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Message:: [QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 3146688, 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]805446[/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. ............................................................ #10 [USER=4298]@Cucumbor[/USER] [ATTACH=full]805447[/ATTACH] Augustus & Agrippa, AE Dupondius Nemausus mint, after 10 CE4th typeIMP DIVI F PP, Laureate heads of Augustus looking right and Agrippa looking left, back to backCOL NEM, Crocodile chained to palm tree13,52 grRef : RCV # 1731, Cohen # 8 Price: $210  Why It’s Cool:What appealed to me on this coin were the distinctive portraits, especially that of Agrippa, and the good centering on both sides with a crocodile almost complete, despite some pitting on the patina.  A quick search through Vcoins and CNG will give you an idea of how much coins with portraits this nice go for.  I consider it a great bargain. Historical background : At the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE the forces of Octavian, commanded by Marcus Agrippa, soundly defeated Marcus Antonius and his Egyptian allies marking the practical end of the civil wars that had racked the final days of the Roman Republic.  In the cleanup campaign after the battle, Octavian’s legions marched into Egypt and secured it as a Roman province, thus ending the independence of the longest lasting major Hellenistic Kingdom.  The veterans of this campaign where allowed to retire and settle in the south of France (when they retire, everyone want to settle either in Florida or on the French Riviera, but at that time Florida wasn’t as popular as it’s nowadays).  Many of these veterans were given money and land in the town of Nemausus. Nemausus (today Nîmes) is famous worldwide for the astounding physical remains of Rome’s glorious past: the la maison carrée, the arènes and the pont du Gard being the most notable. [ATTACH=full]805448[/ATTACH] Le pont du Gard, image courtesy of <a href="http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.avignon-et-provence.com</a>  There are four different types of the Nemausus dupondius, issued irregularily from 28 BCE to 14 CE. The this example being a type IV that you recognize with the title of Pater Patriae (P. P.) given to Augustus in 2 BCE. Some scholars assume the design of this coin to derive from the former Janus asses, the two heads of Agrippa and Augustus recalling Janus bifrons and the croc having somehow the shape of the prow you see on the reverses of that type. On some specimens the croc’s snout actually has the shape of a prow of a galley. The veterans at Nemausus who must have had a hand in choosing the design were clearly referencing their military exploits under Octavian and Agrippa.  The collar and chain holding the croc to the palm tree are said to symbolize the annexation of Egypt by Octavian’s legions resulting from the victory at Actium. Agrippa wears the rostral crown (a crown literally made up of the prows of ships) for having been victorious at this naval battle. Augustus wears the laurel wreath of triumph. ............................................................ #23 [USER=81887]@Parthicus[/USER] [ATTACH=full]805449[/ATTACH] Phoenicia, Arados. King Gerashtart (Gerostrates) (c.350-332 BC), Regnal Year 15.AR stater (17mm, 10.38g).Obverse: Bust of Ba'al-Arwad (Lord of Arados) right.Reverse: Galley right on waves within pellet border, Phoenician inscription above MA (Malik Arwad “King of Arados”) 15.Cf. Sear "Greek Coins and Their Values" 5977. This coin: Ex CNG 311, lot 842, ex CNG 249, lot 189.Purchased from Del Parker at the Baltimore coin show in November, 2017 Price: $500 Why It’s Cool:Arados (Arwad), located on an island about 2 miles off the Syrian coast, was one of the main cities of the Phoenician civilization which dominated maritime trade in the Mediterranean for centuries. Military galleys like the one on this coin enforced Phoenician dominance, and when the Achaemenid Persians conquered the Phoenicians, the Phoenician war-galleys formed the core of the feared Persian fleet. This coin was issued by King Gerashtart just a few years before Alexander the Great swept into Syria in 332 BC as part of his campaign to conquer the vast Persian Empire. Gerashtart, realizing which way the wind was blowing, immediately submitted to Alexander, who confirmed him in his rule and accepted Gerashtart’s ships into his taskforce besieging the much larger Phoenician city of Sidon. In addition to all that history, I like this coin for the way it fits all the main design elements on an irregular flan, and for the rather expressive portrait of the local deity on the obverse. All in all, it’s a beautiful chunk of history. [ATTACH=full]805450[/ATTACH] Satellite image of Arados (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arwad" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arwad" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a>) ............................................................ 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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