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<p>[QUOTE="David Atherton, post: 6446047, member: 82616"]I was very pleased to have recently acquired a Domitian obol from Alexandria featuring the Great Sphinx on the reverse. It has been a dream coin of mine ever since [USER=44357]@AncientJoe[/USER] and [USER=56859]@TIF[/USER] posted their examples here on CT.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256114[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Domitian </b></p><p>Æ Obol, 4.26g</p><p>Alexandria mint, 91-92 AD</p><p>Obv: ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΔΟΜΙΤ ϹƐΒ ΓƐΡΜ; Head of Domitian, laureate, r.</p><p>Rev: LΙΑ; Sphinx, r.</p><p>RPC 2645 (11 spec.). Emmett 326.11.</p><p>Acquired from Athena, February 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>In Domitian's 11th regnal year at Alexandria the city's mint struck a most fascinating obol featuring the Great Sphinx of Giza on the reverse. The monolith of a mythical beast with a pharaoh's head and lion's body was carved out of solid limestone during the reign of pharaoh Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC) and sits on the west bank of the Nile in front of the Great Pyramid. During the Roman era the monument was a source of wonderment and awe. Pliny the Elder in the late first century wrote - 'In front of these pyramids is the Sphinx, a still more wondrous object of art, but one upon which silence has been observed, as it is looked upon as a divinity by the people of the neighbourhood. It is their belief that King Harmaïs was buried in it, and they will have it that it was brought there from a distance. The truth is, however, that it was hewn from the solid rock; and, from a feeling of veneration, the face of the monster is coloured red. The circumference of the head, measured round the forehead, is one hundred and two feet, the length of the feet being one hundred and forty-three, and the height, from the belly to the summit of the asp on the head, sixty-two.' A stela was erected by the people of the nearby village of Busiris during the reign of Nero and it commemorates the Sphinx being completely freed from the sand. At this time it served as a romantic backdrop to local theatrical performances.</p><p><br /></p><p>This rare obol was struck in the early 90's soon after the Alexandrian mint was overhauled and new types were introduced. Traditional Sphinxes from Greek myth with a winged lion's body and woman's head had been depicted on coins before, but this is the first instance of the Great Sphinx being shown on any coin. The reclining position, lack of wings, and pharaoh's head leave no doubt that the Giza monolith is indeed what we see on the reverse. The Sphinx obol along with the Pharos hemidrachm serve as a sort of first century travelogue for the ancient traveller of what to see when visting Roman Egypt.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just as in ancient times, the Sphinx has remained a source of fascination and wonder.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the mid 19th Century.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256116[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Early 20th Century</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256145[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mid 20th Century.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256119[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>21st Century.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256147[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The riddle of why this reverse type was chosen for the obol may simply come down to a fascination with this spectacular monolith, something we certainly share with our ancient forebears.</p><p><br /></p><p>Feel free to post your Sphinxes, Egyptian, or any other related coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="David Atherton, post: 6446047, member: 82616"]I was very pleased to have recently acquired a Domitian obol from Alexandria featuring the Great Sphinx on the reverse. It has been a dream coin of mine ever since [USER=44357]@AncientJoe[/USER] and [USER=56859]@TIF[/USER] posted their examples here on CT. [ATTACH=full]1256114[/ATTACH] [B]Domitian [/B] Æ Obol, 4.26g Alexandria mint, 91-92 AD Obv: ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΔΟΜΙΤ ϹƐΒ ΓƐΡΜ; Head of Domitian, laureate, r. Rev: LΙΑ; Sphinx, r. RPC 2645 (11 spec.). Emmett 326.11. Acquired from Athena, February 2021. In Domitian's 11th regnal year at Alexandria the city's mint struck a most fascinating obol featuring the Great Sphinx of Giza on the reverse. The monolith of a mythical beast with a pharaoh's head and lion's body was carved out of solid limestone during the reign of pharaoh Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC) and sits on the west bank of the Nile in front of the Great Pyramid. During the Roman era the monument was a source of wonderment and awe. Pliny the Elder in the late first century wrote - 'In front of these pyramids is the Sphinx, a still more wondrous object of art, but one upon which silence has been observed, as it is looked upon as a divinity by the people of the neighbourhood. It is their belief that King Harmaïs was buried in it, and they will have it that it was brought there from a distance. The truth is, however, that it was hewn from the solid rock; and, from a feeling of veneration, the face of the monster is coloured red. The circumference of the head, measured round the forehead, is one hundred and two feet, the length of the feet being one hundred and forty-three, and the height, from the belly to the summit of the asp on the head, sixty-two.' A stela was erected by the people of the nearby village of Busiris during the reign of Nero and it commemorates the Sphinx being completely freed from the sand. At this time it served as a romantic backdrop to local theatrical performances. This rare obol was struck in the early 90's soon after the Alexandrian mint was overhauled and new types were introduced. Traditional Sphinxes from Greek myth with a winged lion's body and woman's head had been depicted on coins before, but this is the first instance of the Great Sphinx being shown on any coin. The reclining position, lack of wings, and pharaoh's head leave no doubt that the Giza monolith is indeed what we see on the reverse. The Sphinx obol along with the Pharos hemidrachm serve as a sort of first century travelogue for the ancient traveller of what to see when visting Roman Egypt. Just as in ancient times, the Sphinx has remained a source of fascination and wonder. In the mid 19th Century. [ATTACH=full]1256116[/ATTACH] Early 20th Century [ATTACH=full]1256145[/ATTACH] Mid 20th Century. [ATTACH=full]1256119[/ATTACH] 21st Century. [ATTACH=full]1256147[/ATTACH] The riddle of why this reverse type was chosen for the obol may simply come down to a fascination with this spectacular monolith, something we certainly share with our ancient forebears. Feel free to post your Sphinxes, Egyptian, or any other related coins.[/QUOTE]
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