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<p>[QUOTE="Sulla80, post: 8241412, member: 99456"][ATTACH=full]1450598[/ATTACH]</p><p>Epaminondas saves the life of friend Pelopidas, H. Vogel. Public domain image from the <a href="https://archive.org/details/cyclopdiaofuni01ridp/page/510/mode/2up" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://archive.org/details/cyclopdiaofuni01ridp/page/510/mode/2up" rel="nofollow">Cyclopædia of Universal History</a>, John Clark Ridpath, published in 1885.</p><p><br /></p><p>These two coins that I share today are both Federal coinage of the Boeotian league, a league that was formed and dissolved a few times over the centuries. "Ancient democracies and federations of states" is a theme in ancient coins that attracts my interest. The dominance of Thebes in the Boeotian league was a source of political friction. (more notes and references posted: <a href="https://www.sullacoins.com/post/boeotian-federal-coinage" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.sullacoins.com/post/boeotian-federal-coinage" rel="nofollow">Boeotian Federal Coinage</a>).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the opening image of this post is from the Battle with Sparta at Mantineia in 385 BC when <a href="https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/e/Epaminondas.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/e/Epaminondas.htm" rel="nofollow">Epaminondas</a>, a Theban, saves his good friend Pelopidas, from being killed. Pelopidas was the lead of an elite 300-person infantry called the "Sacred Band" that contributed to the defeat of Sparta at Leuctra (371 BC). An often quoted passage from Cicero is used to praise Epaminondas, but reading the passage in context I wonder why this particular passage would deserve so much attention given how little Cicero really explains his statement.</p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p><font size="4">"The Greeks held skill in vocal and instrumental music as a very important accomplishment, and therefore it is recorded of Epaminondas, who, in my opinion, was the greatest man among the Greeks, that he played excellently on the flute;"</font></p><p><font size="4">-Cicero, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14988/14988-h/14988-h.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14988/14988-h/14988-h.htm" rel="nofollow">The Tusculan Disputations, 1.2</a></font></p><p><br /></p><p>The first coin is a hemidrachm from Boeotia after the Pelopennisian War (between Athens and Sparta) and overlapping with the time when the Boetians, led by Thebes,fought against Sparta in 371 BC in the battle of Leuctra.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1450558[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Boeotia, Federal Coinage</b>, circa 395-340 BC, hemidrachm (Silver, 14mm, 2.59g)</p><p><b>Obv:</b> Boeotian shield</p><p><b>Rev: </b>BO-I Kantharos; above, club; to right, bunch of grapes</p><p><b>Ref: </b>BCD Boiotia 31</p><p><br /></p><p>Fast forward more than a century, for a coin from near the end of the Boeotian league after the crushing destruction of Thebes by Alexander the Great (335 BC), the reestablishment of the city by Cassander (315 BC), and with the Roman republic on the rise. I find this coin particularly elegant despite the imperfect centering with its iridescent portrait of Poseidon and winged Nike.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1450557[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Boeotia, Federal Coinage</b>, Drachm, circa 225-171 BC, 19mm, 5.05g</p><p><b>Obv:</b> Laureate head of Poseidon right.</p><p><b>Rev:</b> BOIΩTΩN, Nike standing left, holding wreath and trident; monogram to inner left.</p><p><b>Ref:</b> BCD Boiotia 127; HGC 4, 1175.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Post your coins from Greek leagues and federations, coins of Boeotia, coins of Thebes or anything else you find interesting or entertaining.</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Sulla80, post: 8241412, member: 99456"][ATTACH=full]1450598[/ATTACH] Epaminondas saves the life of friend Pelopidas, H. Vogel. Public domain image from the [URL='https://archive.org/details/cyclopdiaofuni01ridp/page/510/mode/2up']Cyclopædia of Universal History[/URL], John Clark Ridpath, published in 1885. These two coins that I share today are both Federal coinage of the Boeotian league, a league that was formed and dissolved a few times over the centuries. "Ancient democracies and federations of states" is a theme in ancient coins that attracts my interest. The dominance of Thebes in the Boeotian league was a source of political friction. (more notes and references posted: [URL='https://www.sullacoins.com/post/boeotian-federal-coinage']Boeotian Federal Coinage[/URL]). In the opening image of this post is from the Battle with Sparta at Mantineia in 385 BC when [URL='https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/e/Epaminondas.htm']Epaminondas[/URL], a Theban, saves his good friend Pelopidas, from being killed. Pelopidas was the lead of an elite 300-person infantry called the "Sacred Band" that contributed to the defeat of Sparta at Leuctra (371 BC). An often quoted passage from Cicero is used to praise Epaminondas, but reading the passage in context I wonder why this particular passage would deserve so much attention given how little Cicero really explains his statement. [SIZE=4] "The Greeks held skill in vocal and instrumental music as a very important accomplishment, and therefore it is recorded of Epaminondas, who, in my opinion, was the greatest man among the Greeks, that he played excellently on the flute;" -Cicero, [URL='https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14988/14988-h/14988-h.htm']The Tusculan Disputations, 1.2[/URL][/SIZE] The first coin is a hemidrachm from Boeotia after the Pelopennisian War (between Athens and Sparta) and overlapping with the time when the Boetians, led by Thebes,fought against Sparta in 371 BC in the battle of Leuctra. [ATTACH=full]1450558[/ATTACH] [B]Boeotia, Federal Coinage[/B], circa 395-340 BC, hemidrachm (Silver, 14mm, 2.59g) [B]Obv:[/B] Boeotian shield [B]Rev: [/B]BO-I Kantharos; above, club; to right, bunch of grapes [B]Ref: [/B]BCD Boiotia 31 Fast forward more than a century, for a coin from near the end of the Boeotian league after the crushing destruction of Thebes by Alexander the Great (335 BC), the reestablishment of the city by Cassander (315 BC), and with the Roman republic on the rise. I find this coin particularly elegant despite the imperfect centering with its iridescent portrait of Poseidon and winged Nike. [ATTACH=full]1450557[/ATTACH] [B]Boeotia, Federal Coinage[/B], Drachm, circa 225-171 BC, 19mm, 5.05g [B]Obv:[/B] Laureate head of Poseidon right. [B]Rev:[/B] BOIΩTΩN, Nike standing left, holding wreath and trident; monogram to inner left. [B]Ref:[/B] BCD Boiotia 127; HGC 4, 1175. [B]Post your coins from Greek leagues and federations, coins of Boeotia, coins of Thebes or anything else you find interesting or entertaining.[/B][/QUOTE]
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