A Really BIG Bronze of Elagabalus

While choosing between two bronzes (the other was a recently posted 'Assarion'), I couldn't let this one pass me by----the details and devices are quite nice and the
'size' simply proved irresistible.

AE-34 of Elagabalus; Zeugma Commagene, Syria (Antioch mint?)
Laureate bust right, slight drapery on left shoulder
AYTKMAY ANTONINO C CE
Tetrastyle temple,'peribolos' enclosing the sacred grove of trees, statue of Zeus within temple, disc on pediment, capricorn right in exergue
ZEYrMATEON; 16.60 GRAMS, 34.2 MM; Circa 218-222 AD
SNG Cop 31, Butcher p 464

Please post any of the type or anyway similar....

 

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Oooh, very nice!

 

I just put my coin in a save spot, Commagene is my Fav coin, but I can not make pictures for the moment...sorry.
Very nice coin this one !!

 

HUGE, green, temple, capricon...WIN. yet another great coin MZ, dang...you could do a top ten list just for january!

i was looking for info about the temple (i read something about it recenlty), and came across the capriocorn on the wikipedia page for the place. i guess that was the symbol for the 4th legion that was stationed there..neat!

 

Is Elagabalus gonna have you and I combat to the death in the arena for his love? You've been sharing some nice Ela. coins.

This is a nice bronze. Love the reverse and patina.

 

Zeugma was fond of the temple grove type for a long time. Here are an AE18 of Antoninus Pius and AE30 of Philip I. My photo of the Pius was made to show the die clash which is not the most obvious but it is there.

 

A very nice and desirable coin Mikey. Congrats.

ANTONIUS PIUS
AE23
OBVERSE: [AVT]O KAI TI AIΛ AΔ[ ] (retrograde)
Laureate head left
REVERSE: ZEVΓMATEWN,
Tetrastyle temple with peribolos containing grove and having a colonnade (only roof slabs shown) to left and right, and in front a portico or panelled wall of two storeys; all within wreath
Struck at Commagene Zeugma Syria, 138-161AD
8.80g, 23mm
BMC 3
GIC 1492v

 

I recently acquired this coin which is similar to Doug's second example except the Capricorn is going left. (Do we have an obverse die match? It looks possible, but it's difficult to say as my coin is more worn.) The surfaces are finely porous, but that didn't bother me because of the respectable detail...



Nobody has mentioned the most interesting aspect of these coins, and that is the use of perspective, which occurs rarely on ancient designs. The grove of trees enclosed by the peribolos angles outward toward the bottom of the coin. If you didn't know what was going on, the reverse design might appear to depict a two-dimensional structure, when it is in fact meant to suggest three dimensions.

 

That is one of the coolest aspects of these coins...and your example displays it so well!!

 

The odd part to me is how the Elagabalus style is more crude than the Philip. If I had never seen the type before I might have called it a tree house. Given a flan that big, the cutter of the Pius coin could have worked wonders and the cutter of the Philips at least drew straight lines. For the record, of the three rulers shown here that issued the type, Philip is by far the most common. You will have to look hard to find an Elagabalus as nice as Mikey's coin so, while I am not blown away by the workmanship of the die cutter, that is one fine coin that I would love to have in my collection. Congratulations.

 

I thought the very same thing when I first spotted this example LOL

 

And now I'm reminded that I really should get one of these. Nice one, Mikey.

 

100% .... I gotta get myself one of these babies!! (amazingly cool)

 

I have a coin much like yours in style and fabric, but it's from Seleucis & Pieria, and it has a different reverse. It measures 32,8 mm and weighs 19,64 gr. I have my doubts about it because I thought it looks tooled. I would be much interested in your comments on that chapter. It's SNG Copenhagen 251, maybe that helps.

 

Here's a similar one on acsearch with reference: Mcalee 802a, but yours has an 'odd' look----but that could just be me and my lack of stylistic familiarity.....

Hopefully, Doug or one of the others more knowledgeable about these types will shortly chime in.

 

There's in fact very little difference between your OP obverse, Mikey Zee, and mine. The coins have worn a bit differently, but the form of the die is almost identical. (I bought it from a reputable British VCoins dealer, two years ago).

 

I don't see anything wrong with your coin, Pellinore, except that it's a bit over-cleaned.

 

I have to agree with you and the fact 'experts' believe coins from Seleucis Pieria and Zeugma were probably all struck at Antioch---possibly from similar dies....

 

I really like your big fat Elagabalus coin Mikey! But, he is one of the reasons I just don't get excited about the Empire! I still love my Republicans.

Would your coin be considered a bronze Tet?

 

Al, When it comes to 'Provincials', I'm still a bit confused myself...but I think of them as Tets (especially the chunky ones like the OP) even if they are or they are not precisely that. Perhaps the 'value' experts will chime in and clarify things a bit.

BTW: I currently have a few bids on some really nice RR denarii