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<p>[QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 3893797, member: 83845"]My AMCC 2 wins arrived earlier this week and I was excited to receive my first ever coin from the famed BCD collection. This coin has a lot of eye appeal to me and depicts an interesting subject.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1027009[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Thessaly, Krannon</font></p><p><font size="3">AE Chalkous, struck ca. 350-300 BC</font></p><p><font size="3">Dia.: 15.4 mm</font></p><p><font size="3">Wt.: 2.41 g</font></p><p><font size="3">Obv.: Thessalian rider and horse, rearing right</font></p><p><font size="3">Rev.: KPAN Bull butting right, trident above</font></p><p><font size="3">Ref.: BCD Thessaly II 118.5; HGC 4, 391</font></p><p><font size="3"><i>Ex zumbly collection; Ex BCD collection with tag stating “V. Ex Thess., Apr. 94, DM 35”; Ex AMCC 2, Lot 5 (Nov. 9, 2019)</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="7"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>The Thessalian Taurokathapsia</b></u></span></font></p><p>In ancient mythology, the plain of Thessaly was once a giant lake surrounded on all sides by mountains. Poseidon, in his role as the god of earthquakes, split open an outlet through the mountains by which the lake was drained and the land of Thessaly was created.</p><p><br /></p><p>In gratitude to Poseidon, the Thessalians held festivals in his honor where a very unique form of bull fighting called the taurokathapsia was held. The participant would leap from a horse onto the back of a bull and wrestle it to the ground.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many of the coins of Thessaly show a snapshot in the sequence of this game. Some show the moment when the participant wrestles the bull to the ground as the horse gallops away on the reverse. My example shows the horse rider in the moments before he leaps from his horse onto the back of the bull. On the reverse the bull butts his horns in an intimidating manner in order to highlight the courage and valor of the participant. The trident above references that all is done in honor of Poseidon, the cleaver of rocks, the giver of springs and the creator of Thessaly.</p><p><br /></p><p>[USER=57495]@zumbly[/USER] had an <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/poll-18-17-dougsmit-vs-32-zumbly-round-2-cit-2018.321875/#post-3162965" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/poll-18-17-dougsmit-vs-32-zumbly-round-2-cit-2018.321875/#post-3162965">excellent write up</a> on this for the 2018 Imperator Tournament that is definitely worth a read.</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="7"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>My Attempts at Online Archeology</b></u></span></font></p><p>Ancient Krannon (Crannon) may have been a relatively important place in archaic and classical Greece as it was home to a branch (the Scopadae) of the most powerful family in Thessaly (the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleuadae" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleuadae" rel="nofollow">Aleuadae</a>). However, today it is a very small village and the ancient remains are not well excavated and very difficult to find information on. I like being able to visualize the places from which I own coins so I resorted to a bit of online archaeology.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1027010[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4"><i>About a mile and a half southwest of the modern village of Kronnonas is the remains of what I believe may have been the acropolis of Krannon based on my survey of the area looking at Google Earth satalite images. Krannon was said to be situated near the source of the ancient <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onchestus_(river)#cite_note-4" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onchestus_(river)#cite_note-4" rel="nofollow">Onchestus River</a> and I believe there may be the remains of an ancient river (possibly spring fed in antiquity?) just southwest of the presumed site of the acropolis. It has been suggested that this river may be the same river that Herodotus notes was temporarily depleted of water by the army of Xerxes I during his invasion.</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1027011[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4"><i>Here is a better view of the area that I believe made up the site of the old acropolis. Reading through some old books on geography from the early 1800s it was noted that at a place called “Paleolarissa” remains of the acropolis and agora of Krannon could be found. At the bottom right hand corner of this image there are obviously some ancient remains. Perhaps these are the remains of a building in or near the ancient agora of Krannon. The location would certainly make sense relative to the acropolis.</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1027012[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="4"><i>Finally, here is a photo taken from Google street view that shows the mound of the presumed acropolis of Krannon. This image gives you a good feel for the plain of Thessaly showing farmland surrounded by mountains without a lot of modern buildings to clutter it up. I fortunately got to visit Thessaly a few years ago but unfortunately I didn’t know to stop at Krannon. Perhaps next time.</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p>The city seems to have been in decline by the 1st century BC according to Catullus. I don’t know when the site was abandoned but my guess would be sometime during the chaos of the late Roman period and the migrations that followed.</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="7"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>Provenance</b></u></span></font></p><p>As stated above I am extremely pleased to have acquired an ex BCD example with his distinctive tag.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1027013[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I am assuming that “V. Ex Thess., Apr. 94, DM 35” means that this was part of a hoard found in Thessaly and was purchased in April 1994 for 35 Deutschmarks. Does anyone know if this might be in reference to a specific hoard?</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center">........................................</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin also comes with the added bonus of having been in the collection of my friend zumbly. Just like last time I bought a coin from him he forgot to include his very distinctive, and completely non self-aggrandizing tag! Lucky for me he <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an-aqueduct-a-statue-and-an-elegant-portrait-of-roma.348272/page-2#post-3758394" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an-aqueduct-a-statue-and-an-elegant-portrait-of-roma.348272/page-2#post-3758394">shared his beautiful template</a> with me earlier and I was able to modify accordingly… <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie101" alt=":woot:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1027014[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Z, you know I am printing these out and including them with the coins from your collection now, right? <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie9" alt=":eek:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie93" alt=":troll:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie7" alt=":p" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> Some future collector is not going to know what to make of our coin shenanigans… <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="7"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>Some Further Reading</b></u></span></font></p><p><a href="http://snible.org/coins/hn/thessaly.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://snible.org/coins/hn/thessaly.html" rel="nofollow">http://snible.org/coins/hn/thessaly.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull-leaping" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull-leaping" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull-leaping</a></p><p><br /></p><p>So now that I have shown you my new example please feel free to <font size="6"><span style="color: #ff0000"><b>show your examples from the BCD collection.</b></span></font></p><p><br /></p><p>Also feel free to show your;</p><ul> <li>bull fighting / leaping coins</li> <li>Coins from Thessaly</li> <li>Horse / bull / rider</li> <li>Anything relevant I haven't thought of</li> </ul><p>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 3893797, member: 83845"]My AMCC 2 wins arrived earlier this week and I was excited to receive my first ever coin from the famed BCD collection. This coin has a lot of eye appeal to me and depicts an interesting subject. [ATTACH=full]1027009[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]Thessaly, Krannon AE Chalkous, struck ca. 350-300 BC Dia.: 15.4 mm Wt.: 2.41 g Obv.: Thessalian rider and horse, rearing right Rev.: KPAN Bull butting right, trident above Ref.: BCD Thessaly II 118.5; HGC 4, 391 [I]Ex zumbly collection; Ex BCD collection with tag stating “V. Ex Thess., Apr. 94, DM 35”; Ex AMCC 2, Lot 5 (Nov. 9, 2019)[/I][/SIZE] [SIZE=7][COLOR=#404040][U][B]The Thessalian Taurokathapsia[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] In ancient mythology, the plain of Thessaly was once a giant lake surrounded on all sides by mountains. Poseidon, in his role as the god of earthquakes, split open an outlet through the mountains by which the lake was drained and the land of Thessaly was created. In gratitude to Poseidon, the Thessalians held festivals in his honor where a very unique form of bull fighting called the taurokathapsia was held. The participant would leap from a horse onto the back of a bull and wrestle it to the ground. Many of the coins of Thessaly show a snapshot in the sequence of this game. Some show the moment when the participant wrestles the bull to the ground as the horse gallops away on the reverse. My example shows the horse rider in the moments before he leaps from his horse onto the back of the bull. On the reverse the bull butts his horns in an intimidating manner in order to highlight the courage and valor of the participant. The trident above references that all is done in honor of Poseidon, the cleaver of rocks, the giver of springs and the creator of Thessaly. [USER=57495]@zumbly[/USER] had an [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/poll-18-17-dougsmit-vs-32-zumbly-round-2-cit-2018.321875/#post-3162965']excellent write up[/URL] on this for the 2018 Imperator Tournament that is definitely worth a read. [SIZE=7][COLOR=#404040][U][B]My Attempts at Online Archeology[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] Ancient Krannon (Crannon) may have been a relatively important place in archaic and classical Greece as it was home to a branch (the Scopadae) of the most powerful family in Thessaly (the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleuadae']Aleuadae[/URL]). However, today it is a very small village and the ancient remains are not well excavated and very difficult to find information on. I like being able to visualize the places from which I own coins so I resorted to a bit of online archaeology. [ATTACH=full]1027010[/ATTACH] [SIZE=4][I]About a mile and a half southwest of the modern village of Kronnonas is the remains of what I believe may have been the acropolis of Krannon based on my survey of the area looking at Google Earth satalite images. Krannon was said to be situated near the source of the ancient [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onchestus_(river)#cite_note-4']Onchestus River[/URL] and I believe there may be the remains of an ancient river (possibly spring fed in antiquity?) just southwest of the presumed site of the acropolis. It has been suggested that this river may be the same river that Herodotus notes was temporarily depleted of water by the army of Xerxes I during his invasion.[/I][/SIZE] [ATTACH=full]1027011[/ATTACH] [SIZE=4][I]Here is a better view of the area that I believe made up the site of the old acropolis. Reading through some old books on geography from the early 1800s it was noted that at a place called “Paleolarissa” remains of the acropolis and agora of Krannon could be found. At the bottom right hand corner of this image there are obviously some ancient remains. Perhaps these are the remains of a building in or near the ancient agora of Krannon. The location would certainly make sense relative to the acropolis.[/I][/SIZE] [ATTACH=full]1027012[/ATTACH] [SIZE=4][I]Finally, here is a photo taken from Google street view that shows the mound of the presumed acropolis of Krannon. This image gives you a good feel for the plain of Thessaly showing farmland surrounded by mountains without a lot of modern buildings to clutter it up. I fortunately got to visit Thessaly a few years ago but unfortunately I didn’t know to stop at Krannon. Perhaps next time.[/I][/SIZE] The city seems to have been in decline by the 1st century BC according to Catullus. I don’t know when the site was abandoned but my guess would be sometime during the chaos of the late Roman period and the migrations that followed. [SIZE=7][COLOR=#404040][U][B]Provenance[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] As stated above I am extremely pleased to have acquired an ex BCD example with his distinctive tag. [ATTACH=full]1027013[/ATTACH] I am assuming that “V. Ex Thess., Apr. 94, DM 35” means that this was part of a hoard found in Thessaly and was purchased in April 1994 for 35 Deutschmarks. Does anyone know if this might be in reference to a specific hoard? [CENTER]........................................[/CENTER] This coin also comes with the added bonus of having been in the collection of my friend zumbly. Just like last time I bought a coin from him he forgot to include his very distinctive, and completely non self-aggrandizing tag! Lucky for me he [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an-aqueduct-a-statue-and-an-elegant-portrait-of-roma.348272/page-2#post-3758394']shared his beautiful template[/URL] with me earlier and I was able to modify accordingly… :woot: [ATTACH=full]1027014[/ATTACH] Z, you know I am printing these out and including them with the coins from your collection now, right? :eek::troll::p Some future collector is not going to know what to make of our coin shenanigans… :D [SIZE=7][COLOR=#404040][U][B]Some Further Reading[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] [URL]http://snible.org/coins/hn/thessaly.html[/URL] [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull-leaping[/URL] So now that I have shown you my new example please feel free to [SIZE=6][COLOR=#ff0000][B]show your examples from the BCD collection.[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE] Also feel free to show your; [LIST] [*]bull fighting / leaping coins [*]Coins from Thessaly [*]Horse / bull / rider [*]Anything relevant I haven't thought of [/LIST][/QUOTE]
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AMCC 2: My First BCD Coin! Post your examples also!
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