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<p>[QUOTE="Sulla80, post: 4444954, member: 99456"]This "Greek" coin from Pergamon was the research puzzle that FedEx brought this week:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1110559[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Mysia, Pergamon</b>, 159-133 BC, Æ (20mm,7.25g, 12h)</p><p><b>Obv: </b>Helmeted head of Athena right</p><p><b>Rev:</b> ΑΘΗΝΑΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ, military trophy facing, monogram left of trophy and right of legend</p><p><br /></p><p><u><b>What is a tropaion?</b></u></p><p>The reverse of this coin as what drew my attention to this coin, a large "tropaion" or trophy which can be found over many years on ancient coins like this Roman Republican denarius from L. Aemilius Lepidus Paullus, 62 BC:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1110558[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>and this Roman Imperial denarius from Septimius Severus struck around AD 194:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1110557[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>A <b><i>tropaion</i></b> is an archaic Greek style, battle trophy (from <b><i>tropê </i></b>which translates to “turning point”). It is a branched tree decorated with the shields, armor and weapons of the defeated enemy that would be set up at the location where the battle had taken a turn toward victory.</p><p><br /></p><p><u><b>Where is Pergamon?</b></u></p><p>The coin was minted at Pergamon, Mysia, on the western edge of modern Turkey, as seen in this map van der Heyden (1960), <a href="https://archive.org/details/atlasofclassical0000unse/page/84/mode/2up" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://archive.org/details/atlasofclassical0000unse/page/84/mode/2up" rel="nofollow">Atlas of the Classical World</a>. [ATTACH=full]1110567[/ATTACH]</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><u>What is the mintmark?</u></b></p><p>The first puzzle for me of this coin is the mintmark. Reverse variants can be found in several references with one matching reference found. Reviewing ACSearch there are 3 different mintmarks in two different positions (left and right) of which the #1 (two variants) looks closest to mine (on left):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1110618[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Out of 148 coins reviewed on ACSearch:</p><ul> <li>no monogram - 100 coins or 67.6%</li> <li>#1 (a and b) - 13 (left) coins or 8.8%</li> <li>#2 (a and b) - 2 (left) 20 (right) combined 14.9%</li> <li>#3 - 13 (left) coins or 8.8%</li> </ul><p>All of which leaves unanswered - what do these represent? #2a a match to this mintmark of Pergamon from an AR Cistophoric tetradrachm:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1110717[/ATTACH]</p><p>and the others?</p><p><br /></p><p>Wroth (1892), <a href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279811/page/n165/mode/2up" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279811/page/n165/mode/2up" rel="nofollow"><i>Catalogue of the Greek Coins of Mysia</i></a> p.130 - also <a href="http://snible.org/coins/hn/mysia.html#535" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://snible.org/coins/hn/mysia.html#535" rel="nofollow">here</a> at [USER=82322]@Ed Snible[/USER]'s site (references only mintmark #2a <b>Edit</b>: checking Wroth again and looking at the next page...#179, there's my monogram #1a from my list along with a couple of others)</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1110767[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Hill, editor (1906), <a href="https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029768565#page/n413/mode/2up" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029768565#page/n413/mode/2up" rel="nofollow">Corolla Numismatica</a> Plate II, #35 (a mintmark that I didn't see on ACSearch)</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1110561[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Hansen (1971), <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/attalids-of-pergamon-by-esther-v-hansen/oclc/859832371/editions?editionsView=true&referer=br" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/attalids-of-pergamon-by-esther-v-hansen/oclc/859832371/editions?editionsView=true&referer=br" rel="nofollow">The Attalids of Pergamon</a> (references #2a)</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1110628[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnston (1981), Monograph 7, <a href="http://digital.library.stonybrook.edu/cdm/ref/collection/amar/id/22037" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://digital.library.stonybrook.edu/cdm/ref/collection/amar/id/22037" rel="nofollow">Greek, Roman and Islamic Coins of Sardis</a></p><p>(another mintmark that I didn't see - close to #1a)</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1110573[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><u><b>When was this coin minted?</b></u></p><p>The second puzzle is the date: Wroth placed these coins under Roman Rule between 133 BC and the reign of Augustus. Later references align with von Fritze's argument in 1906 "<a href="https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029768565#page/n69/mode/2up" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029768565#page/n69/mode/2up" rel="nofollow">Chronology of the autonomous coins of Pergamon</a>" that style and other evidence place these coins in the period before Roman rule (133 BC) and after 200 - the later period of the Pergamene kingdom.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Eumenes II </b>ruled the Pergemene Empire 197–159 BC and with help from the Romans was victorious over the Gauls and King Prousias of Bythinia in 183 BC, earning him the name "Nikephoros" (Bringer of victory). And with that we are back to <b><i>tropê</i> </b>and a turning point to victory for Eumenes II. In 181 BC, he established the festival of Athena Nikephoros at Pergamon. The obverse of this coins features a portrait of Athena Nikephoros and the reverse legend spells out ΑΘΗΝΑΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ. These coins may have been issued as coins for subsequent festivals under the reigns of Eumenes II's brother and successor in 159 BC, <b>Attalus II</b>, and his nephew and successor, Attalus III. <b><a href="https://www.livius.org/articles/person/attalus-iii-philometor/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.livius.org/articles/person/attalus-iii-philometor/" rel="nofollow">Attalus III</a></b> willed his empire and Pergamon to Rome after his death in 133 BC. There is much more to this story, but already this post has gotten far too long...</p><p><br /></p><p>As always, additions, references and corrections are appreciated. <b>Post your coins of Tropaions, or Athena Nikephoros, or anything else that you find interesting or entertaining.</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Sulla80, post: 4444954, member: 99456"]This "Greek" coin from Pergamon was the research puzzle that FedEx brought this week: [ATTACH=full]1110559[/ATTACH] [B]Mysia, Pergamon[/B], 159-133 BC, Æ (20mm,7.25g, 12h) [B]Obv: [/B]Helmeted head of Athena right [B]Rev:[/B] ΑΘΗΝΑΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ, military trophy facing, monogram left of trophy and right of legend [U][B]What is a tropaion?[/B][/U] The reverse of this coin as what drew my attention to this coin, a large "tropaion" or trophy which can be found over many years on ancient coins like this Roman Republican denarius from L. Aemilius Lepidus Paullus, 62 BC: [ATTACH=full]1110558[/ATTACH] and this Roman Imperial denarius from Septimius Severus struck around AD 194: [ATTACH=full]1110557[/ATTACH] A [B][I]tropaion[/I][/B] is an archaic Greek style, battle trophy (from [B][I]tropê [/I][/B]which translates to “turning point”). It is a branched tree decorated with the shields, armor and weapons of the defeated enemy that would be set up at the location where the battle had taken a turn toward victory. [U][B]Where is Pergamon?[/B][/U] The coin was minted at Pergamon, Mysia, on the western edge of modern Turkey, as seen in this map van der Heyden (1960), [URL='https://archive.org/details/atlasofclassical0000unse/page/84/mode/2up']Atlas of the Classical World[/URL]. [ATTACH=full]1110567[/ATTACH] [B] [U]What is the mintmark?[/U][/B] The first puzzle for me of this coin is the mintmark. Reverse variants can be found in several references with one matching reference found. Reviewing ACSearch there are 3 different mintmarks in two different positions (left and right) of which the #1 (two variants) looks closest to mine (on left): [ATTACH=full]1110618[/ATTACH] Out of 148 coins reviewed on ACSearch: [LIST] [*]no monogram - 100 coins or 67.6% [*]#1 (a and b) - 13 (left) coins or 8.8% [*]#2 (a and b) - 2 (left) 20 (right) combined 14.9% [*]#3 - 13 (left) coins or 8.8% [/LIST] All of which leaves unanswered - what do these represent? #2a a match to this mintmark of Pergamon from an AR Cistophoric tetradrachm: [ATTACH=full]1110717[/ATTACH] and the others? Wroth (1892), [URL='https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279811/page/n165/mode/2up'][I]Catalogue of the Greek Coins of Mysia[/I][/URL] p.130 - also [URL='http://snible.org/coins/hn/mysia.html#535']here[/URL] at [USER=82322]@Ed Snible[/USER]'s site (references only mintmark #2a [B]Edit[/B]: checking Wroth again and looking at the next page...#179, there's my monogram #1a from my list along with a couple of others) [ATTACH=full]1110767[/ATTACH] Hill, editor (1906), [URL='https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029768565#page/n413/mode/2up']Corolla Numismatica[/URL] Plate II, #35 (a mintmark that I didn't see on ACSearch) [ATTACH=full]1110561[/ATTACH] Hansen (1971), [URL='https://www.worldcat.org/title/attalids-of-pergamon-by-esther-v-hansen/oclc/859832371/editions?editionsView=true&referer=br']The Attalids of Pergamon[/URL] (references #2a) [ATTACH=full]1110628[/ATTACH] Johnston (1981), Monograph 7, [URL='http://digital.library.stonybrook.edu/cdm/ref/collection/amar/id/22037']Greek, Roman and Islamic Coins of Sardis[/URL] (another mintmark that I didn't see - close to #1a) [ATTACH=full]1110573[/ATTACH] [U][B]When was this coin minted?[/B][/U] The second puzzle is the date: Wroth placed these coins under Roman Rule between 133 BC and the reign of Augustus. Later references align with von Fritze's argument in 1906 "[URL='https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029768565#page/n69/mode/2up']Chronology of the autonomous coins of Pergamon[/URL]" that style and other evidence place these coins in the period before Roman rule (133 BC) and after 200 - the later period of the Pergamene kingdom. [B]Eumenes II [/B]ruled the Pergemene Empire 197–159 BC and with help from the Romans was victorious over the Gauls and King Prousias of Bythinia in 183 BC, earning him the name "Nikephoros" (Bringer of victory). And with that we are back to [B][I]tropê[/I] [/B]and a turning point to victory for Eumenes II. In 181 BC, he established the festival of Athena Nikephoros at Pergamon. The obverse of this coins features a portrait of Athena Nikephoros and the reverse legend spells out ΑΘΗΝΑΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ. These coins may have been issued as coins for subsequent festivals under the reigns of Eumenes II's brother and successor in 159 BC, [B]Attalus II[/B], and his nephew and successor, Attalus III. [B][URL='https://www.livius.org/articles/person/attalus-iii-philometor/']Attalus III[/URL][/B] willed his empire and Pergamon to Rome after his death in 133 BC. There is much more to this story, but already this post has gotten far too long... As always, additions, references and corrections are appreciated. [B]Post your coins of Tropaions, or Athena Nikephoros, or anything else that you find interesting or entertaining.[/B][/QUOTE]
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