Medusa of the Gorgons

Ray, could you post the size, weight, and another picture of the one on the bottom? The KA monogram issues from Sardes are rare and the style on the obverse reminds me of Seleucia on the Tigris. I can see your monogram, but am unsure.

 

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I really like the obverse of my Plautius Plancus denarius -- including the snakes at Medusa's temples and the banker's mark(s) to the left of her mouth -- but the reverse isn't great, since the fourth horse is entirely missing, one can barely read the inscription, and it's difficult to distinguish the different figures that are still visible. So when I've posted it, I've almost always posted only the obverse.





And then there's my Apollonia Pontika:

Thrace, Apollonia Pontika [now Sozopol, Bulgaria], AR Drachm, ca. 450-500 BCE. Obv. Upright anchor with large flukes and curved stock; “A” [for Apollonia] to left and crayfish to right between flukes and stock / Rev. Facing gorgoneion (Medusa), wavy hair parted in middle, 16 thin, open-mouthed snakes around head as additional hair or crown, puffy cheeks, mouth open, tongue protruding (but not extending below chin), all within shallow incuse. Goldsborough Type 3 [Goldsborough, Reid, Apollonia Pontika Drachms (see https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html), Catalogue of Types]; Topalov 41-42 [Topalov, Stavri, Apollonia Pontika: Contribution to the Study of the Coin Minting of the City 6th - 1st c. B.C., Catalogue of Apollonia Coins, 7th-1st c. B.C. (Sofia, 2007) (English Translation, Kindle edition)]; BMC 15 Mysia 8-10 [Wroth, Warwick, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 15, Mysia (London, 1892) at pp. 8-9]; SNG.BM.159; see also id. Nos. 154-158 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Great Britain, Volume IX, British Museum, Part 1: The Black Sea (London, 1993)] [online ID SNGuk_0901_0159 ]. 14 mm., 2.96 g., 3 h.

 

Here is a Roman Republican issue:


L. Plautius Plancus. 47 B.C. AR denarius (18 mm, 3.62 g). Brockage strike. Rome.
Ref: Crawford 453/1c; Sydenham 959b; Plautia 14.
VAuctions/Triskeles Auctions, Sale 17, September 2016, lot 451 (WJP Brockage Collection) = Classical Numismatic Group, e-auction 59, February 2003, lot 131.

 

GORGON

Ionia Klazomenai 480-400 BC AR Drachm Pentobol 3.5g 13mm Forepart winged boar r gorgoneion incuse sq Cf SNG Copenhagen 12 Rare

 

Greetings, Ed—Here are some slightly better images—although not much. The dealer states the size as AE15; the monogram as “K”, and the weight as 2.49 g.

 

@Deacon Ray I am a Medusa fan too. I did not know she was on my Athena Steelyard weight.


I ran across this knit Medusa by Aimee on Twitter. She said she will Never make another one. My wife said she would not knit one for me, too hard and too yucky.

Aimee has an Etsy store with other ancient art. I ordered a few cards -

Unique handmade prints and paintings by AtramentariaArt on Etsy

 

METUS (Medusa of Rasenna)

I like her, so I FREED her years ago...



Etruria Populonia 3rd C BCE AR 20 As 8.1g Metus Blank HN 152

 

My Plautii denarii...

 

My Plautii denarii..

 

@Deacon Ray thanks for the new picture.

I suspect you have a Medusa bronze from the eastern mint of Seleucia on the Tigris. They come in three denominations at that mint. The largest denomination of the Seleukid "Medusa bronze" was only issued at this mint. Here is an example of the larger one:


Seleukos I Nikator. Seleukeia on the Tigris, ca. 280 BC, 22.9 mm, 10.92 g
SC 151; SNG Spaer 143. VF, scarce.
ex-Agora Auctions, Lot 6-033
Seleucia on the Tigris was opposite Ctesiphon in the center of modern Iraq.

The mintmark of this mint is a sort of XAX monogram. Yours seems to have the right side of that. Check how it was cleaned, the left X might be hiding.

Most dealers can't recognize the mints for these and thus they rarely command a premium. You can learn to recognize the XAX mintmark, the obverse style with a more circular profile, or the concave reverse to identify them. Yours has an uncertainty in the lettering which I have seen in photos of the small denomination.

So far I have been able to collect the medium and large denominations from this mint. You may have the small. Maybe I am just being hopeful. If you have a small Seleucia-o-t-Tigris Medusa bronze, congrats to you, I have not been able to acquire one.

 

It looks like Sardes SC 6.2 to me

SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Seleukos I Nikator.
312-281 BC.
Æ.
Winged head of Medusa right. / Bull butting right; KA monogram between bull's hind legs.
SC 6.2; HGC 9, 107a.
14 mm, 2,57 g
Image courtesy of Savoca coins

Besides the ones from Sardes don't have a dotted border on the reverse like Ray's coin.

 

Adding my specimen to this wonderful thread:

Pontos, Amisos, AE31, time of Mithradates the Great (Mithradates VI) (c. 120-63 BC), Amisos, 109-89 BC, SNG BMC 1167, RecGen 17, SNGCop 137, Sear 3637 (31 mm, 18.5 g)

In the context of the period which this coin is from, Perseus and Medusa would be representations of Mithradates VI and Rome, respectively.

Obverse: Head of Athena right, wearing triple-crested helmet decorated with Pegasus.

Reverse: Perseus standing facing, holding harpa and the head of Medusa. Body of Medusa, blood flowing from the neck, lying to right behind. AMI - ΣOY across the centre, monograms below to left and right.

 

Unfortunately both Medusa and Perseus are headless on my example:



Pontos, Amisos Æ 28
Mithradates VI the Great
(c. 85-65 B.C.)
Helmeted head of Athena right / AMI-ΣOY across fields, Perseus standing facing, holding harpa and head of Medusa; Medusa's body at his feet, M(T)E and ΓA monograms left and right.
Malloy 16e; RecGen 17c.
(19.14 grams / 28 mm)