Ancient => Wha? => You've got yourself a crocodile and a genius??! (no fricken way!)

Yup ... we got ourselves a crocodile "and" a super-cool genius emerging from a cornucopia (no seriously!!)

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius Æ Drachm
AD 138-161
Dated RY 7 (AD 143/4)
Diameter: 34 mm
Weight: 23.02 grams
Obverse: Laureate head right
Reverse: Nilus reclining left, holding reed and cornucopia from which emerges a Genius; crocodile below; L Z (date) to left, Iς above
Reference: Köln 1449; Dattari (Savio) 2747; K&G 35.217
Other: 12h … VF, attractive blue-green patina, edge split

Ex Greenpoint Collection (acquired from Ralph DeMarco)




I'm sorry, but OMG => this coin is really somethin', eh? (super-cool)

 

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I knew that you would be bidding on that one...


It's a great coin with very interesting subject...


Nilus, personification of the Nile, holding the genius of the breadbasket of the empire...


Whoops, accidentally posted it when not finished

 

Too cool. Love it

 

Steve I am glad that you back in the swing of things...

The drachm is nice and the ruler is pius.

 

Thanks for the coin-compilments, comrades!!

 

Ya know, Jerry, the more I look at this coin, the more I likes it. That's great detail on Nilus.

 

Thanks Bing => yah, and it's one big baby too => 34 mm and 23 grams (can't wait to feel it in-hand!!)


:yes:

 

Genius
Mythology:
The name comes probably from Lat. gignere, because this deity was assigned to each human when he was conceived or he was taken under his protection (Varro), or he has created us himself or has been created together with us (Apuleius).



http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=genius

 

Thanks Treashunt ...

=> Yah, I merely meant that it is kinda rare to have a cute lil' genius "and" a cool lookin' crocodile on the same coin-reverse (awesome reverse)

 

To add a bit more,

I interpret this as the plentiful food production due to the Nile protecting the people of Egypt...

 

Wow ... it's a ghost-town here ... spooky

 

This is a very nice example of a very interesting type well covered in this thread. I assume you realize the significance of Iς or 16 in Greek numerals. At a flood level of 16 cubits, the Nile inundated the fields and guaranteed a good harvest. The economy and life of the people of the region depended on the annual refreshing of the fields by these floods. Eqypt is a barren desert with a narrow but very fertile strip of land with soil provided by the floods. The personification of the river was honored on this coin for providing a full 16 cubit dose of flood.

This coin is no longer needed since the construction of Aswan High Dam stopped the flooding and depositing of fresh soil so modern farmers have to use chemical fertilizers like those in other parts of the world.

 

oh cool, what an interesting coin....lots of cool stuff going on with the reverse. that's another winner!....cheers! :cheers:

i had heard the 16 cubits take, but didn't make that greek connection....thanks DS.

i couldn't remember how long a cubit was, so i looked it up. i guess it is the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, here is baseball player andre ethier demonstrating the cubit...



why did that come out so blurry?
anyway, great coin!

 

Not going to lie I am super jealous of this coin. I don't have an Alexandrian drachm yet. I kind of tunnel visioned on tetradrachms >< Even better it is a nice big one too!

 

That makes two of us that are jealous

 

Sweet coin Steve, what a stone skipper, i like this...:thumb:

 

First off => "welcome" Whizb4ng!!

Secondly => I now have "2" sweet Alexandria drachms (drachmas?) ...




=> yah, I gotta agree with you guys that these big ol' chubby drachms from Alexandria are pretty damn cool!!

:high5:

 

Yikes the Griffin is also excellent. Is that also Antoninus or Marcus? I always mix those two up.

Also I think the plural is drachmae?!

 

Hey Whizb4ng => yah, you're correct => that Gryphon is a Marcus Aurelius (man, I love that coin!! => classic)


Drachmae => you got it!! (brother, I wish I had a whole lot more drachmae!!)


:cheers:

 

If I recall, drachmae would be the Latinized form, and drachmai the Greek? But I don't know any Greek, so I could easily be wrong.