I just received this coin a few days ago. It's in rough shape, but I really like how the temple is shown in perspective. Trajan, A.D. 98-117 Syria, Seleucia Pieria, AE22 Obv: AYTOKPA KAIC NEP TPAINOC APICT CEB ΔAK Rev: CEΛEYKEΩN - ΠEIEPIAC - Sacred Stone of Zeus Kasios within tetrastyle temple, eagle on top of temple. Written below temple: SEYCA/KCIOC. Δ (=year 4) in lower right field. BMC Greek (Galatia) 39 (p.274) 22mm, 13.9g Question: Does the Delta in the right field refer to year 4 of Trajan's reign, meaning that the coin was minted in 102-103 A.D., or to some other event? I know that John Anthony recently started a thread about the reverse of the "temple on hill" bronzes from Zeugma where he suggests (convincingly, in my opinion) that the hill is actually depicting a walled garden in front of the temple drawn in perspective: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/zeugma-peribolos-temple-bronzes-of-philip-i-and-ii.336587/ There is also this unusual campgate of Licinius II, photographed by Keith Metzer, that I found published on this web page about campgates by Zach Beasly: https://www.beastcoins.com/Topical/Architecture/Campgate.htm Anyone else have any examples of the use of perspective on ancient coins?
I bought one of @John Anthony 's Zeugma pieces and I concur with his theory. I don't recall too many coins with perspective or aspective art. In the case of the Zeugma coin it appears that the trees are rendered from a bird's eye view, something that you would see in Egyptian tombs for example but not particularly common in Roman/Greek art. So therefore these coins are very interesting.
There's also the possibility that the delta on the reverse is a mark of the denomination. Perhaps it indicates the coin is a tetrassarion. This is just conjecture on my part, though, not something with scholarly consensus.
I suppose the Zeugma coins John sold were about equivalent in value to a sestertius at the time. Probably there was a shortage of Imperial issues causing a need for the local polities to issue small-change denominations.
Just for the record, it's not my theory that the Zeugma coins are drawn in perspective - that's the consensus of numismatic scholars. I'm not sure how that reverse could be seen any other way.
When I think of a perspective coin I am drawn to this MN Fonteius Republican galley denarius. The helmsman on the stern is a bit too side-on but they wanted to show the ram and oars in something like a 3/4 view. The obverse reminds me of my not knowing a Roman or Greek coin with a jugate portrait with 3/4 perspective. Does anyone have one? There are several 3/4 perspective single portrait coins but the closest multiple I have is this Chach bronze with twin portraits each slightly inclined toward the center and certainly not jugate. S-K Type 5
There are many examples of this coin with different letters where mine has the delta, beginning with alpha and changing alphabetically. Here's just a few: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?term=Trajan Pieria temple zeus&category=1-2&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1&images=1&thesaurus=1&order=1¤cy=usd&company=
What with all the campgatologists on CoinTalk (I learnt it here, to love campgates!), nobody said I have a like perspectival campgate of Licinus II. Pity! Here's a perspective temple, AE Phoenicia, Tyre, Macrinus, 217-218, Laureate bust r. Rev. Temple of the Phoenician Koinon or Melkart seen in perspective, murex shell to right. 25 mm, 7.10 g. And a double bust, not jugate, but not 3/4 either. I think this is a wonderful design, probably quite modern for its day. Tetradrachm Elagabalus (218-222), Alexandria. Potin. Dated RY 5 (221/222). Obv. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev. Conjoined busts of Helios, draped and wearing radiate crown, and Selene, draped and wearing crescent-moon crown, right; L Є (date) to lower right. 22.5 mm, 12.62 gr.
The reverse of this well-known commemorative coin of Constantine inspires to me that the perspective related to horses was intentionally designed by the talented and very skillful engraver.
