What is a Cistophorus?

Some of the same issues the OP mentions were raised in this recent thread: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/first-cistophoric-tetradrachm-and-first-keeper.362729/

At one point in that thread, I quoted the entry for "Cistophorus" in the John Melville Jones Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (London 1990), at pp. 55-56:




And here's my one cistophoric tetradrachm:

Lydia, Tralleis/Tralles, AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm, 127/126 BCE or 122/121 BCE, Magistrate Ptol-. Obv. Cista mystica with lid ajar and serpent emerging; all within ivy wreath / Rev. Bowcase (gorytos) with two serpents (one to left and one to right, heads at top); H [= date = Year 8 = 127/126 BCE or 122/121 BCE*] over ΠTOΛ [PTOL] above, between serpents’ heads, TPAΛ [TRAL] in left field; to right, Dionysus in short chiton standing facing, head left, holding thyrsos in right hand and mask of Silenos in left hand. SNG Copenhagen 662-663 var. [different year] [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Copenhagen, The Royal Collection of Coins and Medals, Danish National Museum, Part 28, Lydia Part 2 (Copenhagen 1947)]; BMC 22 Lydia 48 (p. 333) var. [different year] [Head, B.V., A Catalogue of Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 22, Lydia (London, 1901); SNG von Aulock 3262-3264 var. [different year] [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Deutschland, Sammlung Hans Von Aulock, Vol. 2: Caria, Lydia, Phrygia, Lycia, Pamphylia (Berlin, 1962)]; Pinder 159 [same year -- “H”]; see also id. 157-158 [different years] [Pinder, M., Über die Cistophoren und über die kaiserlichen Silbermedaillons der Römischen Provinz Asien (Berlin, 1856) at pp. 565-566]. 24 mm., 12.64 g. [probably = 3 drachms, not 4], 1 h. Ex: CNG Auction 225 (13 Jan. 2010), Lot 144.



* According to BMC 22 Lydia at p. cxxxvii, the date is Year 8 since 133 BCE, when the Pergamene kingdom passed by bequest to the Roman Republic upon the death of Attalus III, and became part of the Province of Asia. No coins minted in Tralleis had been found (as of 1901) bearing dates later than Year 8. The author suggests that after Tralleis participated in the unsuccessful revolt against Roman rule by Aristonicus (a/k/a Eumenes III), who claimed to be the illegitimate son of Attalus III’s father Eumenes II, the Romans may have punished the city by depriving it of various privileges, including the privilege of minting silver coins. But all the more modern sources state that this rebellion had been suppressed by 129 BCE, making this explanation seem unlikely.

More recent scholarship such as Noe/Kleiner [Noe, Sydney P. & Fred S. Kleiner, Early Cistophoric Coinage (ANS, 1977), available at http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/ark:/53695/nnan30795], Rigsby [Rigsby, K., The Era of the Province of Asia, Phoenix (1979), at pp. 33(1), 39-47, available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/1087850?seq=1], and Müller [Müller, Jörg W., The Chronology of Ephesos Revisited, Schweizerische numismatische Rundschau (Revue suisse de numismatique) (1998) at pp. 73-80, available at https://www.e-periodica.ch/digbib/view?pid=snr-003:1998:77#86], has posited a shift of the era forward by approximately five years. These authorities reject the idea that these cities had the time (or the inclination) to start issuing coins dated by a new Roman era as soon as Attalus's will became public, particularly given the immediate rebellion of Aristonicus. So according to their reasoning, the correct date should actually be Year 8 since 134/133 BCE, or approximately 122/121 BCE.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Oh, how confusing. Apparently there is a Roman Collector and a Romancollector as usernames on the forum!

 

My Cistophorus.
Titus (AD 79-81). AR cistophorus
(26mm, 7h). Rome, AD 80-81.
Obv: Head laureate right; IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M
Rev: Aquila between two standards, one surmounted by hand and the other by vexillum.
RIC II.1 516, BMC 149, RSC 398
NGC VG, scratches.
2020 May 27-28 Wednesday & Thursday World & Ancient Coins Weekly Online Auction #232022 Lot 64156

 

Thanks @DonnaML . I originally thought that "cistophoric" meant it had a basket of snakes (the name was tied to the symbol - sort of like "campgate" or "fallen horsemen"). I now realize that it started with the symbol, but evolved to a denomination.

This has been a very educational thread for me, and I appreciate all of your help!

 

MARCUS ANTONIUS
Ionia Silver Cistophoric Tetradrachm
OBVERSE: M ANTONIVS IMP COS DESIG ITER ET TERT, head of Antony right, wreathed in ivy, lituus below, all within wreath of ivy and grapes
REVERSE: III VIR R P C, bust of Octavia right on cista flanked by snakes
Ephesus 39 BC
11.8gm, 26mm
RPC I 2201, Sydenham 1197, Sear 262

 

Here's my contribution to the snake basket.

 

CISTOPHORUS


Mysia, Pergamum (Pergamon) 85-76 BC
Cista Mystica or Cistophoric Tetradrachm
AR Tetradrachm 12.46 x 26 mm (tariffed at 3 Denarii)
Obverse: Cista mystica with serpent; all within oak / ivy wreath
Reverse: bow-case with serpents, PRE monogram to left, KP / PRY monogram above, serpent-staff right.
Ref: Kleiner 36

 

I remember reading in "The Hellenistic World: Using Coins as Sources" by Peter Thonemann that the cistophoric was introduced by Pergamon to keep control of their silver by closing or limiting the circulation zone. Outside the Pergamene kingdom the coin lost it value as in Pergamon it was worth 4 drachms, but outside the kingdom only 3 (attic) drachms, so the silver would always stay within Pergamon. It is also most likely that the weight is based on the Rhodian standard and that it could circulate within the Rhodian-Pergamene territory, which was vast at that time because these two city states were supporters of Rome and gained quite some territory of them after the Treaty of Apamea.

The Pergamene royal currency in Attic standard also stopped during this time, but the king promoted the civic tetradrachms within his territory, these were struck in Attic weight and was used by the king for example to support the pretender Alexander I Balas (there are quite some hoards in Syria with uncirculated civic tetradrachms from Asia Minor).

 

@Pavlos
That's very, very good book you have quoted although Peter Thonemann is not a fan of the New Styles! ( see chapter 7)

So is "Attalid Asia Minor" also Thoneman et al.

 

and you get Cistophoric tetradrachm overtruck on Cistophorus

Obv:- HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS P P, Bare-headed, draped bust right
Rev:- COS III, Minerva, helmeted, standing l., holding patera and spear; at her side, shield.
References:- Cohen 294. BMC 1071. RIC 503. Metclaf 395.
Minted in uncertain mint in Asia circa A.D. 138

Appears to be overstruck on a Mark Antony and Octavia AR Cistophorus. The remains of the legend M • ANTONIVS • IMP • COS • DESIG • ITER • ET TERT can be seen on the reverse with the M starting at 9 o'clock.

 

You people are to smart for me nice post with a lot of nice coins and their description. Thanks

 

...Are you one of those guys ffrom the Ozarks? Can't remember for sure, but your handle's familiar....

 

Too bad! Good story....

 

...Aaaaaaw, What a Shame. Serious condolences. Cool that you can still make it out, though.

 

Could one of our Greek scholars comment on the last part of the word -phoric? Phoros, means 'tribute' in uses I have seen but we use it like it means 'bearing'. What is the root word? I last studied Greek in 1968 and 99% of it has slipped a bit.

 

Me too. Family there, grew up a lot there.

 

Beautiful country, minus the entomological wildlife....

 

LOL, yeah, bugs can be a pain in the "posterior maximus". Spent many years in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida... lotsa bugs, too.

 

...Still arguably preferable to the more endemically urban kind?

 

I am NOT an Urbanite. Let the Sheep live in the Cities.