The Kibotoi of Apameia

For me one of the main draws of Roman provincials are their often fascinating reverse types. This one from Apameia shows the satyr Marsyas reclining in a cavern, holding in one hand his infamous aulos (double flute); five chests are arranged around his head, and water flows from an inverted vase below him. So what exactly is all that about?

The mythical Marsyas was a satyr who played his aulos in a musical contest against Apollo, following which he lost both the contest as well as his skin for his hubris in challenging a god. Apollo hung the skin up in a cave from which a river flowed (Marsyas's blood being its source), and the river was thereafter named after the unfortunate satyr. Located near the source of the River Marsyas, the city of Apameia was named by the Seleukid king Antiochos I after his mother, Apama. Apameia was also known by the sobriquet Kibotos, or The Chest, alluding to either its great wealth as a trade emporium, or perhaps more likely, for the ubiquitous wooden packing crates that were used by the city's trade middlemen to re-pack goods bound from Egypt and Asia to Greece and later, the Roman Empire.

The story of the city is essentially imagined in a mythopoeic scene and used as the design of this coin. The reverse legend names the elements - AΠAMЄΩN (Apameia) MAPCVAC (Marsyas) KIBΩTOIA (kibotoi, or chests).


HADRIAN
AE22
4.10g, 22mm
PHRYGIA, Apameia, AD 117-138
SNG Cop 211; BMC 155
O: AΔPIANOC KAI CЄB, laureate head right, with slight drapery.
R: AΠAMЄΩN MAPCVAC [KIBΩTOI], Marsyas reclining within a rocky cave, holding cornucopia and double flute; above, five chests; beneath, inverted vase from which water.

The most famous of the coins of Apameia are from a rare series struck in the 3rd century AD that show the biblical Noah and his Ark. It is understood that the Jewish community in Apameia claimed to be descendants of Noah. By the 3rd century AD, their members had gained such influence and high offices that they were able to pay tribute to their heritage on the coinage of the city. It's interesting to note that the Ark shown on these coins would appear to resemble an Apameian wooden packing crate. Intriguingly, the word kibotos was used to describe both Noah's Ark as well as the Ark of the Covenant in ancient Greek texts.

The example here is not mine, but I'd take it in a pinch .

 

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Another great find and fascinating story! This is why I love Provincials .

 

I have a coin depicting Marsyas, I wonder why he is on the coin if Apollo defeated him.


Phyrgia, Apameia
Coin: Bronze
- Turreted head of Artemis as Tyche right, bow and quiver over shoulder
APAME ARISTA KHFIS - to right and left of Marsyas, walking right on maeander pattern, naked but for cloak behind, playing the double flute.
Mint: Apameia (133-48 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 6.41g / 17mm / -
References:

• Weber 7030
• BMC 47
• Mionnet Supp. VII 143
• SNG von Aulock 3472
• SNG Tuebingen 3973

 

Wow Z-Bro, very cool coin and super cool coin-tale (thanks for the effort ... fun thread)

I could only find one example with Apameia on it ... even though it's a bit older than your sweet OP example, I've decided to toss it into your thread

Phrygia Apameia
100-50 BC
Athena & Eagle between Pilei



... at first, I thought it was Pegasus between Pilei ... but apparently that's an eagle (still cool)



here is a link which shows a few better examples (yup, it's clearly an eagle)

https://cngcoins.com/Search.aspx?PA...R_TYPE_ID_3=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_2=1

 

The OP coin looks like another river god going down the pool slide! Nice coin!

 

Nice Steve, I have one, I am still in two minds whether to clean it up a bit or not..

 

I keep 'em the same way that I find them (I don't trust my clumsy, yet inventive fingers => I think I am born to tool .... ummm, not to be mistaken for born a tool)

 

Love this coin and the history write-up. Like TIF, this is why I like Provincials as well. There is such a variety of reverses as compared to the standing Gods of Imperial Rome.

I have only one coin from Apameia Phrygia which I need to re-image yet:

APAMEIA, PHRYGIA
AE23
OBVERSE: Laureate head of Zeus right
REVERSE: APAME to the right, cult statue of Artemis Anaïtis standing facing, magistrate HRAKLEI EGLO to left
Struck at Pergamon 133-27 BC
8.38g, 22mm
SNGCop 183.1; BMC Phrygia p. 77, 48

I also have an RR showing Marsyas

L CENSORINUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS MARCIA
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: Laureate head of Apollo right
REVERSE: L CENSOR, the satyr, Marsyas, standing left with wineskin over shoulder; behind him, column surmounted by draped figure (Minerva?)
Rome 82 BC
3.66g, 17mm
Cr363/1d, Marcia 24

 

Thanks for the comments and the coin shares

I thought it would be interesting to point out that Steve's and Pish's coins incorporate into their designs a meander pattern, which takes its name from the twisting path of the Maeander River, the source of which was located near Apameia.

 

Great coin, Z. I was not aware of this type, neither was I aware of the Noah's Ark type. I wish I had some packing crate coins to add, but all I've got is another of the Maeander examples...

 

I've been keeping an eye out for a Noah's Ark coin ever since Doug mentioned them here. It is unlikely that I will find one at a price that is palatable.

 

An example with about a dozen more holes than the one I posted above will be about the right fit for my budget .

 

I always love learning something new! I don't collect provincials but I appreciate the history and culture behind them.
Very nice coin!

 

How much does yours weigh? I bought one when i was 16 and am pretty sure it's fake. Feels and looks more like brass. Not sure if it was supposed to be an orichalcum mix, if authentic.

 

6.7g, which is middle of the road for the type. I've seen them as low as 5 and as high as 8. That's always made me wonder if they come in two denominations, but I'm not aware of any studies that examine their metrology.

 

Fantastic posts!!

Everyone has expressed the very same reasons why I intend to focus a bit more on 'Provincials'....

 

Well now look what you made me do, Zumbly. Your thread enticed me to look at some coins of Apameia, and I came across this cute little bronze, so I snapped it up. Tyche looks curiously young - girlish in fact. Marsyas is marching along on the maeander pattern merrily playing his flute (of which you can only see one pipe, but at least that much is on flan). Also, much of the reverse legend is there...



Phrygia, Apameia . Circa 133-48 BC. AE 15mm (3.86 gm). Obv.: Turreted head of Artemis right. Rev.: AΠAMEΩN, Marsyas walking right on maeander pattern, playing flute. SNG Copenhagen 189. Very fine.

 

Hello,

I think Zumbly and I have much the same love, for those provincials !! see 3 Hadrians and others.
Stange Zumbly and I are thousands of miles aways from one and another and still have same passion !!
Friends for life.

Have a few more(many), older and so on.....but these are most relevant.
Also a few more on the way..but did not pay them yet

 

ooo the noah arc coin is a true rarity that will never be possible to get....and far tooooo costly.....

 

JA, I always feel like I've done someone a service when I've influenced them into buying a new coin for their collection. So, you're welcome, I accept the blame . Great new pickup!