Some weeks ago, I tried my luck on a new auction on Biddr. Although I have maybe already too many Roman Provincial coins, I decided to go now for a few large Provincials with unusual reverses (@dougsmit inspired me to look this way, branching off from my standard Go for Portraits, Best Condition drive) on Zeus Auctions Nr. 1 (in Britain). This is the first of them, a 32 mm coin from Anazarbus, Cilicia. It’s about 20 miles east of Adana, in the armpit of nowadays Turkey, not far from Tarsus, that other great city of Cilicia, where Paulus was born. It’s a Koinoboulion type, that represents voting in a community council: the personification of the vote, a female holding a cornucopia, seating on a chair behind a flowering branch, tosses a pebble in a vessel. The surrounding text says something like ‘The metropolis of Anazarbos/ the freedom of the council’ and the year: ET Gamma-Xi-Sigma = 263, that’s 244/5, the first year of the emperor Philip the Arab. And he's the man on the obverse with his radiate crown. Koinoboulion types exist for several emperors of Anazarbos, but they are uncommon. So – I’m glad to have found this! Cilicia, Anazarbus. Philip I. AD 244-249. AE32. Dated CY 263 (AD 244/5). Obv. Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rev. Koinoboulion, the (female) personification of the free community council seated left, holding a cornucopia and tossing a pebble in a vase; tree to left. ET ΓΞC (date) in legend. 32 mm, 16.50 gr. Ziegler 736; SNG France –; SNG Levante 1491 ; SNG von Aulock 5504; Tahberer 432. 6 different on ACSearch.
Great coin @Pellinore . I have nothing to add really coin-wise, I just wanted to voice my appreciation for the big provincial bronze you acquired. Nice one.
Big provincials with interesting reverses... yes!! Here's the same scene on a Tarsos coin of Valerian: CILICIA, Tarsos. Valerian I 253-260 CE AE 32 mm, 19.06 gm Obv: AVKΛΙΠOVΛΙOVAΛЄPIANOCCЄ; Π - Π; radiate, draped, and cuirassed (?) bust right. Rev: TAPCOVMH TP OΠOΛЄΩC; A/M/K - Γ/Γ in fields; KOINOBOVΛION ЄΛЄVΘЄ__ in exergue; Athena seated left on throne, holding cornucopia and dropping a voting pebble into amphora to left; shield below. Ref: SNG Levante 1193; SNG BN 1821-2 (I do not have these reference books; references taken from similar ex CNG coin) ex Doug Smith
Pellinore, Congratulations on scoring this handsome provincial coin from Cilicia . The coin has an attractive patina & being dated is a big plus. The reverse on your coin & the one TIF posted illustrate fascinating narratives not often seen on imperial issues. They can really drive a collectors imagination . I've only got one coin from Anazarbus that I've posted before, but it seems appropriate to post it on your thread too. I bought this coin slabbed & overpaid for it but have no regrets about that either. I did remove it from the slab because I don't like to see large bronze coins slabbed . A coin of the same type as mine sold sold in the Holmes Auction by CNG last April for a hammer price of $110.00, proving there are bargains to be had with provincial coins.
That's an interesting type and a very nice coin. Here's a recent pickup from Anazarbus also showing a less common personification. The female figure standing before the bull and holding the bipennis (double-headed axe) represents the synthysia, a joint sacrificial feast held during the athletic games and festivals that were an important part of the civic and political life of the region. The feast would be attended by official representatives and athletes from the participating cities. Meat from animals sacrificed at these feasts may also have been part of the prizes awarded to winners at the games. SEVERUS ALEXANDER AE32. 19.46g, 32.4mm. CILICIA, Anazarbus, AD 230/231. Ziegler 633 (3 spec); SNG Tahberer 375; RPC Online VI temp #7372. O: ΑΥΤ ΚΑ Μ ΑΥΡ ϹЄΟ ΑΛЄΞΑΝΔΡΟϹ, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: ΑΝΑΖΑΡΒΟΥ ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛЄ ЄΤ ΘΜϹ Γ Β, Synthysia standing, left, wearing kalathos, holding bipennis (double-axe); in the background, ox standing left with head turned back.
Lovely coin... here is a rough one from Cilicia. Valerian I, AE27 of Anazarbus, Cilicia. AD 253-254, AVT KA ΛIK OVAΛEΡIANOC CE, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / ANAZAΡBOV MHTΡOΠ Γ Γ, ET BOC AMK, Dionysos, reclining left, looking right, right hand over head, holding thyrsos, on a panther crouching right, with head turned back.
Well, as it happens, I have two other coins from Anazarbos. Nice reverses, too. AE Severus Alexander (222-235). Anazarbus in Cilicia. Obv.: Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rev.: Nike, trophy over her shoulder, in biga with large horses stepping right. 26/29 mm, 15.87 gr. SNG Levante 1454. Sear 3356. Cf. RPC 7344 (8 pcs), 7382, 7383, 7409 a.o. And a panther, too, a little less rough. AE27 Valerian (253-260), 253/4. Anazarbos in Cilicia. Obv.: AVT K Π ΛIK OVAΛEPIANOC CE. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev.: ANAZAPBOV / Γ - Γ / ET BOC A M K. Dionysos seated left on panther (or leopard, spotted!) crouching right. 27 mm, 14.62 gr. ET BOC = Year 272 = 253/4. F-VF. Ziegler, Kaiser 827; SNG Kopenhagen 56. Cf. cat. CNG N.McQ. Holmes nr. 766.
Provincials are often large. We could do a Largest Roman Provincial Contest, that I would lose spectacularly, though I have a row of 35 mm coins. Provincials are very interesting and also much more affordable than Roman Imperial coins. But many have rough surfaces, that's a bit of a problem. Here's some comparison. The smallest is 10 mm, the largest 35 mm.
