The reverse of this ancient Greek coin include many letters and symbols that I cannot easily read or decipher. I can't recognize the king on obverse either. could you please assist me in this respect? Thank you.. Charles
I won't give you a direct answer, just a hint: The thing on the face of the coin in your top picture is called the "headdress of Isis".
I don't understand.. Isis was a goddess in Ancient Egypt. Maybe the Ptolemies who are the Greek kings of Egypt were influenced by the religion of the Pharaohs. That is a mere guess , out of imagination. Anyway it must be a coin of significance. Thanks. Charles
Isis is a Greek goddess, but you can find this symbol both on Greek and Roman coins. Your top picture should be turned 90 degrees clockwise to be in correct position. The Greek word which at the moment is under the headdress is not the name of the king but his epithet (byname, like "the great" of "Alexander the great".
Are we just giving hints here? The letters ΙΟΧ and ΥΕΡΓΕΤ are enough information to discern the king, who was the ruler of a major Greek superpower.
Was he the king of Athena or Sparta ? What about the signs, such as the arrow or the circle ? What does Yerget mean in the Greek language ? Thank you indeed for your strip contribution. Rather than teasing, it's amusing. But please hurry a little bit because we have many other coins to discuss. Friendly Charles
Ok, it's Seleucid, Antiochus VII Eurgetes Obv.: head of Eros right. Rev.: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΕΥΕΡΓΕΤΟΥ; headdress of Isis, crescent above, star over. SNG Spaer 1913 The arrow/cross is a control mark, meaning unknown. A common coin in low grades.
