Here is a little interesting coin I picked up back in 2017 out of one of @John Anthony 's auctions that I haven't shown: This coin is the only one depicting a comet in pre-Augustan times and is said to represent a comet that appeared in the constellation Pegasus for 70 days and which appeared in the year of the birth of Mithridates VI Eupator foretelling of his greatness. There seems to be much scholarly conflict about the dates of the comets appearances as well as about the life of Mithridates himself, but I discovered a well thought out and presented article, Mithridates, the Banner of Ch'ih-Yu, and the Comet Coin that clearly and concisely lays the ground work for identifying the years of these comets appearances. By studying the details revealed in Justin's Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus, other ancient histories, the horse head (Pegasus)/comet coin and historical Chinese comet observations the author, John T. Ramsey, concludes that the first comet appeared in the year 135 BC, marking the birth of Mithridates Eupator. The second comet is shown to have arrived in 119 BC, marking Mithridates' official rule of Pontus (his mother ruled by Regency after the death of his father 123-119). I'm always in awe of the great essays many of you include with the presentation of your coins, but alas I suspect I've devoted most of my allotted time in photoshop with my homage to @Deacon Ray I have, of course, just barely scratched the surface of the wealth of information this coin points to but I am happy to have learned a smidge about the history of Mithridates the Great. If you are interested in reading the article mentioned above shoot me a PM. I do also recommend reading the Wikipedia pages for Mithridates VI of Pontus and the pages linked to the Mithridatic Wars. I'd love to see all those coins of Pontus Edited to add: or is it Pontos??
..kool coin & presentation D.. they did put out some purdy neat coins from there..and while the Romans weren't too fond of him(they didn't like anyone who didn't submit), they liked his method of anti-poisoning, which still bears his name, so much as to practice it .i just showed my Mithradates Vl recently in the "numbers after alphabet" thread, but i don't mind showin' it again
Love it! Cool background image too. Closest I can come to an ancient space coin: Septimius Severus, Nikopolis ad Istrum, AD 139-211 AE, 3.11g, 16.5mm; 2h Obv.: AV KAI [CE] CEVHPOC, laureate head right Rev.: NIKOΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ ΠΡΟCICT; crescent and one star Ref.: AMNG 1436v; Nikopolis BMC 17 Unsure why Wildwinds does not include the final C on the obv even though all the pictures they have include it. My coin includes it so the C is mentioned in the obv legend. Also, the [CE] is off flan.
Great story! Pontos is Greek, Pontus is Latin. You can use either language for writing the names of Classical history.
This is my comet coin. And this is the description I have on file: Pontus, incertain mint. AE, Mithridates (120-63 BC). 12 mm, 1.45 gr. Comet, or star of seven rays with thick tail before pincher-like object / Horse-head on a star right. Traces of dots to the right. Lindgren III 154; SNG BMC 984.
Anyone interested in Mithradates should read The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy by Adrienne Mayor. I have two related coins to show. The first used to display the horse and comet, like yours, but was countermarked with a gorgoneion rendering the comets invisible. Pontos? AE Chalkous. 10mm. 2.83g. Obv: Horse head right; countermark: facing Gorgoneion. Rev: (obliterated) Note: although the Lanz cataloger suggested a Cappadocian origin I suspect the host coin is a Pontos Uncertain horse/comet. The next coin is not normally called a comet coin. The reverse shows a cornucopia flanked by piloi (hats) topped by "stars". I believe these are comets. Paphlagonia, Sinope. circa 120-100 BC, Æ15, 4.58g. Obv: Winged and draped bust (of Mithradates or Perseus?) right. Rev: [Σ]INΩΠHΣ. Cornucopia flanked by piloi surmounted by stars (or comets?). Ref: Lindgren and Kovacs 91, SNG Black Sea 1520-, SNG Stancomb 791. In the year Mithridates was born, comets appeared in the constellation of Pegasus. Justinus, a 4th-century historian, reports that “it burned so brightly for 70 days that the entire sky seemed to be on fire.” In 119 BCE, when the 15-year-old Mithridates deposed his mother and seized the throne for himself, another comet appeared. Justin's account of the two comets was based on lost history by Pompeius Trogus whose uncle, a cavalry officer from the Vocontian tribe of Gaul, fought in the Mithradatic wars. There are several coins of Mithridates depicting "stars", sometimes with curved tails. Some of them are believed to illustrate the comets. This particular design is said to depict "caps of the Dioscuri" and not usually connected with the comets. To me the comet connection seems obvious. This bust could be the teenage Mithridates, immediately upon seizing the throne of Pontus. The cornucopia in the middle symbolizes the prosperity Mithridates brings. The hats are symbolic of the freedom he brings. The comets prove his claims are genuine.
I think this is a really cool type, not least because there's some uncertainty to the attribution and dating to Pontos and Mithradates VI. The fabric of Ed's countermarked coin really resembles this one from a Lanz auction with just a palm branch on the reverse, which the Lanz cataloger places in Cappadocia and with a later date. Further, they use its iconographic similarities to suggest that another coin in the same auction (like the OP type) is also Cappadocian in origin, and that what looks like a comet with a tail is really a star with a palm branch on top of it. I can see comet on some examples, but I can also be persuaded that it's a star with palm branch on others, especially those like Pellinore's, where the palm or tail appear to have what look like a wreath with ribbon ties across it. Like the older references, HGC Vol. 7 gives it to "uncertain Pontic mint(s)" at the time of Mithradates VI, along with a few other types like my rose/star one below. I'm not sure if there's any hoard data to swing the argument one way or the other, but lacking city names on these issues, like on Mithradates' later issues, I'd rather keep my mind open about them. PONTOS, Uncertain Mint (?) AE18. 6.0g, 18mm. PONTOS, uncertain mint, circa 130-100 BC (?). HGC 7, 313; cf. SNG BM Black Sea 981f; cf. SNG Stancomb 640. O: Rose. R: Eight-rayed star [between two crescents].
Great write-up @dadams ! I am no way a linguist, however, I always read PONTOS as the Greek name and PONTUS as more of the Latin name. Mithradates VI of Pontos was a GREAT leader, he just did not have the ENORMOUS resources to draw upon as the Romans had. My only Mithradates VI: Pontos Amisos Mithradates VI 109-89 BC AE 28 Athena Perseus Medusa Head Body PONTOS: Pontos Kingdom, Amisos AE21, 6.95g; 85-65 BC Obv: Aegis with Gorgon head at center. Rev: Nike advancing right carrying palm branch. AMI-ΣOY in field with mongrams. Reference: SNG XI Stancomb 688. PONTUS: RI Hanniballianus 337 CE Rex Regum of Pontus AE
That is certainly a unique coin, @dadams ! Thank you for posting it. I sing praises to your superb PhotoShop graphics also!
and I don't mind seeing it again - I never get tired of seeing cool coins! Thanks for showing it G. I ran across this as I was researching information - here I found it online to read and also some audio Pt1 / Pt2 I'm seeing some comet tail remnants on your countermarked coin - that is an awesome Gorgoneion mark by the way. That Lanz cataloger is somewhat convincing. re: @Pellinore 's coin - Ramsey shows two examples in his paper and the wreath with ribbon ties seem to be letters as shown in his figure 1a: I'd be quite embarrassed if I actually told you how long it took me to figure out how to fade the background photo into a solid color. Your talent in design is inspiring. Thanks!
Let's make up our own minds. I haven't found any examples with a secure find spot but I would not be surprised if this type was minted in both Pontos and Cappadocia. You can see the British Museum example, which is not good, at http://www.s110120695.websitehome.c..._Reply.php?Series=SNGuk&AccessionNo=0901_0984 . That coin (or type?) was published in 1969 by K.V. Golenko. "Pontic Anonymous Copper". I haven't read it. Russians usually know about Black Sea coins, not Cappadocians. It turns out there is a Pontos/Cappadocia connection. There is another coin from Cappadocia that is very similar to the aegis/Nike bronzes of Mithradates. @chrsmat71 just posted a Pontic example. Here is a Cappadocian aegis/volcano example: http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=285&pid=14405#top_display_media Most authorities attribute the aegis/volcano type to Archelaus, a Roman client and Cappadocia’s last king. But H. Herrli believes this coinage was struck after 101 BC when Mithradates the Great’s eight-year-old son Ariarathes IX governed Cappadocia. The Ariarathes IX attribution seems reasonable to me. It seems unlikely that Archelaus, a Roman puppet, would use one of Mithradates’ coin types. Herrli’s assignment of the coin to Ariarathes IX, who reigned 101-89 BC, implies that the aegis design was used in Cappadocia directly before its adoption by Mithradates VI on his massive Pontic bronze issue. That is the opposite of Imhoof-Blumer and E. A. Sydenham’s speculation, that the transmission went from Mithradates’ mints to Eusebeia. The gorgoneion countermarks were applied in Pontos, not Cappadocia. It would be surprising for small change from Cappadocia to make it to Pontos for countermarking. It is possible some Lanz coins were issued by Mithradates' son in Cappadocia. That doesn't mean most are. There was a thread on these coins on Forum and I don't think I convinced many people there. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=113892.0
What an interesting thread! Thanks for identifying the pincher-like depiction on my coin as a ribbon. The comets on both sides look rather like flowers, too. By the way, my coin also comes from Lanz, I bought it on ebay in March 2016. It was described as 'AE, 2nd-1st century BC, unknown mint / Obv. Star with tail (comet). Rev. Star with horsehead. SNG BM 984'. On ebay, Lanz's descriptions often are not very precise, often unedited boilerplate copies if he has collections of the same coins, you have to be very careful. I can understand that, because he sells about 100 000 items a year.
