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<p>[QUOTE="CoinDoctorYT, post: 4597501, member: 113262"]So if you don't already know I'll give you a brief backstory before I break the news:</p><p><br /></p><p>The Temple of Athena at Magarsos, near Mallos, was an important cult sanctuary in the Hellenistic period. The central statue of Athena Magarsia is known only from the handful of coins that have survived, which show a blending of Greek and eastern motifs. The town of Margasos is thought to have been founded in the Hittite era, established by Sennacherib, king of Assyria, in the aftermath of a naval victory at the mouth of the Pyramos river that flows through the town, who dedicated the shrine to the goddess Anat or Ishtar.</p><p><br /></p><p>---</p><p><br /></p><p>So just a few months ago the ancient Greek city of Magarsos, which was unearthed during archaeological works in the southern Turkish province of Adana, has shed light on its fascinating history and will answer all questions once excavations are completed.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is what remains of the temple:</p><p><img src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jZa6YiGm2uc/Wxvkcl1tLxI/AAAAAAACOgw/k0DjoUMIQzoP1kcqQISQw6Nzm8E7Fr2MgCLcBGAs/s640/Turkey_Magarsus.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Ancient geographer Arianos, who lived 1,800 years ago, documents that when Alexander the Great came to the region, he first visited the Temple of Athena Magarsia, which is located 200 meters away from the ancient theater, and then moved to Mallus.</p><p><br /></p><p>So what could have been in the temple that people so desperately want to find, you guessed it the <i>Athena Magarsia. </i>The <i>Athena Magarsia </i>was a magnificent statue that was adopted by the Seleucids around 300 BC. The identification of the statue as Athena is thought to have been made by Alexander the Great, who made a sacrifice at the temple just prior to the Battle of Issos in 333 BC.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How does this have to do with coins you may ask?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>In 138 BC, Antiochos VII Sidetes Euergetes struck a ceremonial Tetradrachm with the depiction of the Athena Magarsia on the reverse. (see below)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1138647[/ATTACH]</p><p>Antiochos VII Sidetes Diademed head of Antiochos VII right </p><p>Cult statue of Athena Magarsia, wearing aegis, standing facing on basis; monogram below left legend, M with incurved sides below right legend (138-129 BC) </p><p>*Extremely Rare</p><p><br /></p><p>I cannot stress enough how rare this coin is. There are only a handful in existence. Below is a copy of the Athena Parthenos, which is the closest relative to the Magarsia.</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>But one question remains, where is the statue now?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><img src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/48e9a0ebf519e3ee9aa013060cd79283/tumblr_o8095xL2661sjjdtyo1_1280.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="CoinDoctorYT, post: 4597501, member: 113262"]So if you don't already know I'll give you a brief backstory before I break the news: The Temple of Athena at Magarsos, near Mallos, was an important cult sanctuary in the Hellenistic period. The central statue of Athena Magarsia is known only from the handful of coins that have survived, which show a blending of Greek and eastern motifs. The town of Margasos is thought to have been founded in the Hittite era, established by Sennacherib, king of Assyria, in the aftermath of a naval victory at the mouth of the Pyramos river that flows through the town, who dedicated the shrine to the goddess Anat or Ishtar. --- So just a few months ago the ancient Greek city of Magarsos, which was unearthed during archaeological works in the southern Turkish province of Adana, has shed light on its fascinating history and will answer all questions once excavations are completed. This is what remains of the temple: [IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jZa6YiGm2uc/Wxvkcl1tLxI/AAAAAAACOgw/k0DjoUMIQzoP1kcqQISQw6Nzm8E7Fr2MgCLcBGAs/s640/Turkey_Magarsus.jpg[/IMG] Ancient geographer Arianos, who lived 1,800 years ago, documents that when Alexander the Great came to the region, he first visited the Temple of Athena Magarsia, which is located 200 meters away from the ancient theater, and then moved to Mallus. So what could have been in the temple that people so desperately want to find, you guessed it the [I]Athena Magarsia. [/I]The [I]Athena Magarsia [/I]was a magnificent statue that was adopted by the Seleucids around 300 BC. The identification of the statue as Athena is thought to have been made by Alexander the Great, who made a sacrifice at the temple just prior to the Battle of Issos in 333 BC. [B]How does this have to do with coins you may ask? [/B] In 138 BC, Antiochos VII Sidetes Euergetes struck a ceremonial Tetradrachm with the depiction of the Athena Magarsia on the reverse. (see below) [ATTACH=full]1138647[/ATTACH] Antiochos VII Sidetes Diademed head of Antiochos VII right Cult statue of Athena Magarsia, wearing aegis, standing facing on basis; monogram below left legend, M with incurved sides below right legend (138-129 BC) *Extremely Rare I cannot stress enough how rare this coin is. There are only a handful in existence. Below is a copy of the Athena Parthenos, which is the closest relative to the Magarsia. [B] But one question remains, where is the statue now? [IMG]https://66.media.tumblr.com/48e9a0ebf519e3ee9aa013060cd79283/tumblr_o8095xL2661sjjdtyo1_1280.jpg[/IMG][/B][/QUOTE]
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