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T'was beauty killed the beast: A few of my favorite ancients and the why. Let's see yours!
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<p>[QUOTE="Parthicus, post: 7522149, member: 81887"]So hard to choose my favorites, but if pressed...</p><p><br /></p><p>My current avatar is a tetradrachm of the Parthian king Artabanos IV (c.10-38 AD). I love the style of this coin. The obverse portrait with shaggy hair, plain clothes and no fancy crown or tiara, just a simple cloth diadem to show his rank- coupled to the reverse featuring the king on horseback; this is a callback to the original Parthian spirit- nomadic horsemen of the endless steppe:</p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]KHYbOaw4PiU[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1299084[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>These two sestertii of Trajan (98-117 AD) commemorate his victories in the Parthian campaign and subsequent establishment of pliant local rulers- Rex Parthis Datus (A King Given to Parthia) and Regna Adsignata (Kingdoms Assigned). Extremely historical types, which unite my interest in Roman and Parthian history. Surely there was a musical fanfare at the ceremonies to introduce the new kings:</p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]kAOpFAGU3aA[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1299089[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1299095[/ATTACH]</p><p>The Khazars controlled trade along the Volga river basin for several centuries, and affected the destinies of their powerful neighbors, but are almost forgotten today. Even their (very rare) coins are simply imitations of coins that passed through in commerce. Once they lived their lives, just as wonderful and full of meaning as ours, and now they are barely shadows. Who will remember us, a thousand years from now?</p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]0tw3g88JtWA[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1299101[/ATTACH]</p><p>And of course, if I'm listing my favorite coins, I have to include my Julius Caesar lifetime portrait denarius, struck January-February 44 BC, less than three months before his assassination. If you have to ask why this is a favorite, you probably shouldn't be reading the Ancients board.</p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]8YDngmnixSc[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1299104[/ATTACH]</p><p>And one last coin. I don't have music for it, but this silver stater of the Phoenician city of Arados just makes me smile when I look at it. It's a significantly non-round coin, thick and lumpy (reminding us that the coin's value was in its weight of precious metal), and the designs and inscription are very traditionally Phoenician, with no sign of the Hellenistic monoculture.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1299114[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Parthicus, post: 7522149, member: 81887"]So hard to choose my favorites, but if pressed... My current avatar is a tetradrachm of the Parthian king Artabanos IV (c.10-38 AD). I love the style of this coin. The obverse portrait with shaggy hair, plain clothes and no fancy crown or tiara, just a simple cloth diadem to show his rank- coupled to the reverse featuring the king on horseback; this is a callback to the original Parthian spirit- nomadic horsemen of the endless steppe: [MEDIA=youtube]KHYbOaw4PiU[/MEDIA] [ATTACH=full]1299084[/ATTACH] These two sestertii of Trajan (98-117 AD) commemorate his victories in the Parthian campaign and subsequent establishment of pliant local rulers- Rex Parthis Datus (A King Given to Parthia) and Regna Adsignata (Kingdoms Assigned). Extremely historical types, which unite my interest in Roman and Parthian history. Surely there was a musical fanfare at the ceremonies to introduce the new kings: [MEDIA=youtube]kAOpFAGU3aA[/MEDIA] [ATTACH=full]1299089[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1299095[/ATTACH] The Khazars controlled trade along the Volga river basin for several centuries, and affected the destinies of their powerful neighbors, but are almost forgotten today. Even their (very rare) coins are simply imitations of coins that passed through in commerce. Once they lived their lives, just as wonderful and full of meaning as ours, and now they are barely shadows. Who will remember us, a thousand years from now? [MEDIA=youtube]0tw3g88JtWA[/MEDIA] [ATTACH=full]1299101[/ATTACH] And of course, if I'm listing my favorite coins, I have to include my Julius Caesar lifetime portrait denarius, struck January-February 44 BC, less than three months before his assassination. If you have to ask why this is a favorite, you probably shouldn't be reading the Ancients board. [MEDIA=youtube]8YDngmnixSc[/MEDIA] [ATTACH=full]1299104[/ATTACH] And one last coin. I don't have music for it, but this silver stater of the Phoenician city of Arados just makes me smile when I look at it. It's a significantly non-round coin, thick and lumpy (reminding us that the coin's value was in its weight of precious metal), and the designs and inscription are very traditionally Phoenician, with no sign of the Hellenistic monoculture. [ATTACH=full]1299114[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
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T'was beauty killed the beast: A few of my favorite ancients and the why. Let's see yours!
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