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The Nymphaeum, the Nymphaeum, the Nymphaeum is on Fire!!
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<p>[QUOTE="zumbly, post: 2313651, member: 57495"]This one is not my first purchase of 2016, but from my first package of coins to arrive this year. </p><p><br /></p><p>It's the sort of curiosity I really like, marrying rarity - I found one example in acsearch and another in CNG - with an interesting design and historical background. It was struck during Illyrian Apollonia's time as a Roman protectorate, the obverse showing a formation of rocks on fire, and the reverse a lagobolon, a rabbit-beating stick that was a symbol of the satyr-god Pan.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rocks represent a famed nymphaeum that was located near Apollonia. While the typical nymphaeum was a sanctuary associated with sacred springs, grottoes and water nymphs, that of Apollonia was unusual in that streams of fire were said to issue from the rock of the nymphaeum, while warm asphalt springs flowed from beneath, giving life to a lush, verdant valley. </p><p><br /></p><p>Another tidbit of knowledge I enjoyed discovering - in his <i>Life of Sulla</i>, Plutarch describes an event that occurred while Sulla was camped in the vicinity of Apollonia while preparing for his invasion of Rome. The story is that a satyr was caught while asleep in the Nymphaeum and brought before Sulla. Translators tried in vain to question the creature, who would only reply in the hoarse, bleating cries of a goat. In horror and disgust, the great Roman general ordered that it be taken away from his sight. Poor Pan. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]466615[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>ILLYRIA, Apollonia</b></p><p>AR 1/2 Victoriatus</p><p>1.5g, 14.8mm</p><p>Circa mid-late 1st century BC</p><p>Maier 121; BMC 44.</p><p>O: AI-NEA, fires of the Nymphaeum of Apollonia.</p><p>R: AΠOΛΛΩ-NIATAN, lagobolon.</p><p>Notes: <i>The most common silver coins of Apollonia and Dyrrhachion under Roman rule are the drachms with the familiar cow and suckling calf obverse. While conventionally called drachms, these were actually struck at the weight of the Roman victoriatus, 3.4g. The half-units, however, seem to have gotten stuck with the unwieldy name 1/2 victoriati rather than hemidrachms. </i></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Please share any coins of Apollonia that you might have!</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="zumbly, post: 2313651, member: 57495"]This one is not my first purchase of 2016, but from my first package of coins to arrive this year. It's the sort of curiosity I really like, marrying rarity - I found one example in acsearch and another in CNG - with an interesting design and historical background. It was struck during Illyrian Apollonia's time as a Roman protectorate, the obverse showing a formation of rocks on fire, and the reverse a lagobolon, a rabbit-beating stick that was a symbol of the satyr-god Pan. The rocks represent a famed nymphaeum that was located near Apollonia. While the typical nymphaeum was a sanctuary associated with sacred springs, grottoes and water nymphs, that of Apollonia was unusual in that streams of fire were said to issue from the rock of the nymphaeum, while warm asphalt springs flowed from beneath, giving life to a lush, verdant valley. Another tidbit of knowledge I enjoyed discovering - in his [I]Life of Sulla[/I], Plutarch describes an event that occurred while Sulla was camped in the vicinity of Apollonia while preparing for his invasion of Rome. The story is that a satyr was caught while asleep in the Nymphaeum and brought before Sulla. Translators tried in vain to question the creature, who would only reply in the hoarse, bleating cries of a goat. In horror and disgust, the great Roman general ordered that it be taken away from his sight. Poor Pan. [ATTACH=full]466615[/ATTACH] [B]ILLYRIA, Apollonia[/B] AR 1/2 Victoriatus 1.5g, 14.8mm Circa mid-late 1st century BC Maier 121; BMC 44. O: AI-NEA, fires of the Nymphaeum of Apollonia. R: AΠOΛΛΩ-NIATAN, lagobolon. Notes: [I]The most common silver coins of Apollonia and Dyrrhachion under Roman rule are the drachms with the familiar cow and suckling calf obverse. While conventionally called drachms, these were actually struck at the weight of the Roman victoriatus, 3.4g. The half-units, however, seem to have gotten stuck with the unwieldy name 1/2 victoriati rather than hemidrachms. [/I] [B]Please share any coins of Apollonia that you might have![/B][/QUOTE]
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The Nymphaeum, the Nymphaeum, the Nymphaeum is on Fire!!
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