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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ValiantKnight, post: 2596610, member: 44210&quot;]My two latest arrivals. Saving up cash so I had to keep things cheap when I searched for more Greek coins to add to my growing collection of them, but I am definitely satisfied with what I was able to catch. I am into any sort of building or architecture on an ancient coin; to me these serve as windows into what the ancient world would have looked like (yes, including the &quot;boring&quot; campgates, which also look like city gates to me), so the Perge bronze with the temple of Artemis was a no-brainer. With the Sardis bronze, it was the rough-but-clear bust and the well-preserved lion that one me over. For both coins, I didn&#039;t have either city represented in my collection so this was another plus in their favor.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sardis, Lydia</b></p><p>AE15</p><p><b>Obv</b>: Head of Dionysos right, wreathed with ivy</p><p><b>Rev</b>: ΣAΡΔIANΩN, forepart of lion right, ΡΣE monogram in left field</p><p><b>Mint</b>: Sardis</p><p><b>Date</b>: 180-133 BC</p><p><b>Ref</b>: Hunter 7; Paris 1155</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]565947[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>A city in western Asia Minor (in the region of Lydia), Sardis/Sardes was once the capital of the Lydians as part of their Lydian Empire in the 8th century BC. Over the subsequent centuries it was conquered numerous times; the Cimmerians, the Persians, the Athenians, the Seleucids, the Macedonians, all claimed Sardis as part of their domains. It was at Sardis that metallurgists were first able to separate gold from silver, thus introducing the first nearly pure gold and silver coins that became more trusted than the electrum coins then in use. The city also became well-known as a center of manufacture, notably for its textile products. After the Greek era, Sardis became part of the Roman Empire and later the Byzantine Empire, but during the time of the latter, the city declined in importance as roads moved away from the area. In the late 11th century, Sardis was taken from the Byzantines by the Seljuk Turks but was later reconquered by Byzantine general John Doukas. Byzantine domination was to last only another two centuries, however, and in 1402, Sardis, already a run-down and depopulated shell of its ancient self, was captured and destroyed by the Turco-Mongol warlord and Emir of the Timurid Empire, Timur (Tamerlane).</p><p><br /></p><p>( <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardis" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardis" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardis</a> - cool photos of the ruins here!)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Perga, Pamphylia</b></p><p>AE15</p><p><b>Obv</b>: Cult statue of Artemis within distyle temple</p><p><b>Rev</b>: AΡTEMIΔ ΠEΡΓAIAΣ, Quiver with strap</p><p><b>Mint</b>: Perga</p><p><b>Date</b>: 200-1 BC</p><p><b>Ref</b>: SNG Cop 308</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]565944[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Perga/Perge was a settlement in Pamphylia (also in Asia Minor). As with Sardis, it came under Persian, Athenian, Seleucid, Macedonian, Roman, and Byzantine control. In ancient times Perga was famous for its worship of the goddess Artemis, to whom the citizens constructed a temple just outside of the city, and religious festivals were held in her honor. During the early Roman imperial era, Perga was a stop on St. Paul&#039;s travels in the region, where he and St. Barnabas preached to the local inhabitants. It wasn&#039;t until three centuries after St. Paul visited the city that it became a center of Christianity. By the time the Seljuk Turks arrived in the region in the 11th century, Perga was already abandoned.</p><p><br /></p><p>( <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perga" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perga" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perga</a> - more cool photos! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />)</p><p><br /></p><p>Feel free to post your coins of Sardis and/or Perga![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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