Featured Cappadocia and a Vespasian Hemidrachm

For more info on the photo and balloon rides see https://cappadociaballoonflights.com/

With the evolving global pandemic, it seems unlikely that much leisure travel will be part of my near term plans. The phrase, "may you live in interesting times", has come to mind too often in recent months. I find this photo of balloons in Cappadocia uplifting and spectacular. Cappadocia, at least from travel websites, sounds like a great vacation with balloon rides, Mt. Erciyes (Argaeus), hiking, carved rock dwellings of troglodytes and Christians, or a recently discovered underground city, reported to be larger than Derinkuyu, about 1.5 hours from Kayseri, Turkey, aka Caesarea.

A coin from Cappadocia inspired the visits to travel websites. An ancient coin from the 1st century AD. This coin is a close relative of an Imperial quinarius of Vespasian - which is a bit more difficult to find in this condition. Other than the Latin legends and a bit more metal, it looks a lot like this Vespasian quinarius from Rome. Worth noting a historical link between Caesarea and Vespasian: he was in Caesarea in July, AD 69, when he was proclaimed emperor by Julius Tiberius Alexander, prefect of Egypt. (Josephus, Of the War, IV.10.6)

Provincials minted in Rome?
Some of the coins for Cappadocia were minted in Rome. An assessment of denarii, didrachms and drachms of Vespasian, comparing "local" and "Rome" style coins, looked at the trace elements in the metal and found similarities between "Rome style" coins of Cappadocia and Roman denarii, which were differentiated from "local style" coins.

"This would suggest a common metal source and/or refining procedure for both and therefore supports the view that the Rome-style Caesarean coins were indeed struck at Rome."
-Butcher and Ponting (1995), Rome and the East. Production of Roman provincial silver coinage for Caesarea in Cappadocia under Vespasian, AD 69–79, Oxford Journal of Archaeology 14(1):63-77​

Carradice and Cowell in 1987 did an analysis using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) with bronze coins finding some minted in Rome for use in Caesarea. Butcher and Ponting, using the same technique, came to similar conclusions for silver coins. They confirmed earlier conclusions drawn from style, lack of die links, die axes. My hemidrachm appears to fall in a "local style" category minted in Casarea. The "local" grouping defined by die axis. "Local" 12h vs. "Roman" 6h - described here by W. Metcalf in 1996. Although they are undated, Metcalf places the hemidrachms in year 77/78 AD.

What is the silver content?
Another observation from the Butcher and Ponting article is that they found the silver content to be very well controlled and 47% silver and 50% copper. An earlier study that used X-Ray Fluorescence analysis (XRF) showed much higher variability. The 1995 study leaves a positive impression of Roman engineering in purifying the silver and making the alloy across two mints. Additional information on the coins used in Caesarea can be found in Butcher & Ponting (2015) "Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage", Chapter 18.

"Très Beau à Superbe"
Browsing the other 27 examples of this coin on RPC II site, this coin is the heaviest example (others range 1.28g-1.83g). There are about 115 examples in ACSearch, with some percentage the same coin recycled within and between auction houses. Of these, the avg weight was 1.65g with standard deviation 0.155g. There is one example that is heavier at 1.97g. Of those with images, I don't readily see one that I would trade for this coin, except maybe the one from "Jean Elsen & ses Fils" in 2010, which is this coin - a nice find with ACSearch's image search - which reads "Très Beau à Superbe" - I agree: very beautiful to superb.

Cappadocia, Caesarea-Eusebia, Vespasian, AD 69-79, AR Hemidrachm, 15.5mm, 1.92g, 12h, minted in Caesarea AD 77/78
Obv: AYTOKP KAICAP OYЄCΠACIANOC CЄBA, Laureate head right
Rev: Nike advancing right, holding wreath and palm frond
Ref: RPC II 1659; Metcalf 17
Notes: ex CNG, ex Mendoza collection, ex Jean Elsen et Fils. Legend equivalent in Latin is IMPER CAESAR VESPASIANUS AVG

As always, comments, additions and corrections are appreciated. Share travel wishes, coins of Cappadocia, Vespasian, or anything else you find interesting or entertaining.

 

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Absolutely a top notch example!

 

Wonderful coin! Nice find.

 

What was the time period for a silver content of ca. 47%? In Roman denarius terms that would be the Severan Dynasty. Were the Caesarean coins of Vespasian 47%?

 

Normally, these Cappadoccian hemidrachms of Vespasian come rather worn and ratty looking ... yours is definitely not so! A most lovely example.

 

Great coin and nice write-up, @Sulla80 . Hard to find those in such good condition, that’s a beauty.

I don’t have any provincials from Cappadocia, but I can share this Vespasian tet with Nike reverse from Alexandria, a recent win from Naville.

Vespasian, Alexandria,Tetradrachm circa 69-70 (year 2), (BI 24.1mm., 12.17g.) AVTOK KAIΣ ΣEBA OVEΣΠAΣIANOV Laureate head right, in front, LB./ Rev. Nike advancing left holding wreath and palm. RPC 2412

 

From the Butcher & Ponting paper cited and linked above - all Vespasian coins:

“The silver contents of the coins analysed were considerably lower than expected. The mean silver content for the Caesarean issues (both Rome style and local) was 47.15% with a standard deviation of 0.84 and the copper 50.07% with a standard deviation of 0.51.” ​

The ten Roman denarii sampled (AD 76-78) by comparison were 78.71%

 

Interesting write-up on Cappadocia and the metallurgical analysis, @Sulla80!

Nike's celebrating the triumph over Judaea on this denarius of Vespasian:



Vespasian (69-79 AD). Denarius. Rome. 72/73 AD. IMP CAES VESP AVG P M COS IIII; Laureate head of Vespasian right / VICTORIA – AVGVSTI; winged Victory advancing right, shouldering a palm frond, crowning a standard. 17.50 mm. 2.9 g. From the series of Judaea Capta coins for the victory over Jerusalem.

 

This explains why we have so many well worn coins of Vespasian today.

 

To confirm: because higher silver content == softer or more susceptible to wear?

 

Thanks for all that information. I purchased the book this morning. I am not as well versed on these Cappadocian coins as I ought to be. I have a didrachma of Nero on one side and Divus (os) Claudius on the other from Caesarea (Latin titles) but I am not certain it is from the Cappadocian mint or some other Caesarea. If it is from the mint you are writing about do you know if this is one of those 47% coins silver coins? Thanks.

 

Looks like Caesarea, Cappadocia to me - the resemblance between Nero and Claudius is entertaining.

Nero with, Divus Claudius, AR Didrachm of Caesarea, Cappadocia, AD 54-68
Obv: NERO CLAVD DIVI CLAVD F CAESAR AVG GERMA, laureate head of Nero to right
Rev: DIVOS CLAVD AVGVST GERMANIC PATER AVG, laureate head of Claudius to right

The relevant book section starts on page 514 - an odd difference between drachms (~59%) and didrachms (~72%) in fineness. As with the Vespasian coins, lower than Walker's results.

 

Very cool HemiDrachm! That is a great coin, and I really want one. The country looks beautiful, and my wife and I want to spend some time in Turkey, just to enjoy those sites.

I think the Balloon ride would be a BLAST! (Done that before), but, I feel the experience would be ENHANCED if you could BUNGEE JUMP from the balloon as part of the total experience. I would like to invite @lordmarcovan and his wife to join us on that venture!


Oh, man SORRY @Sulla80 , I do not have any Cappadocian coins that I can identify... however, BEFORE Cappadocia was...

HATTI, the Homeland of the Hittite Empire!!!



Hittite Steatite Head of a Man Amulet 2nd Millennium BCE 15 x 20 mm Intact front-Side

@EWC3 had commented this may possibly had been a seal. Cool.

Thanks for letting me make a break in the coin-action, but I think this is sucha a cool piece in my collection (besides, the Hittites did not have coins...)

 

Thanks and that is a curious divergence. Were these coins considered to be the equivalent in the East to Denarii (and at what exchange rate)or simply a token coinage for local consumption?

 

Looks like they were struck 200/libra @ 50% fine so international traders could be confident in getting a pound of silver in 400 coins. Anyone have any clues about local tariff against denarii? That would surely be a different matter.

Rob T

 

I don't have a good answer for you, other than my read from Harl that Cappadocia Attic standard drachm's were equivalent to a denarius. Therefore the drachm was overvalued based on silver content. Otherwise, I can only add to the list of questions e.g. did Rome collect fees in denarii (higher silver) and issue local currency as drachms (overvalued based on lower silver content)? How much exchanging of currency was there and why? Were soldiers paid in local currency or denarii?

 

I know next to nothing about this coinage - but I dug out my NC for 1992 for the article by Butcher "Rhodian Drachms" which seems to be a fairly recent account of this matter. I found the article very confusing in its presentation. Throughout Butcher gives data for silver in "theoretical denarii" - which are the notional denarii values of Cappadocian drachms (which he calls Rhodian drachms). These are only correct if his preconceived theories are correct.......

If I have him correctly he thinks the Cappadocian drachm tariffed at 3/4 denarius (even though that sometimes over values it (!) against the denarius). That contrasts with Walker who had thought the Cappadocian drachm tariffed at a denarius and thus was over valued by about 25%. That looks much more likely to me and is in line with what Howgego said about Cistopheri

I hesitate to say more as I hardly ever looked at these coins - but would be pleased to get a second opinion on the Butcher piece.

I have a fear he just did not correctly understand historical seigniorage. That matter is vital if we are to understand how coins were tariffed at official exchanges, and thus the real politics of coin issue.

Rob T

 

So much we want to know and so much we do not.

 

True - but also (and I think something rather like this is going on with Butcher concerning these Cappadocian coins):

"It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so."



Rob T