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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TIF, post: 2208709, member: 56859&quot;][ATTACH=full]431261[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]431264[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3"><i>top coin:</i> <b>SICILY, Kamarina.&nbsp; 420-405 BCE.</b>&nbsp; AE tetras, 3.34 gm.&nbsp; Large head of Athena left, wearing crested helmet with wings. Owl standing left, with lizard in talon; KAMA (retrograde) upward in right field;&nbsp; three dots in exergue.&nbsp;&nbsp; Westermark / Jenkins 198 (see FIG. Pl. 35 / 198.24), SNG ANS 1230 Calciati III no. 28/4 (dotted-border type). </font></p><p><font size="3"><br /></font></p><p><font size="3"><i>bottom coin:</i>&nbsp; <b>SICILY, Kamarina.&nbsp; 420-405 BCE.</b>&nbsp; AE tetras, 3.11 gm. Head of Athena right, wearing winged Phrygian helmet; dotted border.&nbsp; KAMA (legend from top to bottom), with owl standing left, lizard in talons; three dots in exergue.&nbsp; Westermark / Jenkins 202, SNG ANS -., Calciati III No. 39. </font></p><p><br /></p><p>I like lizards.&nbsp; Unfortunately, on ancient coins they are mostly relegated to a minor role such as control mark, or in this instance in the talons of a predator.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kamarina tetrantes (thanks for the proper plural, Doug!) with owl and lizard reverses are readily available in two general obverse types, one with a facing gorgon and one with Athena.&nbsp; My second coin is unusual in that Athena is wearing a Phrygian cap rather than crested helmet.&nbsp; CNG&#039;s archives and Wildwinds don&#039;t have any Phrygian cap Kamarina specimens and there are only six examples in acsearch.&nbsp; Is the Phrygian cap variety more valuable?&nbsp; It seems to command only a modest premium over the crested Athena type.&nbsp; It is more valuable to <i>me</i> though... I like finding coins that are a bit unusual.&nbsp; I should buy a gorgon facing example to complete the set.&nbsp; Complete... like there is any such thing for a collector of ancient coins.&nbsp; Next I&#039;ll want other minor variants <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p>Obligatory map:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]431272[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Adapted from <a href="https://www.google.co.vi/maps/@37.4537947,14.1397442,8z?hl=en" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.google.co.vi/maps/@37.4537947,14.1397442,8z?hl=en" rel="nofollow">Google Maps</a> </font></p><p><br /></p><p><b>History of Kamarina, Cliff Notes version:</b>&nbsp; Established in 599 BCE; rapidly gained wealth; destroyed by jealous Syracusians in 552 BCE; refounded by citizens of Gela in 461 BCE; destroyed by Carthaginians in 405 BCE; refounded by Timoleon 339 BCE; captured by Romans in 258 BCE; completely destroyed by CE 853.&nbsp; RIP, Kamarina.</p><p><br /></p><p>These coins were struck at a time when Kamarina had an alliance with Athens; they may also have been in a period of friendlier relations with Syracuse.&nbsp; I don&#039;t know what that may mean with regards to the chosen iconography but will assume the lizard represents an enemy.&nbsp; Which enemy, I don&#039;t know.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, since I am a lizard fan, I&#039;m going to pretend that the lizard is <b>not</b> about to become owl chow. They&#039;re just two buddies, playing.&nbsp; Yeah, that&#039;s it.&nbsp; The owl is Kamarina and the lizard Syracuse.&nbsp; The coins were struck to acknowledge the restored relations and that two natural enemies can be friends.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just an owl and a lizard.&nbsp; Buddies.&nbsp; Playing.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>CoinTalk member [USER=70378]@nathanj485[/USER] has a more eloquent and serious theory about the type <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-kamarina-a-unique-coin-with-an-even-more-unique-history.246727/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-kamarina-a-unique-coin-with-an-even-more-unique-history.246727/">here</a>, although so far I haven&#039;t succeeded in chasing down the original sources for the timeline of the marsh story.&nbsp; Did the oracle-forbidden draining of the marsh set the stage for invasion by Carthaginians, or by Syracusians?&nbsp; I&#039;ve read differing timelines and didn&#039;t find the answer in Strabo.... yet.&nbsp; (Read Nathan&#039;s post or Wikipedia for more about the marsh story.)</p><p><br /></p><p>...</p><p><br /></p><p>Let&#039;s see those lizards!&nbsp;&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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