Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Orielensis, post: 3313454, member: 96898&quot;]<font size="3"><b>[ATTACH=full]877773[/ATTACH] </b></font></p><p><font size="3"><b>Pherai</b>, Thessaly, hemidrachm, ca. 302–286 BC. Obv: Head of Ennodia left, torch behind. Rev: ΦΕΡΑΙΟΥΝ, the nymph Hypereia left, touching the top of lion&#039;s head fountain right, from which water pours forth, ΑΣ/TΟ within wreath to lower left. 15mm, 2.72g. Ref: BCD Thessaly I, 1321; BCD Thessaly II, 714; SNG Copenhagen 239; BMC 20. Ex CNG, e-auction 432, lot 27; ex BCD collection.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>Note the philological oddity on the reverse: in the wreath left of the nymph Hypereia, you can read the letters AΣTO. Two other coins from Pherai, beautifully illustrated in BCD Thessaly II (no. 712, 713), indicate that this is an abbreviation of a magistrate’s name, AΣTOMEΔON. Now, the name ‘Astomedon’ doesn’t make much sense in Ancient Greek, unless you take a specifically Thessalian linguistic and orthographic phenomenon into account. Thessalian inscriptions regularly abbreviate the prefix “aristo-”, which goes back to the adjective ἄριστος (meaning ‘best’), as “asto-”. The name ‘Astomedon’ thus should be read as ‘Aristomedon’, translating roughly into ‘the best ruler’ – quite a promising name for a magistrate.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in