Post your coins from Apameia or anything you feel is relevant! I'm not superstitious, but when a fortune cookie gave me permission to expand my coin collection beyond the Roman sphere, I took its advice. "Maybe I ought to acquire a few more Greek coins," I said to myself as I clicked the "bid now" icon with the mouse. Moreover, the price (~ $13.00 including shipping and buyer's fees) was right. So now I'm the owner of this delightful little bronze of Apameia in Phrygia. Coins of the first and second centuries BC of this city come in four main types: i. Bust of Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet, r. /Eagle over Maeander pattern between the caps of the Dioscuri. ii. Head of Zeus wearing wreath, r./Cult statue of Artemis-Anaitis. iii. Turreted bust of Artemis as city-goddess, r./Marsyas advancing right, playing double flute. iv. Laureate head of Zeus/Crested helmet, r., over Maeander pattern. These coins also bear the name of the city and the magistrate under which the coins were issued. A magistrate may appear on coins of different types, suggesting the coins were issued during the same time frame but represent different denominations. The magistrate on my coin, for example, is also known on the Artemis/Marsyas denomination, as SNG Copenhagen 194. Phrygia, Apameia, ca. 88-40 BC. Greek Æ 23 mm, 7.71 g. Magistrate Philokratos son of Aristos. Obv: Bust of Athena to right, wearing aegist and crested Corinthian helmet decorated with griffin. Rev: AΠAMEΩN / ΦIΛOKPATOY APIΣΤΕOY, Eagle alighting right above Maeander pattern; to l. and r., eight-pointed star above piloi of the Dioskouroi. Refs: BMC 25.87, 105-108; SNG Cop 168-69.
Nice example with beautiful patina. Here is another from Apameia: Apameia Asia Minor, Phrygia AE19, 133-48 BC Obv.: laureate head of Zeus right Rev.: AΠAMEΩN HPAKΛEI EΓΛO, cult-statue of Artemis Anaitis seen from front. AE, 8.14g, 19mm Ref.: SNG München 123; SNG Tübingen 3967
Sorry RC I have nothing from Apameia but, I do have an interesting Athena which compliments yours. Macrinus, Seleucis Ad Pieria, Gabala 27mm, 14.83g, BMC Galatia p.246.18 Picture courtesy of www.navillenumismatics.com
Nice one, RC. I like the way the patina highlights the legends and devices. From what I can tell the Apameia "Marsyas" type is pretty common, although it is a challenge to scrounge a cheap one. I have a couple, and this is the best - which isn't saying much. I had some difficulty attributing it - there are a ton of magistrates/combinations and I don't have any of the references. Apameia, Phrygia Æ 15 (c. 88-40 B.C.) Civic Issue Magistrate Dionysos(?) Turreted and draped bust of Artemis right / AΠAM[E] /ANT / ΔIΟΝ, Marsyas walking rt. blowing double flute. unattributed magistrate(s)? cf. SNG Copenhagen 190-94; HGC 7, 674. (4.30 grams / 15 mm) Attribution Notes: Possibly an unpublished magistrate's name? Types with "ΔIΟΝ" are common, but combined with "ANT" was not found online. (Oct. 2019)
There were also silver issues during this time. PHRYGIA. Apameia. circa 166-160 BC?. AR cistophorus (31mm, 12h). Obv: Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within ivy wreath Rev: Bow in bow case ornamented with aphlaston, flanked by two serpents; AΠ monogram to left, facing gorgoneion head to right. Ref: Kleiner-Noe Series -. "An apparently unpublished symbol for this city" The dating to 166-160 is because I believe the style indicates the gorgoneion symbol is of the same time period as the harpa symbol, which Noe dated to 166-160 BC. A more responsible cataloger would say 166-133 BC. No one knows what the symbols mean. Magistrate? Silver supplier? Noe published 30 different symbols. There are 21 examples on acsearch.info of Cistophoric tets from Apameia with unpublished symbols. These unpublished "series" are about 10% of the Apameia examples.
I've got one like your's RC but of a different magistrate: Phrygia, Apameia AE22, Circa 100-50 BC Kokos as magistrate Obverse: Bust of Athena right, wearing high-crested Corinthian helmet and aegis. Reverse: AΠΑΜΕΩN above, KΩKOY below, eagle alighting on basis with meander pattern, caps of the Dioscuri, surmounted by star, flanking, star above. References: SNG Cop 161-162, BMC 78-82 Size: 22mm, 7.5g
@Roman Collector... nice coin, cool fortune, and nice to see you branching out. RI Augustus 27BC-AD14 Æ20 5.5g 12h Apameia Phrygia Magistrate Attalos c 15BC Two corn-ears above maeander Labyrinth pattern RPC I, 3125 SCARCE
Nice one, RC! Last summer I had the pleasure of doing some ancient coin cataloguing and photography for an auction company that deals in estates. Most were uncleaned (and mostly uncleanable) junk but ones of these Phrygian bronzes was among the handful of nicer coins. You can even see the gorgon on the aegis. The estate is tied up in probate so I don't know when they will actually be auctioned. Here's the coin: PHRYGIA, Apameia. Circa 100-50 BC. Bronze, 22 mm, 8.69 gm. Antiphon and Menekleos, magistrates. Obverse: Bust of Athena to right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet and aegis. Reverse: AΠΑΜΕΩN / ΑΝΤΙΦΩΝ | ΜΕΝΕΚΛΕΟΥΣ; Eagle, with spread wings, flying right, and landing on a maeander pattern flanked by the caps of the dioscuri, each surmounted by a star of eight rays; above, a star of eight rays. Reference: SNG Copenhagen 164. EF. Ex CNG Web Auction, 28 Feb 2001.
Very nice addition @Roman Collector it can be fun to step outside the usual. Here's mine: Apameia, Phrygia; BC 133-148 AE, 6.73g, 23mm; 2h Obv.: Bust of Athena right wearing high crested Corinthian helmet and aegis Rev.: AΠAMEΩN; eagle alighting on base with meander pattern flanked by caps of the Dioskouroi, star above
Glad you have succumbed to the Greeks PHRYGIA. Apameia. Circa 100-50 BC. (Bronze, 19.5 mm, 6.17 g, 1 h), Attalos, son of Bianor. Turreted head of Artemis right; bow and quiver over her shoulder. Rev. AΠAMEΩN ATTAΛOY BIANOPOΣ Marsyas advancing right on a maeander pattern, playing a double flute. BMC 62. HGC 7 674v. SNG Copenhagen 192.
How could you go wrong with the handsome Greek bronze for $13? Nice score, RC! I especially like the clear maeander pattern. Here's a provincial struck about two centuries after yours. HADRIAN AE22. 4.10g, 22mm. PHRYGIA, Apameia, AD 117-138. SNG von Aulock 3492; SNG Copenhagen 211; BMC 155. O: AΔPIANOC KAI CЄB, laureate head right, with slight drapery. R: AΠAMЄΩN MAPCVAC KIBΩTOI, Marsyas reclining left within cavern, holding cornucopia and double flute; five chests above. Notes: Apameia was also known by the sobriquet Kibotos, or The Chest, alluding to either its great wealth as a trade emporium, or perhaps more likely, for the ubiquitous wooden packing crates that were used by the city's trade middlemen to re-pack goods bound from Egypt and Asia to Greece and later, the Roman Empire.