Featured Finally succumbed to the Greeks! The 12 Olympian gods..

Great coin and set of coins, @Spaniard , and thanks for the write-up.

Here are a couple Apollos:


Roman Republic
234-231 BCE
AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm
Apollo-
Horse prancing
Crawford 26-1 Sear 28



Roman Republic
Anon
AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm
275-270 BCE
ROMANO Apollo Left-
Galloping Horse
Sear23

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

@Alegandron......Thanks glad you like them.....
Those are some beautiful silvers and particularly like the horse prancing..Nice Nice..

 

No more Apollo coins out there?
And does anyone know the meaning of the API? Thanks Paul

 

It's nice to see your collection of Greek gods growing!

Here are two of my favorite Apollo coins:

Philip II, Kingdom of Macedonia, AE unit, 359–336 BC; Macedonian mint. Obv: Obv: laureate head of Apollo r. Rev: ΦΙΛΙΠ[ΠΟΥ], young rider on prancing horse r., A below. 18mm, 6.21g. Ref: SNG ANS 894, 935.


Thrace, Apollonia Pontika, AR diobol, 4th century BC. Obv: laureate head of Apollo facing. Rev: upright anchor; A to l., crayfish to r. 11mm, 1.35g. Ref: SNG Copenhagen 459–461. Ex Artemide, eLive-Auction 7, lot 98.

My own example of the Thessalian League type showing Apollo and Athena Itonia has been one of the very first ancient coins I bought. It is much less attractive than yours:

Thessaly, Thessalian League, AE13, 196–146 BC. Obv: head of Apollo, laureate, r. Rev: ΘΕΣΣΑ[ΛΩΝ]; Athena Itonia striding right, hurling spear, shield on arm; monogram (AP?) in r. field. 13mm, 3.15g. Ref: Rogers 42 var. (monogram); Sear Greek 2237 var. (smaller denomination).

 

I have oodles of coins featuring Apollo, but this one is one of my favorites. Its iconography is based upon representations of Actian Apollo:


Gordian III, AD 238-244.
Roman Æ Sestertius, 20.01 gm, 28.2 mm, 11 h.
Rome, 5th officina. 9th emission, AD 241.
Obv: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: PM TRP IIII COS II PP SC, Apollo seated left, holding laurel branch and resting left arm on lyre.
Refs: RIC 302; Cohen 252; Sear --; Banti 72.

 

@Spaniard - you are moving quickly through your list - nice collection so far. Here's an Apollo, perhaps with Zeus the easiest to find.
Sicily, Syracuse, Timoleon and the Third Democracy (344-317 BC), AE.
Obv: ΣYPAKOΣIΩN, laureate head of Apollo left
Rev: Pegasos flying left; below Δ.

 

Here's an Apollo portrait with good detail on a weight-adjusted bronze coin from Sardis:



LYDIA. Sardes. Circa 133 BC-AD 14. AE (Bronze, 15 mm, 3.79 g, 1 h). Laureate head of Apollo to right. Rev. ΣAPΔI-ANΩN Club; all within oak wreath; to right, monogram. BMC -, cf. 10-21 (different monograms). SNG Copenhagen -, cf. 470-82 (different monograms). Minor adjustment marks as made.

 

Thanks for the comments and lovely coins posted....Paul
@Orielensis...Really nice Thrace and love the little crayfish...I also like the front facing portrait...
@Roman Collector.....Sweet coin! From your previous post I will be running a Roman set too....
@Sulla80......That's a super looking Pegasos!...The reason the thread has been running quite quickly is that I already had these 5 before commencing the thread and these are some of the easiest/cheapest ones to acquire....It will certainly slow down now as I try to find the more difficult gods/goddesses...
@Carl Wilmont.....Great coin with lovely detail...What do you mean by weight-adjusted on your coin?...The file marks?

 

@Carl Wilmont.....Great coin with lovely detail...What do you mean by weight-adjusted on your coin?...The file marks?[/QUOTE]

Thank you. Yes, adjustment marks are from scrapes made at the mint to remove excess metal, usually from the planchet (prior to striking), in order to bring the weight of the coin to a standard. This practice continued into the modern era, ending for US coins in the early 1800's. You can find related threads/posts in CoinTalk by searching for "adjustment marks."

 

@Spaniard Very nice write up about the Thessalian League and some really nice coins!
The Thessalian League must have been one of the oldest Leagues that survived the beginning of the Roman times in Greece.

API is from [Λ]API[ΣAIΩN], Larissa, the city the coin is minted in (capital of Thessaly), I have seen it before on Thessalian league issues which had for example Λ-API.

Some coins of the Thessalian League


Thessaly, Thessalian League. AE Dichalkon. Ippaitas magistrate (Late 2nd-mid 1st century B.C.)
Obverse: IΠΠAI[TAΣ] helmeted head of Athena right.
Reverse: ΘEΣΣAΛΩN, horse trotting right.


Thessaly, Thessalian League. AE Trichalkon. Herak..., magistrate (Mid-late 2nd century B.C.)
Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo right.
Reverse: ΘEΣΣA ΛΩN Athena Itonia right, with spear and shield; in field right: HPAK monogram.


Thessaly, Thessalian League. AE Trichalkon. Polyxe..., magistrate (Mid - late 1st century B.C.)
Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo right.
Reverse: ΘEΣΣA ΛΩN Athena Itonia right, with spear and shield; above: ΠΟΛV-ΞΕ and star.

I particularly like Apollo on this coin:

Seleukid Kingdom. Demetrios II Nikator (146 - 138 B.C.). First reign. Æ Denomination B, Uncertain mint 94 in Northern Syria (145 – 144 B.C.).
Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo right, hair rolled, two long locks escaping down neck.
Reverse: BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔHMHTPIOY ΦIΛAΔEΛΦOY NIKATOPOΣ; Filleted tripod.
Reference: SC 1918;
5.78g; 18mm

 

@Carl Wilmont.....Thanks Carl...I'd heard of clipping and scooping in regards to controlling weight but had always thought of these heavy scratches being related to their cleaning....So this is comforting info as this wrasping of the flan seems to be quite a common occurrance especially on Greek bronzes.....There are a few coins that I'm interested in that show this feature and with this new information will look at them in a different light.......Thanks again Paul....
@Pavlos.....Thank you!....That's a bit of information I was hoping to obtain from the post....You have some great coins!..I too like the portrait of Apollo on the Demetrios, but really like the detail of the trotting horse!....Nice coins thanks for sharing...

 

OK number 7.
Decided to tick off one of the more difficult ladies and believe me was a tough one to find!....There are a few types that are readily available from Phrygia with double cornucopiae reverse but they always seem to have an obverse ID 'Head of Laodice or Aphrodite right' and I just couldn't live with the doubt!.....This coin seems to be quite rare and I really liked the fact the reverse depicts symbols associated with her, the rose and dove.

APHRODITE.
She was another daughter of Zeus (this guy got around!) and Dione a Titan goddess who's parents were Oceanus and Tethys.
The Goddess of love and beauty and also associated with desire, passion and sexuality (This little lady was hot!). She was the wife of Hephaestus (Vulcan) but had many lovers including Phaon, Nerites, Adonis, Hermes, Dionysus, Butes, Phaon, Hestia, Ares, Poseidon, and Anchises to mention a few!
Symbols assosiated to her...Dolphin, Rose, Scallop Shell, Myrtle, Dove, Sparrow, Girdle, Mirror, Pearl and Swan
Roman equivalent being Venus.
The coin was minted in Laodicea ad Lycum (Laodicea on the river Lycus) which was located in Phrygia in western Asia Minor, about 100 miles east of Ephesus. It was a possession of the Kingdom of Pergamon in the 2nd century BC when the last king, Attalus III (138-133 BC), died childless and willed his kingdom to the Roman Republic. Laodicea prospered modestly under Roman rule, though it was devastated during the Mithridatic Wars between Mithridates VI of Pontus and the Romans. It eventually recovered and became a thriving commercial centre. The city was home to one of the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse mentioned in the biblical Book of Revelation.
This is another place I visited many years ago and apparently this area has had extensive renovation of the ruins and also in 2019 a large bronze statue of Trajan was unearthed heres a link...https://www.trt.net.tr/espanol/cult...feso-1172687
A few photos showing some areas of the ancient city..

Here's the coin....
LAODICEA AD LYCUM (Phrygia) 14mm/4.0gr. Ca 200-100 BC.
Obverse: Draped bust of Aphrodite right, wearing stephane, hair in bun.
Reverse: ΛAOΔIKEΩN. Aphrodite standing left, holding dove, rose with stalk to left.
BMC Phrygia (p.284)27, SNG Copenhagen 497; SNG München 340; HGC 7, 744
SCARCE (R1 per HGC) Laodicea ad Lycum mint

Here's a breakdown of the reverse legend and the Roman equivalent Venus from my collection....

We're up to 7....

Please post your Aphrodite coins......

 

IONIA, Smyrna (BC 180-130). Æ (20mm, 4.26 gm, 1h). Obv: Turreted head of Tyche right. Rev: Aphrodite Stratonikis in long garb and polos standing right next to column from which Nike flies up to crown her with wreath; ΣΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ to right, (ΔΙΟ)ΝΥΣΙΟΣ/(Σ)ΚΑΜΑΝ(Δ.), (magistrate) to left. BMC__; von Aulock__; SNG Cop 1197; Mionnet (Ionia) 1073

 

ACHAIA, Patrai. Circa 35 BC. AR Hemidrachm (17mm, 2.2 gm, 2h). Obv: Head of Aphrodite right, wearing stephanos. Rev: ΔA/MACIAC (Damasias, son of Agesilaus, magistrate) in two lines above Patrai monogram; all within wreath. BCD Peloponnesos 525-8. Struck before substantial wear affected this die, as seen on the BCD example.
CNG wrote " The date of the issue, in the mid-30s BC, suggests that the issue was made in conjunction with Mark Antony’s preparations for his incipient war with Octavian. The head of Aphrodite may also have the features of Cleopatra VII, as many issues in the region at this time used her likeness in an attempt to flatter the wealthy queen (in fact, another issue of Patrai, BCD Peloponnesos 531-531, were overt issues in the name of Cleopatra)."

 

@PeteB....Nice coins!

......Interesting! And I must admit the portrait style does look different?...But the hooked nose?...

 

Numero Ocho.....8
Fell for the portrait on this one...What more can I say!?..The reverse is offset but still has nice detail and shows the Thyrsos which I liked..See below..

DIONYSOS....
He was the son of Zeus (As I said before this guy got around and obviously forgot!) AND.. ?...I'm gonna stick with......Hmmmmm................................... 'Semele' who was the youngest daughter of the Phoenician hero Cadmus and Harmonia...They've got the same colour eyes.......
There are other claiments of course such as Demeter, Persephone, Ammon and Amaltheia.

He was God of the vine, grape-harvest, wine-making, wine (Oh yes), fertility (Sounds good!), ritual madness (Ooh! I like this one!), religious ecstasy (not so much), and theatre (I love a good play)...A guy after my own heart..Wine, ritual madness and theatre !... Maybe just skip the 'religious ecstacy' as I wouldn't want to start a war!)

Symbols associated to him..Thyrsus, grapevine, bull, panther, ivy, goat, masks (What back then aswell!) and the chalice....

The Thyrsos (Thyrsus), which is depicted on the reverse of the OP coin, was a wand or staff of giant fennel carried by Dionysus (Bacchus) and his associates; topped by a pine cone or a bunch of ivy leaves and wreathed with tendrils of vine or ivy. It was a symbol of the immortality of his believers.

The Roman equivalent god was Bacchus.

The coin was minted in Amisos, modern day Samsun in Turkey, under the legendary ruler Mithradates VI. King of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120-63 BC he expanded the kingdom greatly and even gave Rome a run for its money in the Mithradatic wars.
Here's the coin...
Pontos, Amisos. temp. Mithradates VI, c. 105-85 or 85-65 BC. Æ (16mm, 3.98g, 12h). Struck under Mithradates VI.
Obverse..Ivy wreathed head of Dionysos right.
Reverse..Filleted thyrsos, bell attached with fillet, AMI-ΣOY flanking across field, monogram lower right.
Mint..Amisos (Samsun, Turkey)
SNG Black Sea 1192-5; HGC 7, 251. Good VF

Reverse legend...Anyone have an idea as to the Monogram?


Here's the set so far....Please feel free to post your coins depicting DOINYSOS....

 

That's a great addition to your collection, @Spaniard ! I like the wreath of ivy around his head.

Here's my favorite Dionysus -- riding on a panther!


Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman provincial triassarion, 6.34 g, 23.4 mm, 7 h.
Thrace, Pautalia, AD 161-175.
Obv: ΦΑVCΤΕΙΝ-Α CΕΒΑCΤΗ, draped bust of Faustina II, right; band of pearls around head.
Rev: ΟVΛΠΙΑC-ΠΑVΤΑΛΙ-ΑC, Dionysus seated on panther walking, r., resting r. arm on panther, holding thyrsus.
Refs: RPC IV 8811; Ruzicka 99.
Notes: Double die match to RPC IV 8811(4) = Ruzicka 99(4) = Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum 8775.

 

@Roman Collector........Cool coin...Not seen that reverse before, thanks for posting

 

Excellent Dionysos and I like your growing Olympian presentation - here my similar coin.
Pontos, Amisos, Æ, time of Mithridates VI, circa 85-65 BC
Obv: Head of Dionysos with ivy-wreath right
Rev: AMI-ΣOY, Thyrsos, monogram below "AMI"
Size: 3.65g, 17mm

 

DIONYSOS


Thasos, Thrace, (146 - 50 B.C.)
AR Tetradrachm, 33mm, 16.1g
Obv: Young head of Dionysos wearing wreath of leaves and grapes and band across forehead.
Rev: ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΘΑΣΙΩΝ, Hercules naked standing left holding club, lion skin draped over arm; monogram.
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 1040; SG-1759; SNG Ashmolean 3689; Le Rider, Thasos 51Thasos