Bust left, uniformed, ADMIRAL SIR S. SMITH/ Rev. British Lion, within a rocky pass, protects Syrian camel from menacing French tiger. In exergue: ACRE DEFENDED. BUONAPARTE REPULSED SYRIA SAVED. XX MAY MDCCLXXXXIX. AE 41 mm. By G. Mills/ N.G.A. Brenet. Mudie 7, Eimer 906, BHM 476. [Photo of reverse only] Note the impressive, comic book-sized bicep and forearm on the British lion, by contrast to the scrawniness of the cowardly French "tiger" (who doesn't even have any stripes!) skulking in the background.
MYSIA, Kyzikos. Circa 390-341/0 BC. AR Tetradrachm (14.30 gm, 1h, 23mm) Obv: Head of Kore Soteira left, wearing single-pendant earring, hair in sphendone covered with a veil, two grain ears in hair; ΣΩTEIPA above (weak, but present in full). Rev: Head of lion left, mouth open with tongue protruding; below, tunny left; KY-ZI around, hydria behind. Pixodarus Type 2, Group C; von Fritze II 23, pl. V, 32; SNG France 400-1; SNG von Aulock 1218; SNG Copenhagen 53; SNG Fitzwilliam 4151; Kraay & Hirmer 719.