Featured Monsters, interdimensional portals and stranger things still/ How deep is your demension?

I've been waiting (not very) patiently for my Halloween presents to myself. And...


Ok, Ok. It's only one present but the spooky little girl says "Theeeeey're here" not "Iiiiit's here".
I purchased this coin, of course, for the Ketos Sea Monster (Latinized as Cetus)!


(Mosaic with a ketos found at Caulonia (Monasterace) in the Casa del Drago, 3rd century BCE)

Fabled as a maiden munching monstrosity slayed in various tales by such all around bad dudes as Herakles and Perseus!!! There is even a constellation named after this ancient beast (I borrowed @TIF's identification as mine was listed by the seller as being unknown and having a horse on the obverse also, her and I have the much more rare right facing version)


CARIA, Halikarnassos (reassigned from Kindya)
500-496 BCE
AR tetrobol, 1.78 gm, 11 mm, Samian standard
Obv: head of ketos right
Rev: geometric pattern within incuse square

I mentioned my excitement of the acquisition of the coin in the "Coins that go bump in the night part 2" thread. But the more I look at it the more I am drawn to the oober trippily detailed and concave reverse. It looks like some ancient geometric map to other dimensions! All the more so with the deep black hole in the center.


(actual pic of Homer trying to touch my coin)

Unfortunately, you cannot perceive the 3 dimensions on a 2 dimensional image.
Below you will see I tried to capture the concavity of the coin. For such a tiny guy it really is something else!

Pardon the shaky pics, but I thought the animation would help show the depth of the reverse.



However, when I tried the same thing with the obverse a Halloween surprise awaited me as the Ketos monster attempted its attack! (Good thing I'm not any of these: young, chaste nor a woman)




I remember a cool thread a bit ago about ancient coins reliefs. What about the other side of the coin (he said pleased with the pun he'd walked right into). Do you have any anti-relief coins? Monsters (sea or land)? Gateways to other worlds??? Post em if ya got em...or whatever floats your Ketos!

 

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Wow, @Ryro , is THAT Tetrobol cool! If you had not attributed it, I would thought was Celtic. Neat design!

 

I like the constellation Cetus (Ketos) home of the galaxy Messier 77 visible in amateur telescopes, including mine. Also the home of Omicron Ceti, a well-known reddish variable star also known as Mira (the wonderful) which was actually featured in the original Star Trek episode where Spock is hit by flying spores from a flower that results in the complete loss of his logic and him hanging from a tree, laughing.

Nice coin of an interdimensional nature.

 

Super coin! Your monster is frightful and also reminds me of Bill the Cat

If you copied that attribution from mine, please note that I was too hasty in that (re)attribution, copying it from some seller and not researching it myself. I have not read the study or studies which led to some sellers using the new attribution. I've reverted mine back to Kindya for now until/unless I find a compelling reason to change it. Sorry for the misdirection!


CARIA, Kindya
500-496 BCE
AR tetrobol, 2.18 gm, 11 mm, Samian standard
Obv: head of ketos right
Rev: geometric pattern within incuse square
Ref: Kagan and Kritt, 'The Coinage of Kindya,' NC 1995, 1 var. (head left); SNG Keckman 920 var. (same); SNG Kayhan 815; "Asyut Hoard" 688

 

I felt @zumbly had a very compelling reason for the attribution to Halikarnossus in this oldy but goody on this very subject.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-monsterous-little-coin.274896/#post-2350748

And YEEEEUUUUSSS! I totally grew up LOVING Berke Breathed!!!
One of the collections of his that I loved best has a title eerily and nearly to the title of this thread:



PS: Thanks for sharing yours. That is THE Ketos monster that all others monster to be like.

 

If you really want to get sucked into the Portal try looking for your coin in Koray Konuk's die study. You will also learn why Halikarnassos is "in" and Kindya is "out".

 

..my 1st thought also..kool coin @Ryro !

 

Fantastic coin @Ryro!

Possibly of interest: https://monstertalk.skeptic.com/the-key-to-the-legend-of-the-map-monsters

An episode from one of my favourite podcasts Monstertalk discussing map monsters. Monstertalk takes the stance that you can be a sceptic and have critical thinking skills and still love monsters. A rare thing in sea of banal paranormal podcasts and TV shows.

 

Nice one, @Ryro. I really like the type. It clearly depicts what actually happens when a Stargate opens...


Here's my left-facer again.

Thanks for that link, Ed. I was wondering why CNG had started describing them as "AR Hekte" on the Milesian standard.

 

Yes @Ryro — your coin is definitely a portal to a parallel universe or wormhole that you have already passed through and entered the alternate universe. Take a look around where your standing or sitting. Is that piece of furniture really where it’s always been? Are you sure? Where’s your coffee cup? Is that really where you left it?

I don’t really have any scary coins. I have coins that were in use during the reign of some scary rulers. I have a somewhat creepy but lovable owl.

 

Sooooo, this is nothing short of amazing and surely a must read to anyone who owns or is just Kindya interested in the type. Thanks a ton Ed
The things that grabbed my attention...


The previously mentioned kindya out Halikarnassos aside, plus that revaluation isn't quantified until the end of the study.(though so we'll that I'm changing my attribution).
1-There are 58 different obverese types and almost as many reverse types!
The only comparable silver output for that period (500 BC) in Asia Minor is that of the mint of Miletos striking very large number of the lion types we all know and love.
Can you imagine if these sweet monsters were as readily and cheaply available as the miletos Lions!?!
2-However, the uniform absence of wear on the 260 coins from a hoard which came to light in 2002 showed that there was a very short period of minting.
It appears that they created the dies in advance. That's why they are so veried and few worn examples exist.
3- I'd mentioned @TIF and my right facing guys being more rare. Strangely despite almost 40% obverese dies that were right facing less than 20% of finds are rightys. Looking on AC search it seems like even less than that.
39.7% of the obverse dies recorded for the series as a whole have a
right-facing ketos, only 18.3% of the surviving coins are of this variety.
4-The most likely occasion for the production of the ketos hektai would be the Ionian Revolt of 499-494 BC. In Herodotos’ account, the Karians joined the revolt shortly after it broke out in 499 BC. The Persians sent an army south under Daurises to crush them.
That makes these fierce little hunks of metal emergency war Coinage by Greeks to resist and fight Persia!
Simply incredible stuff!
Again, I highly recommend reading this intriguing, very well written and presented and entertaining study!

 

Thanks for the kind words @Alegandron and @ominus1. I can see how you got the Celtic confusion in the artistry.
And thanks for mentioning the constellation @ancient coin hunter! I hadn't even heard of this constellation. I always wanted to get a nice telescope. I found a pretty cool outline of it and what the Greeks may have envisioned it as looking:


Rad looking website @David Atherton. I am always looking for new fun pod casts and cannot wait to check it out further when I get a spare minute.
Now you've done it @zumbly! You've unlocked the portal!!!
Seriously love your and @TIF's coins. Yours is more like mine, while TIF's is swirling. Wish I could see the depth inn those reverses.
I'd say you broke my brain @Deacon Ray, but you cannot break what's already broken.

Great spooky drunk owl (who else emptied the amphora?

 

I believe they depict different stages of the Portal's opening. I would warn against staring too deeply... Things have been known to cross over. Here are some entities that have been documented, each one more terrible than the last.

Flying Toasters. Charles Strite's Kitchen, 1919.


Cthulhu. Arkham, Massachusetts, 2 April 1939.


Fully Armed Basselope. Bloom County, USA, 1986.

 

Speaking of creatures placed in the heavens as constellations, here are a few others that come to mind.

The Nemean lion was placed by Hera in the heavens as the constellation Leo after it was killed by Herakles.


Julia Domna, AD 193-217.
Roman provincial Æ 17.5 mm, 4.33 g, 2 h.
Moesia Inferior, Marcianopolis, AD 193-211.
Obv: IOVΛIA ΔO-[MNA CEB], bare-headed and draped bust right.
Rev: [MAPKI]ANOΠOΛITΩN, Herakles standing right, wrestling the Nemean lion.
Refs: AMNG I 606; Varbanov 673; Moushmov 419; SNG Copenhagen --; SNG Budapest --.

The constellation Capricorn is, of course, a capricorn.


Cornelia Supera, wife of Aemelian, Augusta, 253 CE.
Roman provincial Æ 20.5mm, 3.78 g.
Mysia, Parium, AD 253.
Obv: G CORN SUPERA, diademed and draped bust right.
Rev: C. G. I. H. P., Capricorn right, cornucopiae on back; globe between legs (Sear describes as a star, but this appears to be a globe).
Refs: SGI 4408 (var.); SNG Von Aulock 7448.

Pegasus appropriately appears near Perseus, Andromeda, and Cetus as a constellation.


Caligula, AD 37-41.
Roman provincial Æ 20 mm, 6.74 g.
Peloponnese, Corinthia, Corinth, Ae. P. Vipsanius Agrippa and M. Bellius Proculus, duoviri, AD 37-38.
Obv: C CAESAR AVGVSTV, bare head right.
Rev: M BELLIO PROCVLO IIVIR / COR, Pegasus flying right.
Refs: RPC I 1173; Amandry (1988) XVII; BCD Corinth 405-6.

 

These guys were the first to invent the PC cooler.

 

I gave it a listen yesterday and really enjoyed the Map Monsters one and will be listening to more of their podcasts.