Today, March 14, is Pi Day because 3.14 is the first 3 digits of everyone’s favorite universal constant: π! In celebration of Archimedes’ world-changing discovery and calculation, post your coins of Syracuse and/or your most circular Greek coins! I have no coins of Syracuse, and this is probably my most circular Greek:
Happy Pi Day! Here's one from Syracuse from Archimedes' time. SICILY, Syracuse. Hieron II AE27. 15.45g, 27mm. SICILY, Syracuse, circa 240-215 BC. CNS 193; HGC 2, 1547 (S); SNG Cop 843. O: Laureate head of Hieron II left. R: Horseman riding right, holding couched spear in right arm; N below, [IEΡΩNOΣ] in exergue.
My only coin of Syracuse: Philistis, wife of Hieron II. Greek AR 5 litrae. Syracuse 270-230 BCE, 4.46 gm, 18.1 mm. Obv: Diademed and veiled head, l., palm branch behind. Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΑΣ ΦΙΛΙΣΤΙΔΟΣ, Nike driving biga to left, E in l. field. Refs: SNG ANS 893; SNG III (Lockett) 1017; Forrer 196.
Always curious if he learned it from the Egyptians... SICILY Syracuse Hieron II 274-216 BC Æ26 15.9g hd Hieron II L - ΙΕΡΟΝΩΣ Horseman galloping r holding spear HGC 2 1547 CNS II 193 Egypt SCARAB Middle Kingdom 2065-1650 BCEScarabaeus Sphinx
I did not realize pi factorial was so popular! Just kidding. You also could say happy 4 times (1/2)! squared - day, if you have the Gamma function at your disposal. Ok, enough of these antics. Here is my only Archimedes era issue from Syracuse:
Sorry. The switch from Android to iPhone has been awful and I cannot find my combined images. BTW, which is the obverse?
The chariot is the obverse. This AE25 coin of Messana under the Mamartines (220-200 BC has a pi denomination mark abbreviating 'pentonkion' in the left reverse field.
I feel like I have to be the 'bummer in the room'. It's pretty dumb. Really. And its just not relavent. In the news there was a gal who calculated it to 31.4 trillion digits. Honestly, that has no meaning or bearing to humanity. If one thinks about it, well...
O.K. Out of fun, I'll start asking myself who is the scientist or Mathematician that discovered the constant relation between the diameter and the circumference of any circle. Greek..