I was researching this coin and found this article about The Last Roman Colonies Elevated under Philip I: Numismatic Perspective at https://www.uni-muenster.de/Ejournals/index.php/ozean/article/view/5054/5139 The author says that the mintmark of Damascus was a ram’s head or a leaping ram, so I'm wondering why is there a leaping ram on a coin of Antioch on the Orontes. Was a ram used to represent something else? Decassarion Antiochia ad Orontem 247 – 249 AD, 2nd issue 27 x 29 mm, 15.100 g, 1h RPC VIII (Unassigned number) ID 7515; McAlee 980; CRS 498a; SNG Copenhagen 272; McClean 9407; BMC Galatia, 528; SGI 3959 Ob.: ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΛΙ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟϹ ϹЄΒ laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip I to right Rev.: ΑΝΤΙΟΧƐΩΝ ΜΗΤΡΟ ΚΟΛΩN turreted, draped and veiled bust of Tyche of Antiochia to r.; above, ram leaping right; star below Tyche. Δ-Є across upper fields, S-C across lower fields. The coin is much darker, I used more light to see better the details Please share anything you deem relevant
Here is my coin from the same mint: Province, City - Reign: Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch - Philip I Denomination: AE 31 Mint: Antioch (247 – 249 AD) Issue 2 Size: 31.0 mm Weight: 14.54 g Obverse: ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΛI ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟϹ ϹƐΒ Laureate head of Philip I, right, with drapery on left shoulder; (mint error double struck rotated 180 degrees) Reverse: ΑΝΤΙΟΧƐΩΝ ΜΗΤΡΟ ΚOΛΩN Turreted, veiled, and draped bust of Tyche, ram leaping to right with head to left; above, Δ-Ɛ, S-C across fields; star below; (mint error double struck rotated 180 degrees) References: SNG France 777; CRS 498 (a); McAlee 988-989; RPC VIII Online, 7584
@-monolith- Very nice and interesting double struck; did you see the note at RPC VIII Online 7584: "McAlee 989 lacks the star on the reverse"?
There is something funny with these Philip I bronze coins : they are extremely common, and some of them have mirror-reverses : the head of Tyche is turned left and the whole legend is retrograde. I think it only happened in Antioch under Philip the Arab. (not my coin)
PHILIP I AE30 OBVERSE: AVTOK K M IOVLI FILIPPOC CEB, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right REVERSE: ANTIOCEWN MHTRO KOLWN D-E S-C, turreted & draped bust of Tyche right, ram leaping right above, star beneath Struck at Antioch, 244-249 AD 30mm, 14g BMC 528
The ram might be an allusion to the constellation Aries. See earlier Antioch coins, like this autonomous issue under Augustus with Zeus on obverse and a ram with a star.
