Temples of Nicomedia

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Orange Julius, Mar 4, 2019.

  1. Orange Julius

    Orange Julius Well-Known Member

    I really like coins depicting architecture... sometimes even if they're in rough shape. I recently bought this coin and have found that it seems to be quite rare. The only other example I've been able to find online (so far) is one on Wildwinds.

    My coin:
    PhilipNicomedia.JPG

    Wildwinds coin with the following attribution:
    _nicomedia_SNGvA_834.jpg
    Philip I, AE28 of Nicomedia, Bithynia. AD 244-249.
    (dot)M(dot)I(dot)OLIOC(dot)FILIPPOC AYG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
    NIKOMHDEWN DIC NEWKORWN, two octostyle temples.
    SNG von Aulock 834; Yapi Kredi 125.


    I haven't been able to fully research the coin yet... so rather than this being a writeup on the coin, this is probably a bit of crowdsourcing answers and a bit ongoing commentary on what I find.

    Questions:

    1. Does anyone have any idea exactly which temples are depicted here and why?
    2. How do we know this is Philip rather than Philip II? I know this is a question with many provincial coins of this father and son duo. They have the same legends in many cases, is there anything that points to the father rather than son? (although I do think it is P-1 depicted here)
    3. Look at the coin below from Koinon Macedonia. My coin and this coin are close in mint date... and clearly one must have been inspired by the other (same text layout, same temples..). Do they depict the same temples, or are they generic temples? Were these temples important regionally, so much so that they may be depicted on coins of different cities?
    4. Also pictured below is another coin of Julia Domina from Nicomedia with two temples... these look to be the same two temples... more research needed.
    (Question 3 coin)
    koinonmacedoniatemples-jpg.782138.jpg
    (Question 4 coin)
    be6AS7aPzG9e26sZJK3oXiT874wMRg.jpg
    Anyway, those are the questions I have yet to answer. If you'd like to jump in with answers, awesome! If not, I'll be following up with what I find.

    Feel free to pile on with anything relevant. Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2019
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  3. Jochen1

    Jochen1 Well-Known Member

    Answers:
    1. These are temples of the Imperial Cult, expressed by DIC NEWKORWN
    2. Philipp I is always bearded
    3. Each city has its own temples. Naturally the style of the buildings is similar.
    4. These are the same temples. even though the die cutter has not set great
    value on details, e.g. number of columns and so on.

    I recommend the following site for coins with architecturial depictions:
    http://www.aeruginis.de/aeruginis/index.php?lang=en

    Best
    regards
     
    seth77, Marsyas Mike, ominus1 and 4 others like this.
  4. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    I wouldn't put much stock in the specifics of the temple design. The inscription makes it clear as to what the coin is promoting -- that the city was home to two (ΔΙC) neocorates (ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ). The important thing for the city's PR department was that there were two of them, not necessarily rendering their details accurately.

    These were a point of civic pride (see the link to my write-up about the neocorate, above) and the coin from Koinon Macedonia would not have depicted the two temples in Nicomedia.

    I believe these are just stock depictions of generic temples, many of which were designed on similar architectural principles.
     
  5. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Nice reverse on the OP coin. I also enjoy architectural types when I can find good ones at auction. I fairly recently picked up this Maxentius.

    maxentius3.jpg

    maxentius4.jpg
     
  6. Jochen1

    Jochen1 Well-Known Member

    The temple of the Maxentius rev. is diferent. It is the temple of Roma.
     
    Orange Julius likes this.
  7. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

    A neat coin!
     
    Orange Julius likes this.
  8. Orange Julius

    Orange Julius Well-Known Member

    Thanks @Jochen and @Roman Collector for the answers! I'm just getting back to this coin and thread.

    With these types of coins, I like to see if I can find any photos or digital reconstructions of the temples depicted. With only a short time of Googling, I have not yet been able to find much on these temples. I realize the temple depictions are probably generic but connecting them to real places is really fun for me (when I can find something and somewhat frustrating when I can't!)

    Thanks again!
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  9. Edith M Humphrey

    Edith M Humphrey New Member

    Is there any evidence of a temple to Apollo in Nicomedia? I need to know for a novel that I am writing on St.George and St. Alexandra
     
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