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Message:: [QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 7803375, member: 83845"]I recently noticed that I have accumulated quite a few coins that are interesting enough to warrant their own thread but that I have been too busy to post a write up for. As such I thought it might be fun for me to group some of these coins together by category and give short explanations for why I think they are interesting. This write up will cover Greek coins.  Next I will post a thread covering a few Roman coins and then finish with a thread that includes Byzantine and Medieval coins. Hopefully the board will enjoy these vignette style threads. A special thank you to [USER=91461]@Ryro[/USER] , whose generosity in a holiday exchange a few months ago gave me the opportunity to own two of the below coins. A Obscure Satrap who Almost Changed History[ATTACH=full]1340112[/ATTACH]Achaemenid EmpireSpithridates as SatrapAE10, mint in Ionia or Lydia, struck 334 BCDia.: 10 mmWt.: 1.5 gObv.: Head of Spithridates right, wearing bashlykRev.: Forepart of horse right; TO monogram in upper left field, ΣΠ-I below and in right fieldRef.: SNG Copenhagen 1538; SNG von Aulock 1823; Klein 367; Babelon, Perses 380Ex Ryro Collection Very little is known about the life of Spithridates other than that he was a Persian noble and that he was entrusted with the important Satrapies of Lydia and Ionia in around 334 BC.  Like many other Persian satraps of the region he issued local coins as needed from various mints in his territory. Because the Persians did not share the Greek taboo against placing the likeness of a living person on coins we get to actually see a portrait of this otherwise relatively obscure ancient person on this coin. Spithridates enters the pages of history as the person who almost single-handedly stopped the conquests of Alexander the Great before they even began.  The first major battle between the Persians and Macedonians happened on May 3, 334 BC at the Battle of Granicus.  According to  the account of Arrian, Alexander led a charge of the Companion Calvary against the Persian center.  Spithridates was among the horse-mounted Persian nobles who led a counterattack against this charge. During this counterattack Alexander was stunned by a blow to the helmet and Spithridates moved in from behind to strike a killing blow. It was only the timely intervention of Cleitus the Black who moved in and cut off Spithridates outstretched arm that saved Alexander’s life.  Spithridates later died of this wound. This coin and the person it was struck for serve as an interesting reminder that the distance between spectacular success and catastrophic failure is not as great as we sometimes think. [ATTACH=full]1340116[/ATTACH]An map showing the Battle of Granicus.  Note the Macedonian Cavalry charge into the Persian center where Spithridates almost killed Alexander. Defeated by a Wave[ATTACH=full]1340113[/ATTACH]Seleukid KingdomDiodotos TryphonAE17, Antioch mint, struck ca. 142-139 BCDia.: 17 mmWt.: 4.8 gObv.:  Diademed head of Tryphon rightRev.: BAΣΙΛEΩΣ TPYФΩNOΣ AYTOKPATOPOΣ to right and left of a Macedonian helmet left, adorned with ibex horn. Star in lower left fieldRef.: BMC Vol. IV 11-12; Babelon 1052; Hoover HGC 1061; Houghton SC 2034.2eEx Ryro Collection, Ex David@PCC Diodotos Tryphon was a rebel leader who managed to gain control of the entire Seleucid Empire in 139-138 BC.  He was able to capitalize on discontent toward the rule of Demetrius II to seize parts of the empire, including Apamea and Antioch by 142 BC.  He was later able to seize control of the entire empire when Demetrius II was captured by the Parthians in 139 BC. The coins of Tryphon are interesting because they are noticeably different than  other Seleucid coins.  The helmet reverse in particular is unusual on Seleucid issues.  This is just one of the ways in which Tryphon tried to distance himself from the Seleucid dynasty in order to mark a clear break in kingship. One of the most fascinating stories about Tryphon is the strange way in which he lost a substantial portion of his army.  While he was marching along the coast of Phoenicia after a victory over a general loyal to Demetrius II, his army was engulfed in a huge tidal wave that swept a substantial number of his men out to sea.  This may have taken place in or around 139 BC. If so, the losses to his army may have contributed to his subsequent defeat at the hands of Antiochus VII. Depending on the source Tryphon either committed suicide, or was captured and executed in 138 or 137 BC. [ATTACH=full]1340117[/ATTACH]The Levantine coast in modern Israel. Perhaps it was on a stretch of coastline such as this that Tryphon’s men were surprised by the great tidal wave. A Lost Myth[ATTACH=full]1340114[/ATTACH]PISIDIA, EtennaAE19, Etenna mint, struck ca. 1st century BCDia.: 19.3 mmWt.: 3.32 gObv.: Naked nymph/woman standing to front, legs crossed, entwined by serpent; at her feet to left, a vase.Rev.: E-T, sickle-shaped knife.Ref.: SNG Cop 146Ex Minotaur Coins Perched up in the beautiful mountains of southwestern Anatolia, the little town of Etenna rarely made it into the history books. The town supplied hoplites to support rebels against the Seleucid Empire in the 3rd century BC and was the seat of a bishopric in the 4th century AD.  Other than that we have only the coins to suggest the rich culture of its people. [MEDIA=youtube]mka6feXPS_g[/MEDIA]This is a neat YouTube video I found showing the unexcavated ruins of ancient Etenna neat Syrt in modern Turkey. Etenna struck coins from the 4th century BC till the 3rd century AD.  Most of the types seem to be related to a well known (foundation?) myth that has since been lost to history.  I think it’s amazing to think that for 700 years a story was well known enough to serve as the symbol of a city and yet that story is completely lost to us today. It is possible to guess at some of the details of the story by looking at the coins. The earliest coins of the city are modeled after the staters of Aspendos except they show a warrior wielding a curved blade on the reverse (such as the blade shown on my new example).  This is clearly some hero or founder of the city.  On the bronze issues we see a young woman (or nymph) that is entwined by a serpent, she turns her head away and lifts her arm as if in distress. There is a vase at her feet. On the reverse of some of the bronze issues the curved blade wielding hero struggles with another figure wielding an axe. [ATTACH=full]1340115[/ATTACH]Plate showing the coins of Etenna arranged in probable relative chronology from left to right. One possible interpretation is that the young woman was taking the vase to fetch water or to bathe when she was attacked by a serpent (she is only shown nude on some examples). This seems to be a quite probable interpretation due to her distressed posture and the vase at her feet. At that point perhaps the curved-blade wielding hero was able to come to her aid.  Perhaps the hero also had to defeat the axe wielding adversary as part of the story (the snake transforms into an axe-wielding warrior / a struggle between the two warriors before the hero reaches the woman).  It seems that whatever the story was it was important enough to remain central to the city’s identity, perhaps as a founding myth. This enigmatic type is a reminder of just how many fascinating stories have been lost to time. ................................. Please post any interesting Greek coins you’ve added recently or anything else you think is relevant. [/QUOTE]

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