Is this some kind of provincial lira? Please tell me.

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by paschka, Sep 19, 2023.

  1. paschka

    paschka Well-Known Member

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  3. paschka

    paschka Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Sep 21, 2023
  4. Curtis

    Curtis Well-Known Member

    I suspect that's actually not a female portrait but Apollo. Being a god of music he often appeared on coins with a lyre (on over 80% of lyre types in RPC). Such as this type:

    https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/724

    (Also notice that yours is facing left, while the type you linked faces right.)

    Many cities struck similar designs, though, so it's going to be hard to figure out which unless you can make out some of the legend. (The one I linked is Perinthus in Thrace.)

    You can search RPC Online for "lyre" or "lyre apollo" and page through the results:

    https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/search/browse?q=Lyre+apollo
     
    philologus_1 likes this.
  5. paschka

    paschka Well-Known Member

    Thank you for your advice. But on my coin it may not be Apollo. And in this configuration I did not find my coin. By the way, opposite the nose of the female image there is the letter O.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2023
  6. Curtis

    Curtis Well-Known Member

    There are over 600 types of Apollo/Lyre types in RPC Online, so it wouldn't surprise me if a few dozen were missed by the editors. But, if not Apollo, another possibility is Senate, whose legend ΘΕΟΝ ϹΥΝΚΛΗΤΟΝ might fit. Also male but looks very female by modern standards: https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/2/951 (that's right facing, but left facing probably exists)
     
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