Featured Follow the coin theme GAME - ancient edition - post ‘em if you got ‘em

Relevant coins and history in my Notes: An Emerging Story

Zeus without Nike:

Bactria, Indo-Greek Kingdom, Hermaios, circa 105-90 BCE, Æ Tetradrachm (23mm, 9g, 12h), postumous issue, struck circa 90-50 BC
Obv: Diademed and draped bust right
Rev: Zeus seated slightly left, extending arm and holding scepter; monograms flanking

Zeus with Nike:

Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Antiochia ad Orontem, in the year of the Parthian occupation, 41/40 BC, Æ tetrachalkon, (25 mm, 11.39 g, 1 h). Although date is off flan, year 272 of the Seleucid era or year 9 of the Caesarean Era (41/0 BC) is the only year issued
Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right / ANTIOXHΩN THΣ MHTPOΠOΛHΩΣ THΣ IEPAΣ KAI AΣY[ΛOY], Zeus seated left, holding Nike and scepter; before, pileus surmounted by star at feet on either side of throne; below, [BOΣ or Θ] (date)
Rev: RPC 4223; RPC 4224

Next: Athena with Nike

 

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Seleucid Kingdom, Demetrius II Nikator 1st reign, AE 24 mm, 12.22 g. Uncertain mint in Syria, 146-145 BC.
Obv.: laureate head of zeus
Rev.: BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔHMHTPIOY ΘEOY ΦIΛAΔEΛΦOY NIKATOPOΣ, winged Athena standing left, holding Nike facing right and offering wreath, spear in crook of arm, left hand resting on grounded shield, monogram in lower left field.
Seleucid Coins (part II) 1919.

Next : Seleucid king

 

Great Blog writeup! Thanks!

 

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/di...-ancient-fail-o-king-tryphon-the-soft.344555/
Next up: someone with a story nearly to amazing to believe

 

Alexander II Zebinas.
He was a Seleucid king at war against his rival and competitor Antiochus VIII, supported by Egypt. Zebinas had a big problem: he was broke and could not pay his mercenary troops. So, being in Antioch, he had a brilliant idea: "Let's rob a bank!"
- But, Lord, banks we could rob are not invented yet!
- Well... Let's rob Zeus' temple!
- Yeaaaah !

Zebinas and his accomplices broke into the Temple. There was a huge statue of Zeus Nikephoros holding a gold victory in his hand. They detached the victory and Zebinas held her in his hand, trying to estimate how much gold she represented. At this moment citizens of Antioch entered the temple and saw Zebinas carrying away the gold victory.
- Sacrilege!!! they screamed. What are you doing? Are you crazy?
- Er... No, no, it's OK, didn't you know that Zeus has given me victory?
- Oh, sorry... they said. And they let him go with the victory.

Some days after, the gold victory not being enough, he decided to go back to the temple and take the statue of Zeus himself, which was covered with gold. This time he didn't find a proper joke, the people revolted and, to avoid being lynched by the mob on the spot, Zebinas fled out of town. Abandoned by his men, he fell in the hands of a gang of bandits who sold him to Antiochus VIII.

Next up: Antiochus VIII

 

Next?

 

Syria, Seleucid Empire, Antiochos VIII Epiphanes (Grypon) Tetradrachm, 109-96 BCE Antioch Mint. Obv. Diademed head of Antiochos VIII right / Rev. Zeus Nikephoros seated left on high-backed throne, holding Nike on outstretched right hand and scepter in left; to outer left, E/P monogram above A [Antioch]; ΔI monogram below throne; BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ANTIOXOY EΠIΦANOYΣ; all within laurel wreath. Seleucid Coins [SC] Pt. 2, 2309; Seleucid Coins Online [same] (see http://numismatics.org/sco/id/sc.1.2309); Seaby 7145 (ill.) [Sear, David, Greek Coins & their Values, Vol. II: Asia & Africa (Seaby 1979)]; Hoover HGC 9, 1200 [Hoover, Oliver, Handbook of Syrian Coins, Royal and Civic Issues, Fourth to First Centuries BC, The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series, Volume 9 (2009)]; Newell SMA 405 [Newell, E.T., The Seleucid Mint of Antioch (1918)], SNG Israel 2554-55 [Spaer, A. & A. Houghton, Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Israel I, The Arnold Spaer Collection of Seleucid Coins (London, 1998)]; BMC 4 Seleucid Syria 2 (p. 98) (ill. Pl. XXVI, No. 3) [erroneously attributed to Antiochos XI] [Gardner, P., A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 4, The Seleucid Kings of Syria (London, 1878)]. 27 mm., 16.2 g.



Next, changing the subject: A personification of a river other than Nilus:



And other than a personification of the Orontes:



They would be too easy! So a different one. Here's my example of one other such riverine personification, depicted on Trajan's Danube denarius:

 

The river god isn't clearly named though...


Plautilla, Bronze minted at Pautalia, Thrace
PHOYL TTLAVTILLA CEBA, diademed and draped bust right
HTE CIKI KLAPOV OVATTI TTAUTALIAC, river god seated left
12,4 gr
Ref : Ruzicka, Pautalia # 771a, G&M #134/1849, same obverse die

Next : more river God

Q

 

Another coin with an unknown river god.

Ionia. Magnesia ad Sipylum. Domitia AD 82-96.
Bronze Æ 15 mm, 2,86 g
ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑ ϹƐΒΑϹΤΗ, draped bust of Domitia, right / ΜΑΓΝΗ ϹΙΠΥ, river god reclining l., holding branch of plant and cornucopia over inverted pot from which flows water
RPC II, 986; BMC 56; Cop 259

Next - another coin from 1st century AD, having on the obverse a Roman lady.

 

Roman Cilicia, Augusta. Julia Augusta (Livia), Augusta, AD 14-29. Æ16 (3.58g, 12h). Struck after AD 20. Obv: Draped bust of Livia right. Rev: ΑYΓOYΣTA/NΩN; Capricorn left, holding globe; six-rayed star above. Ref: RPC 4007; Karbach, Augusta 6; SNG France 1891. Fine, dark green patina.

Next: A coin from the 2nd century AD, having on the obverse a Roman Lady.

 

2nd century AD. I guess that would include Faustina Junior.

Faustina Junior. Augusta, Æ Sestertius. Rome mint.
AD 161-164. 30mm, 20.61 g, 11h.
Obv: Draped bust right
Rev: Hilaritas standing left, holding long palm frond and cornucopia.
RIC III 1642 var. (circlet of pearls; Aurelius); MIR 18, 15-6b var. (same).
CNG Auction: July 2009; Feb 2021.

Next: A coin from the 3rd century AD, having on the obverse a Roman Lady

 

Herennia Etruscilla, AD 249-251.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 14.04 gm, 28.3 mm.
Rome, AD 250-251.
Obv: HERENNIA ETRVSCILLA AVG, diademed and draped bust, right.
Rev: FECVNDITAS AVG SC, Fecunditas standing left, right hand extended to child standing at her feet; holding cornucopiae.
Refs: RIC 134a; Sear 9504; Cohen 9; Hunter 12.

Next: FOURTH century AD Roman lady.

 

Fausta (wife of Constantine I and daughter of Maximian), Billon reduced Centenionalis, Alexandria Mint (First Officina) 326 AD. Obv. Draped bust right, FLAV MAX FAVSTA AVG / Rev. Veiled Fausta standing facing, head left, holding two small children [representing Constantine II Caesar and Constantius II Caesar?]* in her arms, SPES REIP-VBLICAE; in exergue, SMALA [Alexandria, First Officina]. RIC VII Alexandria 40 (p. 709), Sear RCV IV 16582. 19 mm., 2.92 g. Ex. Dr. Frank Sternberg Collection, Sternberg I, Zurich, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 1973, part of Lot 524 (catalogue p. 61).



* Sear argues (see Sear RCV V at p. 77) that the two children depicted were Constantius II and Constans, asserting that Constantine II was not Fausta’s son. This is a minority view.

Next, does anyone have a Roman lady -- Eastern or Western -- from the 5th century?

 

Galla Placidia, Western Roman Empire
AE nummus
Obv: D N GALLA PLA-CIDIA P F AVG, female, pearl-diademed bust right, wearing necklace and earrings
Rev: SALVS REI-PVBLICE around cross, T in left field
Mint: Rome
Mintmark: RM
Date: 425-437 AD
Ref: RIC X 2111



Next theme: Phocas

 

AE follis
RY 6 (607-08), Cyzicus

8.9 grams



Next: A Phocas solidus

 

Phocas, AD 602-610. AV Solidus (20mm, 4.36g, 6h). Constantinople mint, I = 10th officina. Struck AD 607-610. Obv: ∂ N FOCAS PЄRP AVI; Draped and cuirassed facing bust, wearing crown without pendilia, holding globus cruciger. Rev: VICTORIA AVGЧ I; Angel standing facing, holding globus cruciger and staff surmounted by staurogram; CONOB in exergue. Ref: Sear 620; DOC 10j; MIBE 9. Good Very Fine. From a private British collection. Ex Roma eSale 71 (25 May 2020), Lot 1378.

Next: Your favorite Byzantine.

 

one of my favourites:



next: your favourite Byzantine

 

Revolt of the Heraclii, follis, AE 33 mm, 10.43 g, 6 h. Alexandria, 610 AD.
Obv.: dm HЄRACLIO CONSuL II, bareheaded busts of Heraclius and his father, the exarch Heraclius, wearing consular robes; between them and above, cross.
Rev. ANNO - X/IIII / A/AΛEΞANΔ, Large M, cross above. DOC 16 (Alexandretta).

Next up : your favourite Roman coin

 

At the moment its this one:


next: Melquart

 

My own version:



Next, your favorite Roman Republican coin(s). As for me, I can't pick just one favorite, but here are some, from my "top" coin lists for 2020 and 2021: