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<p>[QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 5143156, member: 83845"]I have had this coin since late last year when I received it from the magnificent collection of [USER=77077]@Theodosius[/USER] . However, I have only recently been able to sit down long enough to compile some of my notes on it. The reverse type (reclining Nilus) is used fairly frequently on Alexandrian AE drachms and BI tetradrachms and for good reason. It is a fascinating type with connections to a trendsetting masterpiece of Hellenistic sculpture.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1207228[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Egypt, Alexandria</font></p><p><font size="3">Antoninus Pius</font></p><p><font size="3">AE Drachm, Alexandria mint, struck RY 13 (AD 149/50)</font></p><p><font size="3">Dia.: 34.2 mm</font></p><p><font size="3">Wt.: 23.9 g</font></p><p><font size="3">Obv.: ΑVΤΚΤΑΙΛΑΔΡΑΝΤωΝΙΝΟCEBEVC; Laureate head right</font></p><p><font size="3">Rev.: TPIKA (date) IϚ (16); Nilus reclining left holding reed and cornucopia from which emerges a pekheis; crocodile below; L in left field</font></p><p><font size="3">Ref.: Emmett 1621.13</font></p><p><font size="3"><i>Ex Theodosius Collection</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1207235[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3"><i>Fig. 1: A Quick Note on Reading the Reverse Inscription</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>The Original Reclining Nilus</b></u></span></font></p><p>In his chapter discussing the Marbles of Alexandria, Pliny the Elder mentions that the largest block of black Egyptian basalt (“basanites”) known in antiquity was sculpted into a massive statuary group depicting the personified Nile River with 16 children (or pekheis) representing the cubits of the optimum annual flood [1]. This statue was most likely made during the Hellenistic period in the 3rd to 2nd century BC in connection with the Ptolemiac court but unfortunately nothing is known about its artist or circumstances of manufacture [2][3]. It was later taken from its original context in Egypt, probably by the Emperor Nero, and transported to the city of Rome where it ended up residing in the Forum of Peace [3]. Even though nothing remains of the original Hellenistic prototype, we can get a sense of the grandeur of the sculpture by looking at the more that 20 surviving examples of sculptures that were inspired by it.</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>The Vatican Nilus and Later Copies</b></u></span></font></p><p>The statue widely considered to be the best surviving representation of the Reclining Nilus type is known as the Vatican Nilus. It was re-discovered in Rome in AD 1513 and currently resides in the Vatican Museum. It is thought to be a copy of the original Hellenistic prototype and was commissioned by Trajan or Hadrian to be placed in the sanctuary to the Egyptian gods Isis and Serapis in the Campus Martius.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1207230[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3"><i>Fig. 2: I took this photo the last time I visited the Vatican Museum. This sculpture is the centerpiece of the Braccio Nuovo or “New Wing” of the museum which was built in the early 1800s to recreate the authentic feel of a Roman basilica. The Vatican Nilus is situated in an apse which would have been similar to the way it was probably displayed in the sanctuary of Isis and Serapis. It is one of the most impressive ancient sculptures that I have ever seen. </i></font></p><p><br /></p><p>Particularly worthy of note are the 16 small “children” that crawl in and around the reclining Nilus. In coin references these figures are often called genii but a more precise name for them would be pekheis (<i>πήχεις) </i>which is a word meaning “cubit-tall.” A cubit is measured as roughly the distance between the elbow and the tip of the middle finger so a child is a natural model for a personification on this scale. Every year the Egyptians would measure the flood level of the Nile to help predict the success of the crops that year. 16 cubits was the optimum measurement. [USER=57495]@zumbly[/USER] has an article on this that is one of my all-time favorite posts on this site so I will simply post a link instead of trying to re-explain here.</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><b><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-nilometer.300607/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-nilometer.300607/"> The Nilometer</a></b></font></p><p><font size="3">(seriously read this post if you haven't done so already!)</font></p><p><br /></p><p>While the Vatican Nilus is the best and probably the most accurate representation of the original prototype there are other interesting examples that are relevant to the representation shown on the coins. One such sculpture is in the Archaeological Museum of Naples. The original sculpture was dedicated by merchants from Alexandria that were living in Naples in the 2nd century. In this example the cornucopia is held in the right hand instead of the left and there is only one pekheis. The head is of a different style than the Vatican example but this can be explained by the fact that the sculpture was rediscovered without a head in the 12th century and a new one wasn’t fashioned until the 17th century [4][5].</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1207231[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3"><i>Fig. 3: The Naples example shows only one pekheis and the cornucopia is held in front of Nilus in his right hand. My example shows Nilus in a similar pose.</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>Statues and Coins</b></u></span></font></p><p>There are enough similarities between the ancient sculptures and the coins that I think drawing a direct parallel is warranted. Much like other famous sculptures in antiquity the monumental Hellenistic Nilus statue seems to have had a huge influence on later artists working on the same subject. As illustrated by the two examples above the sculpture type developed some variation. My guess is that the reverses are using one or multiple of these variants as their inspiration. Some direct references;</p><ul> <li>The reverse details for reclining Nilus listed in Emmett include a crocodile (my example), a hippopotamus and a sphinx. All are present in the Reclining Nilus sculpture type.</li> <li>A pekheis is shown coming out of the cornucopia on both the coins and the Vatican Nilus.</li> <li>On coins the cornucopia is sometimes held in the left arm of Nilus like in the Vatican example and sometimes in the right arm like the Naples example.</li> <li>The inclusion of IϚ on the reverse of the coins has long been understood as a reference to the 16 cubit measurement of the Nilometer. However, I wonder if it is not also an artistic shorthand to signify the 16 pekheis of the statue. What I mean by this is that the die engraver may have drawn one pekheis (such the cornucopia kiddo) then placed a IϚ in the reverse legend or elsewhere on the coin to signify that there were actually 16 of the little creatures. For instance, on [USER=57495]@zumbly[/USER] ‘s example in the above linked thread the IϚ is written above the pekheis and not in the legend signifying that they are meant to be read together. Emmett also lists a reverse type 1623 with “16 genii.” I could not find an example of this on wildwinds or elsewhere online so this type must be fairly rare. It would be interesting to see if the IϚ were still present on an example with the pekheis engraved individually.</li> </ul><p>[ATTACH=full]1207232[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3"><i>Fig. 4: Comparison of the Coins and Nilus Statue</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p>Some take-aways from this comparison are. (1) Nilus is a bad father for letting his kids play with a crocodile unsupervised (2) The kid in the cornucopia looks mighty pissed off (probably about the whole crocodile thing...).</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>Refrences</b></u></span></font></p><p>[1] <a href="http://perseus.uchicago.edu/perseus-cgi/citequery3.pl?dbname=LatinAugust2012&getid=1&query=Plin.%20Nat.%2036.11" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://perseus.uchicago.edu/perseus-cgi/citequery3.pl?dbname=LatinAugust2012&getid=1&query=Plin.%20Nat.%2036.11" rel="nofollow">http://perseus.uchicago.edu/perseus-cgi/citequery3.pl?dbname=LatinAugust2012&getid=1&query=Plin. Nat. 36.11</a></p><p><br /></p><p>[2] <a href="http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/braccio-nuovo/Nilo.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/braccio-nuovo/Nilo.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/braccio-nuovo/Nilo.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>[3] <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/chamberwonders/heemskerck/25" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://sites.google.com/site/chamberwonders/heemskerck/25" rel="nofollow">https://sites.google.com/site/chamberwonders/heemskerck/25</a></p><p><br /></p><p>[4] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_God_Statue,_Naples#cite_note-1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_God_Statue,_Naples#cite_note-1" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_God_Statue,_Naples#cite_note-1</a></p><p><br /></p><p>[5] <a href="https://www.italianways.com/the-statue-of-the-nile-god-a-glimpse-of-egypt-at-the-heart-of-naples/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.italianways.com/the-statue-of-the-nile-god-a-glimpse-of-egypt-at-the-heart-of-naples/" rel="nofollow">https://www.italianways.com/the-statue-of-the-nile-god-a-glimpse-of-egypt-at-the-heart-of-naples/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>[6] Emmet, Keith, <i>Alexandrian Coins,</i> Clio’s Cabinet; Lodi, Wisconsin 2001[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 5143156, member: 83845"]I have had this coin since late last year when I received it from the magnificent collection of [USER=77077]@Theodosius[/USER] . However, I have only recently been able to sit down long enough to compile some of my notes on it. The reverse type (reclining Nilus) is used fairly frequently on Alexandrian AE drachms and BI tetradrachms and for good reason. It is a fascinating type with connections to a trendsetting masterpiece of Hellenistic sculpture. [ATTACH=full]1207228[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]Egypt, Alexandria Antoninus Pius AE Drachm, Alexandria mint, struck RY 13 (AD 149/50) Dia.: 34.2 mm Wt.: 23.9 g Obv.: ΑVΤΚΤΑΙΛΑΔΡΑΝΤωΝΙΝΟCEBEVC; Laureate head right Rev.: TPIKA (date) IϚ (16); Nilus reclining left holding reed and cornucopia from which emerges a pekheis; crocodile below; L in left field Ref.: Emmett 1621.13 [I]Ex Theodosius Collection[/I][/SIZE] [ATTACH=full]1207235[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3][I]Fig. 1: A Quick Note on Reading the Reverse Inscription[/I][/SIZE] [SIZE=6][COLOR=#404040][U][B]The Original Reclining Nilus[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] In his chapter discussing the Marbles of Alexandria, Pliny the Elder mentions that the largest block of black Egyptian basalt (“basanites”) known in antiquity was sculpted into a massive statuary group depicting the personified Nile River with 16 children (or pekheis) representing the cubits of the optimum annual flood [1]. This statue was most likely made during the Hellenistic period in the 3rd to 2nd century BC in connection with the Ptolemiac court but unfortunately nothing is known about its artist or circumstances of manufacture [2][3]. It was later taken from its original context in Egypt, probably by the Emperor Nero, and transported to the city of Rome where it ended up residing in the Forum of Peace [3]. Even though nothing remains of the original Hellenistic prototype, we can get a sense of the grandeur of the sculpture by looking at the more that 20 surviving examples of sculptures that were inspired by it. [SIZE=6][COLOR=#404040][U][B]The Vatican Nilus and Later Copies[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] The statue widely considered to be the best surviving representation of the Reclining Nilus type is known as the Vatican Nilus. It was re-discovered in Rome in AD 1513 and currently resides in the Vatican Museum. It is thought to be a copy of the original Hellenistic prototype and was commissioned by Trajan or Hadrian to be placed in the sanctuary to the Egyptian gods Isis and Serapis in the Campus Martius. [ATTACH=full]1207230[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3][I]Fig. 2: I took this photo the last time I visited the Vatican Museum. This sculpture is the centerpiece of the Braccio Nuovo or “New Wing” of the museum which was built in the early 1800s to recreate the authentic feel of a Roman basilica. The Vatican Nilus is situated in an apse which would have been similar to the way it was probably displayed in the sanctuary of Isis and Serapis. It is one of the most impressive ancient sculptures that I have ever seen. [/I][/SIZE] Particularly worthy of note are the 16 small “children” that crawl in and around the reclining Nilus. In coin references these figures are often called genii but a more precise name for them would be pekheis ([I]πήχεις) [/I]which is a word meaning “cubit-tall.” A cubit is measured as roughly the distance between the elbow and the tip of the middle finger so a child is a natural model for a personification on this scale. Every year the Egyptians would measure the flood level of the Nile to help predict the success of the crops that year. 16 cubits was the optimum measurement. [USER=57495]@zumbly[/USER] has an article on this that is one of my all-time favorite posts on this site so I will simply post a link instead of trying to re-explain here. [SIZE=6][B][URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-nilometer.300607/'] The Nilometer[/URL][/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=3](seriously read this post if you haven't done so already!)[/SIZE] While the Vatican Nilus is the best and probably the most accurate representation of the original prototype there are other interesting examples that are relevant to the representation shown on the coins. One such sculpture is in the Archaeological Museum of Naples. The original sculpture was dedicated by merchants from Alexandria that were living in Naples in the 2nd century. In this example the cornucopia is held in the right hand instead of the left and there is only one pekheis. The head is of a different style than the Vatican example but this can be explained by the fact that the sculpture was rediscovered without a head in the 12th century and a new one wasn’t fashioned until the 17th century [4][5]. [ATTACH=full]1207231[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3][I]Fig. 3: The Naples example shows only one pekheis and the cornucopia is held in front of Nilus in his right hand. My example shows Nilus in a similar pose.[/I][/SIZE] [SIZE=6][COLOR=#404040][U][B]Statues and Coins[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] There are enough similarities between the ancient sculptures and the coins that I think drawing a direct parallel is warranted. Much like other famous sculptures in antiquity the monumental Hellenistic Nilus statue seems to have had a huge influence on later artists working on the same subject. As illustrated by the two examples above the sculpture type developed some variation. My guess is that the reverses are using one or multiple of these variants as their inspiration. Some direct references; [LIST] [*]The reverse details for reclining Nilus listed in Emmett include a crocodile (my example), a hippopotamus and a sphinx. All are present in the Reclining Nilus sculpture type. [*]A pekheis is shown coming out of the cornucopia on both the coins and the Vatican Nilus. [*]On coins the cornucopia is sometimes held in the left arm of Nilus like in the Vatican example and sometimes in the right arm like the Naples example. [*]The inclusion of IϚ on the reverse of the coins has long been understood as a reference to the 16 cubit measurement of the Nilometer. However, I wonder if it is not also an artistic shorthand to signify the 16 pekheis of the statue. What I mean by this is that the die engraver may have drawn one pekheis (such the cornucopia kiddo) then placed a IϚ in the reverse legend or elsewhere on the coin to signify that there were actually 16 of the little creatures. For instance, on [USER=57495]@zumbly[/USER] ‘s example in the above linked thread the IϚ is written above the pekheis and not in the legend signifying that they are meant to be read together. Emmett also lists a reverse type 1623 with “16 genii.” I could not find an example of this on wildwinds or elsewhere online so this type must be fairly rare. It would be interesting to see if the IϚ were still present on an example with the pekheis engraved individually. [/LIST] [ATTACH=full]1207232[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3][I]Fig. 4: Comparison of the Coins and Nilus Statue[/I][/SIZE] Some take-aways from this comparison are. (1) Nilus is a bad father for letting his kids play with a crocodile unsupervised (2) The kid in the cornucopia looks mighty pissed off (probably about the whole crocodile thing...). [SIZE=6][COLOR=#404040][U][B]Refrences[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] [1] [URL='http://perseus.uchicago.edu/perseus-cgi/citequery3.pl?dbname=LatinAugust2012&getid=1&query=Plin.%20Nat.%2036.11']http://perseus.uchicago.edu/perseus-cgi/citequery3.pl?dbname=LatinAugust2012&getid=1&query=Plin. Nat. 36.11[/URL] [2] [URL]http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/braccio-nuovo/Nilo.html[/URL] [3] [URL]https://sites.google.com/site/chamberwonders/heemskerck/25[/URL] [4] [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_God_Statue,_Naples#cite_note-1[/URL] [5] [URL]https://www.italianways.com/the-statue-of-the-nile-god-a-glimpse-of-egypt-at-the-heart-of-naples/[/URL] [6] Emmet, Keith, [I]Alexandrian Coins,[/I] Clio’s Cabinet; Lodi, Wisconsin 2001[/QUOTE]
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