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Message:: [QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 3145592, member: 83845"]Welcome to Round 1 of CIT 2018!  If you are unaware of the tournament I invite you to get caught up with all the fun on the following link: <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-it%E2%80%99s-time-the-second-annual-coin-imperator-tournament-2018.320328/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-it%E2%80%99s-time-the-second-annual-coin-imperator-tournament-2018.320328/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-it’s-time-the-second-annual-coin-imperator-tournament-2018.320328/</a> [ATTACH=full]804824[/ATTACH] I want to give a special thank you to the participants for volunteering to play the game.  We have a great group of people here at CT. ............................................................ #1 [USER=78656]@Ajax[/USER] [ATTACH=full]804825[/ATTACH]Seleukid Kingdom. Seleukos I Nikator 312-281 BC.Seleukeia on Tigris. 296/5- 281 BC.Drachm AR 15mm., 4,14g.Laureate head of Zeus right / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ, Athena, brandishing spear and shield, in elephant quadriga right. Price: $200 Why It’s Cool:In 305-303 BC Seleukos waged an unsuccessful war against Chandragupta Maurya of the Mauyra Empire (India). As part of a peace deal at the end of the war Seleukos ceded a large portion of his eastern territories to the Maurya and is said to have married Chandragupta's daughter. In return he was gifted 500 war elephants by Chandragupta. These elephants would play a pivotal role for Seleukos in the Battle of Ipsus.  The Battle of Ipsus, part of the Wars of the Diadochi, was fought in 301 BC between a coalition of Lysimachos, Cassander and Seuleukos against Antigonus and his son Demetrios. Although defeated, Demetrios was able to escape. Antigonus was not so lucky and died in battle from a volley of javelins. Antigonus' death put an end to any hope of reuniting Alexanders former empire and as such was a major turning point in world history. The war elephants that Seleukos received from Chandragupta would play the decisive role in the battle as Seleukos was able to use them to isolate the powerful cavalry of the enemy. The elephants shown on the reverse of these coins are a reminder of Seleukos' part in the victory at Ipsus. ............................................................ #32 [USER=57495]@zumbly[/USER] [ATTACH=full]804826[/ATTACH]VESPASIANAR Denarius. 3.05g, 18.4mm. Rome mint, 21 October 69 - early 70. RIC 2; Cohen 226; BMC 35; Hendin 1479. O: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right. R: Judaea seated right on ground in attitude of mourning, trophy set on shields behind her; IVDAEA in exergue. Price: $158 Why It's Cool: This worn but to my eyes lovely denarius of Vespasian is one of my favorite purchases this year. Commemorating the Roman victory during the First Jewish Revolt, and Titus's sacking of Jerusalem's Second Temple in AD 70, the propagandistic message of this series of coinage was so important to the Flavians that Emperor Vespasian and his sons continued issuing them for 25 years. The iconography of this particular reverse type is both simple and hauntingly evocative - a female figure, representing Judaea, seated in lament under a Roman trophy. The imagery speaks not only of the conquering power of the Roman Empire, but also of the experience in defeat of a subjugated people, who may have lost as many as a million lives in just the city of Jerusalem alone. In Isaiah prophecy of the fall of Jerusalem, written some 700 years before the events, we find the following passages: "Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground."(Isaiah 3:25-26) To my mind, it is the case that all ancient coins are great, but the "Judaea Capta" coins are a truly classic example of how the history behind them can resonate through the ages and continue to have meaning to us in the present day. ............................................................ A Gentle ReminderWe have had a remarkably fun and friendly tournament so far and I want to thank all of our members who have contributed and commented <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> Let's continue to do a good job of keeping our tournament friendly! Instead of focusing comments too much on why you didn't vote for one coin over the other try to focus on why you did vote for the one you chose! Remember that everyone gets 3 votes to choose which coin you think comes out on top in each of the three categories. With that I will open the floor to comments, pile-ons and shameless lobbying.[/QUOTE]

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