Featured The Griffins

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

PS: Here's the example at the Getty:



That is a wheel. No doubt!

 

For anything Greek, I think it is safe to say that Griffin will follow suit with solar references. If you are looking for the ancient symbols there is the traditional trilogy of Cresent Moon, Sun (rays in a circle) and Star rays w/boundry. I guess I would say that a quick google search on Sen or Utu or any of the ancient early gods will provide you ample image references.
When you get into the Roman coins the lotus flower knob is very rare. So, at this point in time, we are probably seeing the syncretism of many different gods. In reality, we are making guesses. We don't have an ancient Wikipedia telling us how the people related to their symbols.

 

I actually think the burden would be on you to provide any kind of reference suggesting that what every scholar looking at these coins and objects has seen as a wheel is not a wheel. Also, could you please point to one of the images posted in this thread as an example of the the lotus flower knob on top of a griffin's head? I'm really not sure what you're referring to. All I see is ears and feathers!

 

Look at the original post. The two images of pottery show the knob. Usually its a bump above the eye. If you look at several of the Greek griffins you will see a similar bump above the eye. I sure wish I still had the image Patricia Lawrence shared with me of the bronze sculptors at the Louvre. I think it was the Louver. Anyway the discussion was centered around the "scrolls" you see on the Winged Carian coins. The scrolls also show up on the griffins (ons) if search the the Louvre database. https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010251184
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010261824
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010264060
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010293050. Best example
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010176696 Best example with scrolls / tendrils
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010255410.
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010258342
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010257849
I'm going to stop here. There are 680 references in the database. When you look at the early examples the scrolls and knobs are there. They are lost as the griffins take on new attributes or move away from Eastern influence.
CNG Research
https://tinyurl.com/y7vzfypj
https://tinyurl.com/ctz2kryn
https://tinyurl.com/2kh74tsc electrum
https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=382956 one of the earliest griffins on coinage
https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=363314

As I mentioned the older the coin the better you odds of finding the knob. Did it get dropped as you move west and through time? Yes.

 

The winged Carian. With griffin with knob and tendrils
https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=337019
https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=336983
Again with knob and tendrils

 

I found the thread. Scroll to the top of the page. These are from Patricia Lawrence's private photos from Berlin. A lot of griffins with the lotus.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=32048.msg252286#msg252286

Ryan