The dioscuri have always been popular subjects and their most famous attribute star capped piloi. They appeared 3 times in the silver New Style coinage and at least once in AE in the thundering Zeus type. Athens New Style tetradrachm 154/3 BC Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 34.5mm 16.72g Thompson issue 11 Thompson catalogue : Obs 60 : Rev (not in plates)/ NEW? Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora 2 complex magistrates monograms in both fields RF symbol : Caps of Dioscuri All within a surrounding olive wreath Athens New Style tetradrachm 123/2 BC Obs : Athena Parthanos right in tri-form helmet 16.23g 30mm Thompson issue (new) 42 Thompson catalogue: 479g REV : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathanaic amphora on which month mark Δ control ΣΦ below 3 magistrates : MIKION EURYKLEI BOYKATTHES RF symbol : Dioscuri All surrounded by an olive wreath Athens New Style Tetradrachm 99/8 BC Obs : Athena Parthanos right in tri-form helmet 15.43g 29mm Thompson issue 66 Thompson catalogue: Obs 901 : Rev NEW REV : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathanaic amphora on which month mark H? control ΣΟ/MH below 3 magistrates : DEMETRIOS AGATHIPPOS OLY RF symbol : Caps of Piloi All surrounded by an olive wreath
The first ancient coin I bought, about 20 years ago, was a Athens tetradrachm with the dioscuri . Quite worn, but I still have it. Attica. Athens New Style Tetradrachm Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right. Rev: Owl standing right on amphora, Dioscuri left, holding sceptre and patera, A - ΘE flanking owl's head, MIKIΩN EYPYKΛEI ΣΩKRATHΣ magistrates, ME below amphora, E on amphora. All within wreath AR, 16.22g,29mm Ref.: Thompson 483 a,b
The new style is my absolute favorite of the owls. Shame they’re becoming harder and harder to afford!
The worn Twins of Dioscuri type is typical of Thracian coin hoards where they,Prow,Tripod and Eagle on Thunderbolt Athens new styles are found in proportionately high numbers compared to other New Styles in such hoards. De Callatay And Andrew Meadows categorise them as "over represented" types. They all come from a tight consecutive ordering of middle period New Styles in the 120's BC as ordered by Meadows. Why so we don't know but it is reasoned that the Romans ( whatever did the Romans do for us?), called on Athens to pay Thracian mercenaries-or else? These coins are found in the Balkans well worn that means they circulated a lot before being buried. My example and Shanxi's are typical.
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