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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 8234170, member: 19463&quot;]While that is correct, it becomes frustrating when we post and are ignored.&nbsp; I apologize for showing silver answers when the question asked for copper.&nbsp; There are Sicilian Greek AE with dots which we interpret using Greek names like I showed for silver before the third century. I glossed over the metal requirement in the question.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1448135[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1448140[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1448141[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1448142[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The earliest AE that comes to mind might be the Akragas &#039;tooth&#039; coins which some of you will deny to be coins since they are not round or early since they are not date marked. </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1448136[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>While the above trias is the one seen commonly, I can&#039;t pass up the opportunity to show my bit more unusual two dot Akragas hexas which I really do not know whether it predates the silver one from Syracuse.&nbsp; </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1448139[/ATTACH] </p><p>Dating all this material is often shown using large ranges or centuries and involves varying degrees of evidence versus guessing on the part of those who study them. Can I prove the Greek AE predated the Roman series?&nbsp; You can each research it if you wish but all this &#039;who was first&#039; business reminds me of the US and Soviet claims of the 1950&#039;s and even the &#039;discovery&#039; of America by Columbus who was greeted by people who did not know they were unknown. For me, my oldest is Akragas but I really have no idea where they got the idea of using dots unless it was from the silver.&nbsp; That brings up the question of whether just having dots is enough to be called &#039;denomination marked&#039; and just what was meant by any given dot.&nbsp; For example, is this Sybaris silver fraction from the sixth century and does it show denomination dots or just decorative ones?&nbsp; Some here may have an opinion.&nbsp; If denomination, where did Sybaris get the idea?&nbsp; </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1448143[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Did you know that Sybaris before 500BC had a patent law protecting new dishes by cooks?&nbsp; Don&#039;t quote me.&nbsp; I have read this but do not know on what evidence that claim is based.&nbsp; Did they invent the concept of intellectual property or did they appropriate it from someone earlier of whom we remain ignorant?&nbsp; Which caveman first cooked his meat? Did he expect all the others to keep eating theirs raw? The study of history, and perhaps the study of anything, is a journey not a destination.&nbsp; About the time you think you &#039;know&#039; something, the answer changes. Are we all actually entitled to our own set of &#039;facts&#039;?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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