Two new Roman Egyptian coins: one ex. Dattari, and one possibly unpublished

As I've already mentioned, I bought three new Roman Provincial coins, two of them from Egypt (Galba/Roma and Antoninus Pius/Diana) at the recent CNG auction. (See the photos I posted at https://www.cointalk.com/threads/post-your-latest-ancient.394263/page-4#post-8268326, even though I haven't yet received or written up the coins.) Now, here are two more new Roman Egyptian coins that I haven't yet received; I just bought them at the Naville Numismatics auction yesterday. Perhaps I'm tempting fate by posting about them at length before they arrive, but I have questions about both, so here goes.

The first one is a common type, but I thought it looked nice, and it's supposedly from the Dattari Collection:

Antoninus Pius, Billon Tetradrachm, Year 6 (142-143 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, ΑΝΤⲰΝΙΝΟϹ - ϹƐΒƐVϹƐΒ around (beginning at 1:00) / Rev. Phoenix standing right, crowned with circular nimbus [halo], ΑΙ - ⲰΝ [= Aion, Greek equivalent of Roman Aeternitas, also symbolizing the cyclical nature of “time, the orb or circle encompassing the universe, and the zodiac” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aion_(deity))]; across lower fields, L - Ϛ [Year 6]. 23.5 mm., 12.7 g. Dattari (Savio) 2429 & Pl. 117 (this coin) [Savio, A. ed., Catalogo completo della collezione Dattari Numi Augg. Alexandrini (Trieste, 2007)]; RPC IV.4 Online 13506 (temporary) (see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/13506); Emmett 1419.6; Milne 1734 at p. 42; BMC 16 Alexandria 1004 at p. 117 (rev. ill at Pl. XXVI) [“Phoenix (Numidian crane)”], K&G 35.180 (obv. var., draped), SNG Fr. Alexandrie II 2267 (obv. var., draped). Purchased from Naville Numismatics Auction 72 (27 Mar 2022), Lot 341; ex. Dattari Collection.*


*The phoenix on the reverse of this coin, accompanied by the legend “ΑΙⲰΝ,” clearly relates to the beginning of a new Great Sothic Cycle early in the reign of Antoninus Pius, as most famously reflected in the Zodiac coinage issued in his eighth year. See Classical Numismatic Group, Triton XXI Catalog (“The Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection of the Coins of Roman Alexandria,” Jan 9. 2018), Lot 124, p. 68 (available at https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=349280):

“The Great Sothic Cycle was a calendrical cycle based on the heliacal rising in July of the star Sirius (known to the Greeks as Sothis) and lasting approximately 1460 years. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, in a Golden Age, the beginning of the flooding of the Nile coincided exactly with the rising of Sirius, which was reckoned as the New Year. Only once every 1460 years did Sirius rise at exactly the same time. Thus, the coincidence of this along with the concurrent beginning of the flooding of the Nile gave the event major cosmological significance by heralding not just the beginning of a new year, but the beginning of a new eon. This event also was thought to herald the appearance of the phoenix, a mythological bird which was reborn every 500 to 1000 years out of its own ashes. According to one version of the myth, each new phoenix embalmed its old ashes in an egg of myrrh, which it then deposited in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. So important was the advent of the new Great Sothic Cycle, both to the realignment of the heavens and its signaling of the annual flooding of the Nile, that the Egyptians celebrated it in a five-day festival, which emphasized the important cosmological significance.

In the third year of the reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 139/40), a new Great Sothic Cycle began. To mark this event, the mint of Alexandria struck an extensive series of coinage . . ., each related in some astrological way to the reordering of the heavens during the advent of the new Great Sothic Cycle. This celebration would continue throughout Pius’ reign.”

My question: Does anyone here have the 2007 edition of Dattari (Savio), and, if so, can they please check Plate 117 for me to see if it in fact depicts the coin I just bought? Thanks!

The second coin -- an anonymous "tessera" -- is a real mystery. It seems to be unpublished, given that Naville listed no reference for it and I haven't found it in any of my books, whether BMC Alexandria, K & G, Milne, SNG France, or even Emmett (which lists almost 450 anonymous and/or undated tesserae and obols). Naville listed my new purchase as a second century AD "Tessera" (presumably used as a ticket, token, or game-piece of some kind), although most of the tesserae listed in Emmett and elsewhere seem to be made of lead or even glass, and this one is described as being AE. (Of course, I haven't seen it in person yet, and the photo is rather ambiguous in terms of the material.) On the other hand, at 15.6 mm., it's a bit too small to be an obol. Perhaps it's an anonymous dichalkon, although the flans of those are usually quite ragged and this is perfectly round, with what looks like a raised rim. But it's too small and too early to be a contorniate or even a proto-contorniate, I think.

In any event, here's the photo, followed by Naville's description (which I believe contains several misidentifications of the figures depicted), followed by my own description.



Naville's description is as follows:

"Bust of Nilus l.; behind, cornucopia and in front, Hermanubis. Rev. Agathodemon
holding sistrum standing r. and Canoupus standing facing' in field, A-Λ."

I'm no expert, but I do know a little bit about Egyptian iconography. So, (1) I don't think that's Hermanubis (who's supposed to have the head of a jackal and, when he does have a human head, doesn't wear a crown like that); instead, I think it resembles some small figures of a Genius I've seen accompanying the cornucopiae held by Nilus, or, alternatively, given my identification of the reverse figures, perhaps the infant Horus (Harpocrates) wearing a skhent; (2) on the reverse, I think that's a Uraeus cobra on the left rather than an Agathodaemon given the wide hood right below the neck, and that it has a human head, specifically of Isis; (3) I think the other reverse figure is a mummiform Osiris (possibly in the form of a canopus as stated by Naville); and (4) that's certainly just the standard crook and flail held by Osiris, not the letters "A-Λ" in the field.

So here's my description:

Anonymous, unpublished[?] AE[?] Tessera (or Obol or Dichalkon), 2nd Century AD, Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Crowned bust of Nilus left, with cornucopiae behind and, in front, Genius? [or Harpocrates/infant Horus wearing skhent crown?], facing left / Rev. On left, Serpent Uraeus [sacred cobra, worn by deities and pharaohs] with female breasts and human head of Isis (as Isis-Thermouthis), crowned with solar disk and horns, standing facing, with coils enfolding sistrum upright to left*; on right, Canopus of Osiris (mummiform?) wearing Atef crown above horns, with arms crossed over chest holding crook and flail.** 15.60 mm., 2.52 g. Purchased from Naville Numismatics Auction 72 (27 Mar 2022), Lot 305; ex. “private British collection.”

*See https://rhakotis.com/2017/10/24/isis-thermouthis-snake-goddess/:

“For the Egyptians the cobra signified fecundity, protection and blessing. The cobra goddess was Renenutet. Such associations may be due to the fact that cobras were more visible during the inundation period because their normal habitations would be flooded. They would also kill the rats, who become more common during these months, and who spread disease and eat seeds which had been sown. The cobra goddess’ protective power was probably a result of the fearsome killing power of the snake. Most intriguingly, from an early period Renenutet was associated with control over fortune. During the late period, Isis became associated with Renenutet forming the composite goddess Isis-Thermouthis. . . . Often found in terracotta, Isis-Thermouthis is portrayed as a half woman, half snake. She often wears the attributes of Isis: the cow horns and moon disk (taken from Hathor), the tyet (or Isis knot), the lit torch (taken from Demeter). The most notable thing about this goddess is her body shape. Different statuettes will show her in three broad groups of body shape which are woman from the waist up and snake below, a snake with a woman’s head and a complete snake bearing only the attributes of Isis.” (Emphasis added.)

See also https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/X__2195: “During the Roman Period, Isis and Serapis were revered as deities of prosperity. Representations of Isis, with or without Sarapis, represented as cobras or with a cobra body, were popular in Roman Egypt (attested for example in Alexandria, Canopus and Oxyrhynchus) and are usually dated to the 2nd century AD.”

As an example of Isis Thermouthis that I think resembles the figure on my "tessera," this figure is at the Royal Ontario Museum:



And in this sculpture, Isis Thermouthis is on the left with Serapis on the right:



And here's an obol depicting Isis Thermouthis, posted on Coin Talk by our own @TIF (see https://www.cointalk.com/threads/show-us-your-alexandrian-tets.362763/page-2#post-4605271):

Isis-Thermouthis (head and torso of Isis on a serpent's body):


Note also that Isis is often depicted holding a sistrum; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistrum. For me, that helps confirm my identification.

**The crook and flail “were originally the attributes of the deity Osiris that became insignia of pharaonic authority. The shepherd's crook stood for kingship and the flail for the fertility of the land.” (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crook_and_flail.)

___

However, even with a corrected identification, I have still been unable to find any evidence that this piece has been published. If anyone does have Dattari (Savio) (see my question above), Emmett indicates that that book lists a number of additional anonymous tesserae and bronzes. Perhaps it's listed there?

In addition to any comments people may have on this piece or the first coin, please post anything you think is appropriate, including your own coins from the Dattari Collection, as well as your own tesserae or otherwise anonymous coins, whether published or unpublished, and whether from Egypt or elsewhere.

 

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I wasn’t sure what to make of this piece. There are a few anonymous alexandrian bronzes out there… I passed on this one because I am more of a lead collector. Love the phoenix btw.

 

That's a marvelous tetradrachm in any case. The Dattari provenance is the icing on the cake!

 

Love the tetradrachm. I have wanted that type but seen a lot of fakes so I pass.

The Nilus & Isis is great too.

My best looking Nilus:


Severus Alexander (222 - 235 A.D.)
Egypt, Alexandria
Billon Tetradrachm
O: Α ΚΑΙ ΜΑΡ ΑΥΡ СƐΥ ΑΛƐΞΑΝΔΡΟС ƐΥ laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander, r., seen from rear.
R: Nilus bust r., draped and wearing lotus wreath; to l., cornucopia on shoulder, r.; in front, palm branch L I = 10
Alexandria Mint
23mm
13.7g
Emmett 3122.10 (R3), Milne 3031; Dattari 4331

Published on Wildwinds

 

Your tessera is very interesting. Looking at a number of Greco-Roman era Egyptian tesserae online, I note that most are listed as either "lead" or "bronze" but to my eye appear to be some sort of leaded bronzish pot metal (potin?). My only comment is that I wouldn't get too hung up on what may be a distinction without a difference. I have some experience with later Islamic glass paste jetons from Egypt but nothing quite this early.

 

Another question re Dattari (1901) and Dattari (Savio) (2007). Does anyone know if the original numbering in the 1901 Dattari publication was changed in Dattari (Savio)? Naville identified my Phoenix tetradrachm as Dattari (Savio) 2429. That clearly is not the correct number of my coin in the original 1901 Dattari, which is available online at both Google Books and Scribd. See p. 153 of the 1901 edition, which lists no. 2429 as being from Year 2 of Antoninus Pius and as having a bust with paladumentum. My coin, from Year 6 with laureate head right, is no. 2431 on that page. So either the numbering changed slightly with Savio's edition, or Naville attributed the wrong number to the coin:

 

Limestone relief of Isis and Serapis (Oxford, Ashmolean Museum AN1888.257)

 

Cool coin and write up.

 

The reverse of your Tetradrachm showing a Phoenix reminds me of a Bronze Numidian Crane that sold at Christie's a decade ago. The Egyptians called their Phoenix Benu or Bennu. It was associated with the primordial waters (the Nile). It is often confused with the Ibis. Two separate birds with separate followings/cults.


As far as your question about the differing numbers listed for your coins. It seems very possible that numbers might have been transposed or substituted, considering the magnitude of the collection. One of our members had a post about 4 yrs. ago concerning Dattari's collection and Adriano Savio's catalog. Hope it helps.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/tiberius-obol-ex-dattari.286208/

 

Very nice! I like that phoenix reverse type but unfortunately still don't have one. On the "tesserae" the figure before Nilus looks like Harpokrates placing a finger to his lips to me. I think you're right about Isis-Thermouthis and the Canopus of Osiris on the reverse too.

 

Oh, so that was you who nabbed the greatest prize from Naville 72! Congratulations, I'm glad it went to you.

Yours is definitely the correct coin (Dattari-Savio 2429 on Pl. 117, that is). (Keep in mind also these were rubbings of casts so lots of places for error to creep in. Still, overall, I find them surprisingly reliable.)

Below is the image of your coin from Plate 117. Unfortunately it was on the inside of the page so I couldn't get a good angle, AND at the bottom of the plate -- some at the top and bottom were slightly cut off in the 2007 edition. A 1999 edition might have the full image. (Otherwise 2007 is preferable since it included about 700 more coins illustrated on plates found after the 1999 edition was published.)






As a general rule, the numbers in the 1901 volume do correspond to the Dattari-Savio rubbings in the 1999/2007 vols. I haven't looked closely, but I'd assume this is an editing error of some kind. Edit: Just realized the rest of the plate could solve the 2429/2431 discrepancy, so I'll try to photo more of it in the morning and see if the images will explain where the error happened...

I've bought maybe half dozen or so that are illustrated [edit: I think only 5 of mine are illustrated] in Dattari 1999 and/or 2007, but not illustrated in the first volume (though I'm on the lookout!).

I've only found one discrepancy between Dattari (1901) and Dattari-Savio (1999/2007), which had to do with the legend break for Dattari 4731 / RPC 3037. Dattari's specimen has an uncommon legend break otherwise known (for this reverse) only from the Col. J. Curtis Collection #1265 (G-ORDIAN rather than GO-RDIAN) but Dattari transcribed it in the more common way (GO-RDIAN) in the 1901 volume. (It actually matters if Milne was correct in 1918 [“The Shops of the Roman Mint of Alexandria” (JSTOR 370158)] that it represents a different workshop at the Alexandria mint):

That, and another strange editing mix-up with multiple confusing numbers (DS 2892bis vs. DS 9892bis vs. DS 12335) and handwritten notes on the 1999/2007 plates for this one, which I detailed in comments on the ACSearch record. (After emailing RPC they partially fixed it on the RPC VI 10362 page, but still have it in error as "2892bis" under "Reference".)



Edit: BTW, here's a thumbnail of a group shot of mine, including a couple from Dattari's coll. of late Roman bronze, and one Alexandrian Tetradrachm NOT illustrated in the D-S catalogs. (As Curtis Clay pointed out in the Gemini XIII catalog [Grover/Art Inst. Chi.; 6 April 2017], some of Dattari's Alexandrian coins weren't illustrated in the D-S plates, though the proportion is unknown; more of those from the early or mid-3rd cent. onward seem to be absent.)

 

You know, you're right. That's exactly what it is. I see it now. Thanks!

 

.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Wonderful acquisitions, Donna! That tessera was one of my two targets in Naville but after being the embattled underbidder on my first coin I lost heart and didn't even bid on the tessera. Wish I hadn't given up.

I recently acquired a second Isis Thermouthis (or Demeter-headed serpent, depending on who you read), a plate coin in Dattari and of course shown in Dattari-Savio. I'm dozens of coins behind in posting and had intended to make a production of it... maybe I still will... but here it is. Given our similar tastes in Alexandrians and the fact that you bought that tessera, I wonder if you were the underbidder on this coin?


EGYPT, Alexandria. Domitian
RY 10 (90-91 CE)
Æ obol, 20.50 mm, 5.56 gm
Obv: laureate head right
Rev: Isis-Thermouthis (or Demeter-headed uraeus) standing right, torch held in coils of tail; LI in right field
Ref: Geissen 376 (this coin cited); RPC 2593.2 (this coin); Dattari-Savio Pl. 18, 483 (this coin); Dattari 483 and Pl. XI (this reverse illustrated).

I'll save a discussion about who these coins depict for another thread.

 

Great Sothic Cycle coin. A member of the TCACC is a huge Roman Egypt collector, (most dealers would know him). He had a talk about that coin once, and I remembered it so well I also own a couple of examples.

 

Yes, the Phoenix on my coin does look very much like that figure of a Numidian crane. Which probably explains why BMC 16 Alexandria describes the coin as showing a Phoenix in the form of a Numidian crane. So a mythical bird modeled on a real bird.

 

It's a great coin type. I'm happy to have it! As for the TCACC, the Internet offers seven possibilities:

TCACC Texas Clean Air Cities Coalition
TCACC Texas Chapter of the American College of Cardiology
TCACC Thai Community Arts and Cultural Center (Venice, CA, USA)
TCACC Twin Cities Ancient Coin Club (St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN)
TCACC Tri-City Area Chamber of Commerce (Washington state)
TCACC Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce (Traverse City, Michigan)
TCACC TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc.

#4 would be the obvious choice, but that's way too easy, so it must be one of the others, right?

 

I'm pretty sure you're right that Plate 117 # 2429 in Dattari Savio is my coin, although it's hard to tell! So I guess it's also safe to assume that it's also the very same coin as the one numbered as 2431 at p. 153 of the original 1901 Dattari Collection book, even though that coin isn't illustrated in any of the plates in that book. (Instead, the reverse of one of the other Phoenix variants is illustrated in one of the 1901 plates. As far as I can tell, the reverses are all the same; only the obverse portraits of Antoninus Pius vary.) In any event, I think I can safely say that the coin has a documented provenance back to at least 1901 -- older than any other coin I have except for my one siliqua from the 1887 East Harptree Hoard.

Given what you said about the numbering being generally the same in Dattari and Dattari Savio, I can only think that at some point in preparing the plates for Dattari Savio, two coins must have been accidentally skipped somewhere along the way, causing 2431 to become 2429.

I appreciate your calling the coin the "greatest prize" in the Naville auction! I don't know if I agree necessarily, but among the large number of Roman Egyptian coins (many with a Dattari provenance), the phoenix coin (because of its great condition) and the tessera (because of its apparent uniqueness) were the two that really jumped off the page for me when I saw them. And those were the only two I bid on. A lot of the Dattari coins were, admittedly, in extremely worn condition.

 

I will be curious to see what it looks like when I have it in hand. It certainly doesn't look like plain bronze in the photo, so who knows what it's actually made of?