Akragas - a strange request

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by dougsmit, Aug 19, 2015.

  1. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    From the many similar counterstamped Akragas coins in various archives and per the auction catalogers the countermark is Herakles wearing a lion skin headdress.

    Images from CNG's archives. The third coin shown has an arrangement of value-mark dots similar to Doug's coin.

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    Here's one with a different type of "head right" countermark. The listing description doesn't say anything about who it might be:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2015
    stevex6, chrsmat71, Bing and 2 others like this.
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  3. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    Great post TIF. Coins five and six seem to have the same issue on the side of the head as Doug's. Is that just countermark deterioration that shows the side of the head looking like a weird flat hat?
     
  4. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Interesting: Herakles head...Greek; Would the Right facing busts be Tanit / Kore from Carthage?
     
  5. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    The c/m is supposed to be the young river god Akragas after whom the city was named. The coins date to a time around when the city was destroyed and few survivors relocated for years before others were brought back to resettle. They played rough in those days. Remember that Carthage eventually was destroyed by Rome to the point they added salt to the ground so no one could grow crops there for years. By ancient standards, the appropriate treatment for a defeated enemy did not include rebuilding them. When no one is alive, what is there to rebuild?
     
  6. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    If you look a little more you will find others making fun of catalogers who mistake the head for Herakles. As with everything experts vary and differ in their degree of expertise. My coin shows Akragas; yours shows whoever you see. Surely nobody knows all the river gods listed on this link:
    http://www.theoi.com/Potamos/Potamoi.html
     
    stevex6 likes this.
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