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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;David Atherton, post: 4358395, member: 82616&quot;]I love provincial types which are unique to a certain city or region because they can tell us so much about what was culturally important to the inhabitants. When it comes to Alexandrian coins the more Egyptian in theme the better, and what can be more Egyptian than the Apis-bull?</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1102177[/ATTACH]<b>Domitian</b></p><p>Æ Diobol, 9.78g</p><p>Alexandria Mint, 85-86 AD</p><p>Obv: AYT KAIΣAP ΔOMITIANOΣ ΣEB ΓΕΡM; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r.</p><p>Rev: No legend: Apis-bull standing, r.; before altar; date LE above</p><p>RPC 2511 (10 spec.). </p><p>Acquired from Prafectus Coins, April 2020. Ex Dattari Collection. Dattari-Savio Pl. 22, 576 (this coin).</p><p><br /></p><p>Many of Domitian&#039;s bronze coins struck at Alexandria feature ethnic types unique to the province. This year 5 diobol&#039;s reverse depicting the Apis-bull pays direct homage to its cult and highlights the importance which was placed upon its worship during the Roman era. The Apis-bull was worshipped as a living god and was revered as a sacred animal. It was treated as a pharaoh and was even given a harem of cows! According to Herodotus &#039;The Apis Bull is the calf of a cow which is never able after to have another. The Egyptians believe that a flash of lightning strikes the cow from heaven, and thus causes her to conceive the Apis. It has distinctive marks. It is black, with a white diamond on its forehead, the image of an eagle on its back, two white hairs on its tail and a scarab-beetle mark under its tongue.&#039; Often in art the Apis is depicted crowned with a sun-disk, as seen on this coin. Worship of the Apis-bull was combined with that of Osiris as Serapis under Ptolemy Soter I, which later became one of the most important Eastern cults of the Roman Empire. After the Apis-bull died it was mummified and transformed into Osiris-Apis.</p><p><br /></p><p>A bronze statue of an Apis-bull circa the 1st century AD.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1102194[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>And a colourful reconstruction of an Apis procession by Frederick Bridgman.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1102195[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The coin also has the added bonus of being from the Dattari collection. What more could you ask for?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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