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7 different issues of Phlius in Phliasia, Peloponnesus; Grecian Eden
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<p>[QUOTE="Plumbata, post: 4614586, member: 96864"]Several years ago I stumbled across a Trihemiobol from a city I'd never heard of in a region I'd never heard of. Delightful, a new interesting mystery to investigate! The aesthetics were pleasing and price was right, so upon receipt I launched on a rather underwhelming quest for knowledge about the obscure polity. A few of you have presented nice writeups on Phlius to frame your own coins so I won't repeat it all. From wikipedia I learned that:</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>"Phliasia was an independent polis in the northeastern part of Peloponnesus. Phlius' territory, called Phliasia (Φλιασία), was bounded on the north by Sicyonia, on the west by Arcadia, on the east by Cleonae, and on the south by Argolis. <b>This territory is a small valley about 900 feet (270 m) above the level of the sea, surrounded by mountains, from which streams flow down on every side</b>, joining the river Asopus in the middle of the plain."</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Wow, what a beautiful landscape to imagine! Cole's "Arcadian State" became my romanticized archetype of this lovely little Greek Shangri-La; bucolic verdant paradise embraced and nourished and protected all around by the mountains; spine and forge of the strength and resilience of many Greek peoples. I became less interested in the minor contributions of 100 men here or 1,000 there from their tiny population of ~5,000 male citizens sent out of the valley to acknowledge the fact that they were indeed a part of a bigger world, and instead found myself daydreaming about how perhaps once, prior to the age of iron and fire, they lived happily cradled in the mountains, balancing the arts and sciences from outside with harmonious tender love of their bountiful landscape and home. A nice mental escape from the troubles of today!</p><p><br /></p><p>Phlius, as imagined by OP c. 1,500 BC:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1142794[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Their wine was widely celebrated and likely a point of pride, as evinced by incorporation of bunches of grapes on their coins, but the almost ubiquitous "Butting Bull" motif on their coinage also suggests prosperity in raising livestock, and perhaps a statement to outsiders that in spite of their tiny population their people were tough as oxen and not to be trifled with! </p><p><br /></p><p>I fell in love, largely because I instinctively like going way off the beaten path in all facets of life, and here the mists of mystery and legend hung thickly around this forgotten mountain Eden. Many volumes may be filled with the history and accomplishments of Athens and Athenians, and for you INTJ "scientist" types that is understandably a more interesting and tangible or contextualizable collecting focus, but sometimes it's nice <i>not </i>knowing all the details so one's imagination can roam wide and free.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've yet to come across any of the universally rather rare Archaic issues in a condition and price that I like, but have managed to collect 7 different Classical/Hellenistic issues. The bronzes need to be upgraded if possible, but I'm extremely happy with all 4 silver issues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Starting clockwise with the bronze at 10:00 (attributions if present were lazily lifted from Wildwinds or elsewhere <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />);</p><p><br /></p><p>1. 1.93g 13mm Chalkous, Bull butting left, head facing / Large Φ with a dot in each corner. BCD Peloponnesos 107; BMC 14. These are the most common bronzes.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. 2.16g 15mm Dichalkon(?), 400-350 BC Head of Athena right / Bull butting left, Φ above. Ugly but quite scarce.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. 1.47g 12mm Chalkous, Bull butting left, head facing / Φ within ivy wreath. Not much to look at but an evidently very rare issue aesthetically linked to their c. 280 BC silver drachms. Cost around 100 which is exorbitant for me for ugly little bronzes, but rarity doesn't usually come cheap and this is one of the very few polities I intend to build as comprehensive of a collection from as possible from.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. 1.21g 13mm Trihemiobol, Bull butting left, head facing "I" mark above / 4-spoked wheel with Φ and 3 clusters of grapes arranged around hub. At around 150.00 it was the most expensive piece of the collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. 0.83g 12mm Obol, ~400-350 BC, Forepart of bull butting left / Large Φ surrounded by four dots. SNG Cop 8-9. These are probably tied with the Hellenistic hemidrachms as the most "common" silver coins from Phlius, but those of you with examples know that attractive ones aren't very forthcoming.</p><p><br /></p><p>6. 1.18g 14mm Trihemiobol, ~400-350 BC, Bull butting left, head facing; I above / Large Φ surrounded by four bunches of grapes, all within incuse square. BMC 23; BCD Peloponnesos 120. My first and the one that started it all at a cost of 34.00 shipped!</p><p><br /></p><p>7. (Center) 2.61g 15mm Hemidrachm (or light standard drachm?) ~280 BC, Bull butting left / Φ within ivy wreath. BCD Peloponnesos 143.6. I also have a 2.51g 18mm example obtained earlier but in comparison it's a nasty ugly slug, lol.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1142851[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1142852[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>And from a different light angle:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1142854[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1142855[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Y'all know the drill, please share your coins from Phlius and its neighbors or allies, and of course school the noob with obscure phat numismatic references, thoughts/corrections or anything else you may know about the place![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Plumbata, post: 4614586, member: 96864"]Several years ago I stumbled across a Trihemiobol from a city I'd never heard of in a region I'd never heard of. Delightful, a new interesting mystery to investigate! The aesthetics were pleasing and price was right, so upon receipt I launched on a rather underwhelming quest for knowledge about the obscure polity. A few of you have presented nice writeups on Phlius to frame your own coins so I won't repeat it all. From wikipedia I learned that: [INDENT]"Phliasia was an independent polis in the northeastern part of Peloponnesus. Phlius' territory, called Phliasia (Φλιασία), was bounded on the north by Sicyonia, on the west by Arcadia, on the east by Cleonae, and on the south by Argolis. [B]This territory is a small valley about 900 feet (270 m) above the level of the sea, surrounded by mountains, from which streams flow down on every side[/B], joining the river Asopus in the middle of the plain."[/INDENT] Wow, what a beautiful landscape to imagine! Cole's "Arcadian State" became my romanticized archetype of this lovely little Greek Shangri-La; bucolic verdant paradise embraced and nourished and protected all around by the mountains; spine and forge of the strength and resilience of many Greek peoples. I became less interested in the minor contributions of 100 men here or 1,000 there from their tiny population of ~5,000 male citizens sent out of the valley to acknowledge the fact that they were indeed a part of a bigger world, and instead found myself daydreaming about how perhaps once, prior to the age of iron and fire, they lived happily cradled in the mountains, balancing the arts and sciences from outside with harmonious tender love of their bountiful landscape and home. A nice mental escape from the troubles of today! Phlius, as imagined by OP c. 1,500 BC: [ATTACH=full]1142794[/ATTACH] Their wine was widely celebrated and likely a point of pride, as evinced by incorporation of bunches of grapes on their coins, but the almost ubiquitous "Butting Bull" motif on their coinage also suggests prosperity in raising livestock, and perhaps a statement to outsiders that in spite of their tiny population their people were tough as oxen and not to be trifled with! I fell in love, largely because I instinctively like going way off the beaten path in all facets of life, and here the mists of mystery and legend hung thickly around this forgotten mountain Eden. Many volumes may be filled with the history and accomplishments of Athens and Athenians, and for you INTJ "scientist" types that is understandably a more interesting and tangible or contextualizable collecting focus, but sometimes it's nice [I]not [/I]knowing all the details so one's imagination can roam wide and free. I've yet to come across any of the universally rather rare Archaic issues in a condition and price that I like, but have managed to collect 7 different Classical/Hellenistic issues. The bronzes need to be upgraded if possible, but I'm extremely happy with all 4 silver issues. Starting clockwise with the bronze at 10:00 (attributions if present were lazily lifted from Wildwinds or elsewhere :D); 1. 1.93g 13mm Chalkous, Bull butting left, head facing / Large Φ with a dot in each corner. BCD Peloponnesos 107; BMC 14. These are the most common bronzes. 2. 2.16g 15mm Dichalkon(?), 400-350 BC Head of Athena right / Bull butting left, Φ above. Ugly but quite scarce. 3. 1.47g 12mm Chalkous, Bull butting left, head facing / Φ within ivy wreath. Not much to look at but an evidently very rare issue aesthetically linked to their c. 280 BC silver drachms. Cost around 100 which is exorbitant for me for ugly little bronzes, but rarity doesn't usually come cheap and this is one of the very few polities I intend to build as comprehensive of a collection from as possible from. 4. 1.21g 13mm Trihemiobol, Bull butting left, head facing "I" mark above / 4-spoked wheel with Φ and 3 clusters of grapes arranged around hub. At around 150.00 it was the most expensive piece of the collection. 5. 0.83g 12mm Obol, ~400-350 BC, Forepart of bull butting left / Large Φ surrounded by four dots. SNG Cop 8-9. These are probably tied with the Hellenistic hemidrachms as the most "common" silver coins from Phlius, but those of you with examples know that attractive ones aren't very forthcoming. 6. 1.18g 14mm Trihemiobol, ~400-350 BC, Bull butting left, head facing; I above / Large Φ surrounded by four bunches of grapes, all within incuse square. BMC 23; BCD Peloponnesos 120. My first and the one that started it all at a cost of 34.00 shipped! 7. (Center) 2.61g 15mm Hemidrachm (or light standard drachm?) ~280 BC, Bull butting left / Φ within ivy wreath. BCD Peloponnesos 143.6. I also have a 2.51g 18mm example obtained earlier but in comparison it's a nasty ugly slug, lol. [ATTACH=full]1142851[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1142852[/ATTACH] And from a different light angle: [ATTACH=full]1142854[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1142855[/ATTACH] Y'all know the drill, please share your coins from Phlius and its neighbors or allies, and of course school the noob with obscure phat numismatic references, thoughts/corrections or anything else you may know about the place![/QUOTE]
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7 different issues of Phlius in Phliasia, Peloponnesus; Grecian Eden
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