This by far my best coin capture at the Cromwell show. It’s a nice big stater depicting a nicely centered Hoplite (ancient Greek warrior) and nicely centered Triskeles. It has the appearance of a new find so I’m guessing it may have been part of last summer’s large hoard. I’ve got to read-up on it & look forward to learning from you folks. (I'm dealing with the plastic now). PAMPHYLIA, Aspendus AR Stater ca. 450 B.C. 10.87 grams Obv: Hoplite warrior stepping right with shield and spear. Rev: Triskeles left (CCW) ΕΣ above. Grade: Very nicely centered Choice VF with the appearance of a new find. NGC opinion is Choice VF with 4/5 Strike and 4/5 Surface. Other: T.B.D. I did find one (on Wildwinds I think) that appears to be my coin with the ΕΣ. Interestingly, I also found NGC slabs listed at Heritage archives but they seemed to skip the precise number on my slab. Let’s see your hoplites or Triskeles or maybe something from last summer’s hoard. Post ‘em if you got ‘em.
What a well-struck well-centered example of the type! The ones with turtle control marks have tempted me. Do you know anything about the presumable hoard that appears to have been dispersed to various dealers in the last year?
I believe that I read here at CT that there was some 30,000 piece owl hoard last summer that maybe included a thousand hoplite coins. (I didn't know what a hoplite was so I looked it up at the time ).
Yes... yes it does . I'll toss in another coin with a more prominent triskeles and, for extra credit, a nude hoplite . The triskeles symbol is thought to represent the shape of Sicily. I think its use as an emblem of Sicily stems from Agathokles' use of the symbol (please correct me if I'm wrong, anyone). SICILY, Syracuse. Agathokles struck 310-305 BCE AR tetradrachm, 17.40 g, 24 mm Obv: head of the nymph Arethusa left, wearing grain wreath, earring and necklace; around, three dolphins; under, monogram (NK?) Rev: ΣYPAKOΣIΩN, fast chariot charioteer leads to left, holding reins and kentron; above, triskeles; in exergue, monogram Ref: Ierardi 12 (O2-R8); SNG Copenhagen 573 var., SNG ANS 637 The story of its acquisition is here. On this Roman Republic denarius the triskeles pays homage to C. Claudius Marcellus's ancestor, M. Claudius Marcellus. Per CNG, " the triskeles alludes to his conquest of Sicily in 212-210 BC, the spoils from which rescued the state from imminent bankruptcy." Roman Republic, the Pompeians L. Cornelius Lentulus and C. Claudius Marcellus Military mint in the East (Apollonia and Asia), 49 BC AR denarius, 19 mm, 3.8 gm Obv: Triskeles, with winged head of Medusa facing at center; stalk of grain between each leg Rev: Jupiter standing facing, head right, holding thunderbolt in right hand and eagle on left; LE(NT) (MAR) upward to left, COS upward to right Ref: Crawford 445/1b; Sydenham 1029a Nude hoplite: MYSIA, Kisthene Orontes, satrap of Mysia, c. 357-352 BCE AR Half Siglos or Tetrobol; 13 mm, 2.75 gm Obv: Nude hoplite crouching left behind shield, spear at ready Rev: Forepart of winged boar right Ref: Troxell, Orontes 4; SNG France 1164A (Lampsakos); SNG von Aulock Very rare. ex X6 Collection
Congratulations! That is indeed a beautiful example. Mine is the the "sword-type" and much more pedestrian (although it is missing two pedes on the obverse and one pedem on the reverse): Aspendos, Pamphylia, AR stater, ca. 465–430 BC. Obv: Warrior walking r., holding sword and shield. Rev: Triskeles, two test cuts. 17mm, 10.91g. Ref: SNG France 1–11. Ex Savoca, Blue Auction 14, lot 366.
Collector89, Nice score ! The mint worker arraigned the lump of silver perfectly to get maximum die coverage before the hammer blow . The examples from TIF are stunning ! The Tetrobol from Mysia has an interesting composition. The hoplite looks like he's ready to dodge a barrage of arrows.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/greek/anci...087-gm-ngc-choice-vf-4-5-4-5/a/231902-62049.s Auction 231902, lot 62049, Jan 10 2019 Heritage won't tell you the consigner so you can't simply ask. However, there is a trick. Go to the NGC Slab verification site and verify your slab. The last three digits of the slab are its position in the submission. For you that's 004. This means at least 4 coins were in the submission. You are only supposed to use the NGC tool to verify slabs but if you happen to feed it the other numbers 001, 002, ..., 999 you will find out what was in the submission. If the submission was mostly Hoplite and Pomegranate staters then it is likely part of the hoard. If any of the other coins in the submission turn up and you can trace their provenance further back than Heritage it might give you a hint of who to ask about your coin.
sorry to post a modern here.. but I always found it odd that the Isle of Man adopted this ancient symbol.. what are its origins?
I've wondered that also, especially since my first knowledge of a triskeles was involving the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man motto means "Wherever you throw it, it stands"
Why is that face on the triskeles considered to be Medusa? Doesn't Medusa have snakes for hair? I see no snakes. In fact, that face looks to me like a man wearing a really old type of aviator's helmet. Of course, there were no airplanes in 49 BC. lol
What a great looking coin. Very nice aesthetic in my opinion for an issue from the very early classical period.
I googled that question yesterday and found a "wealth" of information. It seems the triskeles started in Sicily, which, in Greek, was called Tricaria, meaning 3 pointed. There's no consensus on how it transferred to the Isle of Man, but there are several theories. It happened about 1300 AD. Google it for lots of reading.
I am not so sure about that... I have convincing proof that 200 years later Rome had an AIRFORCE, even with female pilots! Like their engineering, they were so ahead of their time... IMPERIAL ROMAN AIR FORCE (IRAF) RI Mariniana AR Ant 253-254 CE Crescent - On Peacock flying 21.2mm 3.1g RIC VII 6 Rome IMPERIAL ROMAN AIR FORCE (IRAF) RI Paulina wife of Maximinus I D before CE 235 AE sestertius 30.77mm 19.66g 2nd emiss of Maximinus I CE 236 Peacock RIC IV 3 RARE [EDIT] Yeah, it is a true story, @TIF !
While watching " The Curse of Oak Island " there was a finding of an old concrete wall below sea level, and that led to a discussion about the Romans developing a type of concrete that would actually set under water.
