Greek Coins Acquired by The British Museum, 1911-1912 / (G.F. Hill)

/';-=09 )(8* =-0/']
This content downloaded from 83.85.130.64 on Mon, 30 Jun 2014 05:04:38 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
X.
GREEK COINS
ACQUIRED
BY THE BRITISH
MUSEUM,
1911-1912.
(See
Plates
XII., XIII.)
From the
present
article on Greek coins
recently
acquired by
the British
Museum,
I have omitted those
which are about to be
published,
sooner or
later,
in
forthcoming
volumes of the
Catalogue.
As it is the
practice
of the
Department
of Coins in its
purchases
to devote
special
attention to such fields as are not
covered
by
the
already published
volumes of the Cata-
logue,
this limitation means that some of the more
interesting acquisitions
of the
years
1911 and 1912 do
not
appear
in these
pages.
I have included no coins of
Palestine,
the volume
dealing
with which is now in the
press,
or of
Cyrenaica,
of which the
catalogue may
be
expected
from Mr. E. S. Gr. Robinson in a few
years,
or
of the Macedonian
kings,
of whose coins
large
numbers
have been
recently acquired.1
1
In this connexion I
may
mention
especially
the
generous gifts
of
thirty gold
staters of
Philip
II and Alexander
by
Mrs. E. E.
Deacon,
and of
fifty
silver tetradrachms of Alexander III from the Damanhur
hoard
by
Mr. E. T. Newell.
VOL.
XIII.,
SERIES IV.
T
258 NUMISMATIC CHRONICLE.
POPULONIA EtRURIAE.
Obv.
-
Beardless head
r.,
with short
curly hair;
tore
round
neck; behind,
XXV. Plain linear border.
Rev.
-
Plain.
jV. 11 mm. Wt. 21*0
grs. (1*36 grms.).
[PL
XII.
1.]
This
specimen
of a rare coin2 is said to have come
from
Populonia.
Capua.
Obv .
-
Head of Zeus
r., laureate; below,
four
pellets;
border of dots.
Rev.
-
Winged
thunderbolt
;
four
pellets ;
border of dots.
-E. 33 mm. 7* Wt. 353*0
grs. (22*90 grms.).
[Pl.
XII.
2.]
From the Pro we Sale
(Egger,
2,
v.
1912),
lot 47.
Thurium.
Obv.
-
Head of
Apollo r., laureate,
with
long
hair.
Rev.
-
[0]OYPI1N
(in exergue).
Bull
butting
r.
; above,
Ml.
M. 21 mm.
^
Wt. 88*7
grs. (5*75 grms.).
[Pl.
XII.
3.]
From the
Egger Sale,
xxxix.
(15,
i.
1912),
lot 56.
This coin is
apparently
from the same dies as another
specimen
also
recently
sold at Vienna
(Egger,
xli.,
18,
xi.
1912,
lot
74).
It
belongs
to the
period
of
reduced
weight,
after 281
b.c.,3
but the
style
of the
Apollo
head is
unusually
fine for the
time,
as
may
be
seen
by comparing
it with the careless work of other
2
A.
Sambon,
Monn. Ant.
Italie, p. 38,
No. 4.
3
Cp. Evans,
Horsemen
of
Tarentum
, p.
228.
GREEK COINS
ACQUIRED
BY THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 259
specimens,
such as that
previously
in the British
Museum.4
Caulonia.
Obv.
-
Nude
Apollo moving rapidly
to r.
(holding,
as
usual,
branch in
r.,
small
winged figure
in
].)
;
in field r.
stag
on
pedestal ;
1. bull's head
facing,
surrounded
by
olive
(?)
branches,
which
appear
to
spring
from a stem.
Bev.
-
KA AT AM
Stag
r
;
fillet border.
M. 19*5 mm. Wt. 102*6
grs. (6*65 grms.).
[Pl.
XII.
4.]
The tree with branches
framing
the bull's head on the
obverse is not noticed
by
Garrucci,
who
publishes
a
similar
specimen,
PI. cxi. 19. On most Cauloniate
coins
Apollo's position
is that of
standing
or at the most
striding
: here both knees are
slightly
bent as on
B. M.
C.,
No. 25.
Segesta.
Obv.
-
ZETEZTAIIB
(in exergue). Quadriga moving
slowly
to
r.,
driven
by
female
figure
;
the four
horses indicated
by doubling
the outlines of the
legs
of a
pair ;
the driver holds in her raised r.
a bunch of three ears of corn.
Bev.
-
ETEZTAI
(on
1.
upwards)
ON
(on
r.
downwards).
Nude hunter
standing
r. with two
dogs (usual
type,
the
ithyphallic
herm off the
flan).
M. 28*5 mm. <- Wt. 253*5
grs. (16*43
grms.). [Pl.
XII.
5.]
This coin
belongs
to the rare earliest class of the
Segestan
tetradrachms,
placed by
Lederer5 between
4
Head, Guide,
V. C. 18.
5
Die
Tetradrachmenprgung
von
Segesta (1910), pp.
18 f.
T 2
454-53 and 426
(?).
The obverse is
apparently
from
the same die as his No.
3,
and shows that the
inscription
should be read as
given
above,
and not without the last
two letters.
Selinus.
Obv .
-
Leaf of wild
celery.
Rev.
-
Incuse
square
divided into
eight triangles by
lines
crossing
in the centre.
M. 23 mm. Wt. 135*3
grs. (8*77 grins.).
[Pl.
XII.
6.]
This didrachm is said to have come from a small
hoard found in Malta. The
rendering
of the leaf is
unusual,
and does not show the
feathery appearance
which is found on other
specimens,
nor is the division
between the three lobes carried out
distinctly.
But
there seems to be no reason to doubt the
genuineness
of
the coin.
Syracuse.
The fine
specimen
of the well-known medallion illus-
trated on Pl. XII.
7,
was
generously presented
to the
Museum
by
Mr.
Henry
Van den
Bergh, through
the
National Art Collections Fund. It was
purchased
at
Vienna,
at
Egger's
sale of the
Fenerly Bey,
&c.,
Collections.6
The fact that at least five
7
specimens
of this
medallion,
struck after the fracture of the obverse
die, exist,
shows
that the
Syracusans
were not offended
by
the
appearance
6
Kaial. xli. lot 152.
7
(1)
"Late
Collector," Sotheby, May, 1900,
lot
153;
(2, 3) Hirsch,
Katal. xxxii. lots
316,
317
;
(4)
the Paris
specimen,
Rev.
Num., 1913,
PI. i.
174; (5)
the coin here illustrated.
GREEK COINS
ACQUIRED
produced by
the fracture. To a modern
eye
also,
accustomed to the work of
Bodin,
the
suggestion
of a
mass of
rock,
out of which the head
rises,
is
distinctly
attractive.
The reverse die from which this medallion was struck
was also used for the
following pieces
:
-
1-4. The four mentioned above from the same broken
obverse die.
5-6. The Paris medallion and that from the Santa
Maria hoard
published by
Sir Arthur Evans.8
7. The
specimen
in the British
Museum, Sicily
,
No. 204.
8.
Hirsch,
Katalog
xxxii. lot 313.
9. Du
Ohastel,
PI.
xvi.,
No. 143.
Its
peculiarity
lies in the double
signature,
KIMON, on
the
upper edge
of the
exergual
line
(of
which
practically
i'i
no traces survive on most
specimens),
and
M
in the
field below the reins. The die is otherwise
easily
identi-
fied
by
two flaws : a small one between the sixth and
seventh hooves
(counting
from the
left),
and a crack
proceeding
downwards from the
exergual
line
just
below
the near wheel of the chariot.9
Of the five
pieces
from the same broken obverse
die,
the Paris
specimen (No.
4 in the above
list)
seems to be
the
earliest;
nearly
the whole of the
dolphin
behind
8
Syracusan
"
Medallions
," p. 200,
and PI. ii.
fig.
1.
J
The writer or the text o te
"
(Jhoix de Monnaies
grecques
du
Cabinet de
France,"
now
appearing
in the Revue
Numismatique (1913,
pp.
12
f.),
states that his No. 173 is from the same reverse die as his
No.
174,
which is from the fractured obverse die. In his
illustration,
however,
I can see no trace of the characteristic flaw between the
horses'
hooves,
and the flaw in the
exergue
seems to differ from that
on the nine other coins.
Indeed,
the reverse die of Paris 173 seems
to be the same as that which was used for No. 202 in the British
Museum
;
both coins are also from the same obverse die.
Arethusa's head is still clear of the
flaw,
which
is,
how-
ever,
running
into her back hair. Then comes the
Hirsch
specimen (No. 2) ;
the flaw has
spread
consider-
ably,
but the
dolphin
is still
discernible,
and would be
plainer
if it were not
partly
off the flan. Between the
three other
specimens
there is little to choose. It would
be
interesting
to find a medallion struck from this
obverse die before the fracture
began,
if indeed it did
not break at the outset.
Acanthus.
Obv .
-
Lion
r.,
bringing
down bull 1.
;
dotted
exergual
line
;
border of dots.
Rev.
-
Mill-sail incuse
square.
-31. 22*5 mm. Wt. 256%5
grs. (16-62 grms.).
[Pl.
XII.
8.]
From the Taranto hoard
(Rev.
Num
., 1912, p. 13,
No.
27,
PI. ii.
7).
The
greater part
of the
exergue being
off the
flan,
it
is not
possible
to
say
whether it contained the acanthus-
flower. The coin differs from the
ordinary early
Acanthian series in
fabric,
being dumpy,
instead of flat.
Mr. Robinson also
points
out to me the difference in the
treatment of the
bull,
as seen in the skin of the
neck,
which is rendered in
parallel
folds,
and not in three
rows of curls as on
nearly
all the other Acanthian
tetradrachms. In
fact,
in this
respect
it
approaches
some of the Thraco-Macedonian coins
(e.g.
Head,
Guide
,
PI.
5,
Nos.
15,
17),
&c. M. Babelon
places
the
piece
at
the head of the Acanthian
series,
and that
certainly
seems to be the
only place
for it.
GREEK COINS
ACQUIRED
Thessaly.
From a hoard
recently
(iiscovered
near Larissa the
Museum
acquired
75 double-victoriates and drachms of
the Thessalian
League. Among
the double-victoriates
are the
following
on which the
magistrates'
names
may
be recorded as of interest :
-
Obv.
-
Head of Zeus. Rev.
-
Fighting
Athena.
ZQZinATPOY
[A]AKETHZ
AAEZin[nOZ]
H PA NIKAT1P
AYKO(f>ANTOZ
(?)
AM YNANAPOY
AIKAIOZ ONAZIMBPOTOZ
[EJYKOAOZ
ANTirONOZ
KPATEPOtf>PONOZ
AMYNANAPOZ
KPATinnOY NI
inriAITAZ nAYZANIAZ NI
MENEAHMOZ <|>EPEKPATHZ NEQTEPOZ
ZnZIBIOY ZIMY
Damastium.
Obv.
-
Head of
Apollo
r.
laureate,
with
long
hair.
Rev.
-
Tripod
with lion's feet on basis
;
on
1.,
dagger,
blade
upwards
;
on
basis,
H PA KA
;
on r.
upwards,
E I
AO;
on 1.
upwards,
KH
M. 27 mm.
^
Wt. 198*7
grs. (12*88 grms.).
[Pl.
XII.
9.]
From the Prowe Sale
(lot 841).
For this
variety
of the
coinage
of
Damastium,
which
is without the
ethnic,
see
Imhoof-Blumer,
Z.
f.
N.,
i.
p.
110. The
magistrate's
name KH
(for Kr/^ao^wvro)10
fixes it to Damastium rather than
Pelagia.
10
/. N.,
xxi.
p.
258.
Corinth.
Obv.
-
Pegasus flying
1.
; below, ?
Rev.
-
Head of Athena r. in Corinthian helmet
; behind,
ivy-leaf.
7R. 22 mm.
f
Wt. 131*6
grs. (8*53 grms.).
[Pl.
XII.
10.]
In addition to this the two staters from the
Egger
Sale,
xxxix.
(1912),
lots
289, 290,
are now in the British
Museum
(symbols,
vine -leaf and
aphlaston).
The
former, however,
has no ?
, and,
as Mr. Robinson
points
out to
me,
is
probably
Sicilian
[Pl.
XII.
11].
Obv.
-
MAVRANT ONINVCAVG
(sic).
Bust of M. Aurelius
r.
laureate,
wearing paludamentum
and cuirass
;
border of dots.
Rev.
-
CLI COR Palaemon on
dolphin
to r.
;
border of
dots.
JE. 25 mm. <-Wt. 163*3
grs. (10*58 grms.).
[Pl.
XII.
12.]
From the Prowe
Sale,
lot 1052.
The mistake in the
emperor's
name,
which is doubt-
less due to the
engraver being
a
Greek,
occurs on other
coins,
e.g.
B . M. G . :
Corinth,
Nos. 613 and 616
(where,
however,
it has
escaped notice).
The obverse die of
these two is the
same,
but differs from that of the new
coin.
Obv- PLAVTI LLA AVGVSTA Bust of Plautilla r.
;
border
of dots.
Rev.
-
CLI COR Artemis huntress
r.,
in
temple
with
four columns and central arch
;
on either side a
slender leafless
tree,
its branches
overshadowing
the
temple ;
border of dots.
JEi. 23*5 mm. <- Wt. 70*7
grs. (4*58 grms.).
[Pl.
XII.
11.]
From the same
collection,
lot
1053.
GREEK COINS
ACQUIRED
This
appears
to be the identical coin
figured
in Imhoof
and Gardner's Numismatic
Commentary
,
Pl. D. lxviii.
Nicaea.
Obv. OYHMA ZIME1NO C AV Bust of Maximinus r.
,
laureate,
wearing paludamentum
and cuirass.
Bev.
-
NI KAI
[EQ]N Nicaea, wearing
turreted
crown,
standing r., holding
in r.
kantharos, resting
with 1. on filleted
thyrsos.
In
countermark,
figure
of Nike
r., holding
wreath.
M. 26 mm.
^
Wt. 118*3
grs. (7*67 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
1.]
From the Leitner
Sale, 1911,
lot 85.
The Recueil
gives
no instance of this
type
under Maxi-
minus or Maximus. The staff on which the
goddess
rests is meant for a
thyrsos, although
its head is
hardly
visible.
Obv. IBT AAAOCAVI
(sic)
Bust of Trebonianus
Gallus
r., radiate, wearing paludamentum
and
cuirass.
Bev.
-
NIKA
-
Hades-Sarapis
seated
1.,
1.
resting
on
sceptre,
extended r.
pouring
wine from
phiale (?)
;
at his
feet,
Kerberos.
iE. 24 mm. <- Wt. 99*2
grs. (6*43 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
2.]
From the Leitner
Sale,
ibid.
Obv.
-
nOYAIKOYAAEPIANOCAY Bust of Valerian
r.,
radiate, wearing paludamentum
and cuirass.
Bev.
-
AlONCYCOC ?]N
I
KAIEU[N] Dionysos, nude,
standing 1., holding
kantharos in
r., resting
with 1. on filleted
thyrsos.
In oval counter-
mark,
head of an
emperor
r.
M. 25 mm.
f
Wt. 112*4
grs. (7*28 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
3.]
From the Leitner
Sale,
ibid .
Obv.
-
nOYAIOYAAEPIANOCCE Bust of Valerian
r.,
radiate, wearing paludamento
m and cuirass.
Rev.
-
NIKA I EON
Athena, helmeted,
standing 1.,
hold-
ing
Nike in
r.,
shield and
spear
in 1.
JE. 23 mm.
^
Wt. 89*9
grs. (5*83 grms.).
[PL
XIII.
5.]
From the Leitner
Sale,
ibid .
Obv.
-
rnOVBAIKETNrAAAHNOCAVr Bust of Gallienus
r., radiate, wearing paludamentum
and cuirass.
Rev.
-
NI KA I EON Demeter
(?)
seated
1.,
resting
with
1. on knotted
sceptre
or
torch,
holding
in ex-
tended r. ears of corn.
M. 26 mm.
^
Wt. 146*6
grs. (9*50 grms.).
Countermarked x on obv.
[PL
XIII.
6.]
JE. 25 mm.
f
Wt. 108
grs. (7*00 grms.).
From same dies as
preceding.
Both from the
Leitner
Sale,
ibid.
Compare
the
standing type,
Recueil
,
Pl. lxxxvii. 27.
Obv.
-
nOAIErNTAAAHNOCAYr Bust
'
of Gallienus
r.,
radiate, wearing paludamentum
and cuirass.
In
countermark,
I
Rev.
-
NIKA I EU N Nicaea
standing
to
front,
holding
in each hand extended a
prize
crown,
and wear-
ing
another on her head.
JE. 24 mm.
^
Wt. 128*7
grs. (8*34 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
7.]
From the Leitner
Sale,
ibid.
This reverse
appears
to be from the same die as
that of the coin of Y
alerian,
Recueil
,
Pl. lxxxvii. 6.
On the
type,
see Imhoof -Blumer in Nomisma
,
v.
p.
42
;
vi.
p.
2.
Obv.
-
KOPNCAA[Q]NINACEB
Bust of Salonina r.
Rev.
-
NI[KA]I
IAIN Table with curved
legs, supporting
three
prize
crowns,
the centre one
piled up
with
six
balls,
the others
containing palm-branches ;
below the table riYGIA
|
CEYHPI
|
A
|
ATOY CIA
In
countermark,
head of an
Emperor
r.
JE. 25 mm.
^
Wt. 88*8
grs. (5*75 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
4.]
From the Leitner
Sale,
ibid.
This reverse is from the same die as those of
GREEK COINS
ACQUIRED
the two coins of Grallienus and
Salonina, Recueil,
852 and 863. ATOYCIA
(for AYrOYCTIA)
should
therefore be added to the
legend
of the former,
and TIY0IA to that of the latter.
Cyzicus.
Obv.- AVKAIMAVPCeVHPOCANTONINOCC Bust of
Caracalla
r.,
with short
beard, wearing palu-
d amentum and cuirass.
Rev.
-
CTPANOYM IZQIAOV and in
exergue
KV2IKHNQN
I
NEOKOPQN
Imperial galley
to
1.,
with
double
ram,
keleustes and rowers
;
on the
prow
is an uncertain
object resembling
an altar
;
on
the
poop,
two standards and
sty
lis
(?).
M. 35 mm.
fWt.
310*0
grs. (20*09 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
8.]
From the Leitner
Sale,
ibid.
Babelon
11
and Kubitschek
12
have discussed the
signi-
ficance of the
representation
of the
imperial galley
on a
Cyzicene
"
medallion
"
of Commodus
;
the
type appears
to be connected with a visit of the
imperial family
to
Cyzicus
in summer 175. Similar
types
occur on other
coins of
Caracalla,13
and the
galley
with standards
is,
indeed,
a common
Cyzicene type
;
but whether it
always
refers to an individual visit of an
emperor
or a
governor
is a
question
that
requires
further consideration. Cara-
calla,
as Hasluck has
remarked,14
may
well have visited
Cyzicus
in 214 A.D.
n
Rev.
Num., 1891, pp.
27 ff.
12
Num.
Zeit., 1911, p.
15.
13
Mionnet, Supp.,
v.
p. 340,
Nos. 377-379.
14
Cyzicus, p.
189.
Uncertain of Ionia.
Obv.
-
Sphinx
with curled
wing
seated
JL,
r.
foreleg
raised.
Bev.
-
Gorgoneion
in
deep
incuse
square;
outside the
square, below,
a small
rectangular
incuse im-
pression.
JR. 14*5 mm. ^ Wt. 49*1
grs. (3*18 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
9.]
This was
purchased
at
Smyrna,
and is
clearly
Ionian
in
style.
The
Gorgoneion
is not dissimilar from that
which is found on the later silver coins attributed to
Clazomenae.15 The
sphinx,
of
course,
suggests
Chios,
although
the Chian
sphinx
seldom raises its
foreleg.16
The
weight
of the coin
may
be a "Phoenician" or a
Chian or a Samian drachm
;
17
its date
may
be
placed
in
the first
quarter
of the fifth
century.
Ephesus.
The
following magistrates'
names,
occurring
on
Ephesian
tetradrachms of the
period
394-301
(accord-
ing
to Head's
dating) acquired by
the Museum since
the
publication
of the
Catalogue of
Ionia
,
may
be noted
as either
unpublished
or
confirming previous readings
:
-
(1)
Bee with curved
wings
:
BAOKIAEV
4>flKYA
(apparently
struck over another
name
ending
in PI M
15
B. M. 0. : Ionia
, p. 14,
Nos.
15, 16,
Pl. vi.
4,
5.
16
An
exception
is the electrum coin in
Babelon,
Trait
,
iii. PI. viii. 9.
For
sphinxes
with the
foreleg
raised
cp.
the sme
book,
PI. xxviii. 11-13
(the
last is
surely Lycian).
17
B. M. C. : Ionia
, p.
xxxvii f.
GREEK COINS ACQUIRED
(2)
Bee with
straight wings
:
AIOTIMIAAZ(cp.
Wadd., 1518) 4>IAOAEn[Z]
I OBIOZ <t>YAAKOZ
(cp.Wadd., 1542).
Another new
Ephesian magistrate
is APIITONOMOI on
a bronze coin similar to B. M. G
.,
Nos. 58 ff.
Cnidus.
Obv.
-
Lion's head and r.
foreleg
r.
Rev.
-
Female head
r.,
with hair rolled
behind,
in
deep
incuse
square.
M. 0-75 mm.
^
Wt. 6*6
grs. (0*43 grm.).
[Pl.
XIII.
10.]
A
charming
hemiobol of about 400
b.c.,
and
pre-
sumably
to be classed with Nos. 20-23 in the British
Museum
Catalogue (period 412-400),
although
the treat-
ment of the obverse is in some
respects
closer to the
style
of the next
period.
Flaviopolis in Cilicia.
Obv.
-
IOVAIAMAMAIACGB Bust of Mamaea r.
Rev.
-
cj>AAOVIOr~IO
-
O NET and
vertically
in centre
r
of field P The
Dioscuri, nude,
leaning
on
N
spears, joining
hands.
M. 23 mm. X
Wt. 129-2
grs. (8-37 grm.).
[Pl.
XIII.
11.]
The date TNP =
225-6 a.D. occurs on another coin of
Mamaea18 and on coins of Se v. Alexander and Orbiana.19
18
Babelon,
Inv.
Wadd.,
4297.
19
Imhoof-Blumer,
Kleinas. Mnzen ii.
p.
445.
The
type
of the Dioscuri is also found on a coin of
Trajan,20
but there
they
have the crescent
(for Helen)
between them.21
Tarsus.
Obv. AVPANTQNINC Bust of
Elagabalus (?)
r., laureate, undraped.
Rev.
-
TAPCOVTHCM HTPOnOAG Wreath of demi-
ourgos,
within which AH M I
; below,
TB.
JEi. 26*5 mm.
f
Wt. 107*0
grs. (6-93 grms.).
This coin confirms the
reading
of
Waddington,
4643
;
but the features seem to me to resemble
Elagabalus
rather than
Caracalla,
to which
emperor
M. Babelon
assigns
the
Waddington specimen.
Both
Emperors
held
the title of
demiourgos
at Tarsus.22
Caesarea Cappadociae.
A
good specimen
of the bronze coin of Claudius de-
scribed
by
Imhoof
(Monn. grecques, p. 417,
No.
182)
was
acquired
in 1912. In B . M. C. : Cilicia
(p.
31,
No.
4)
this coin was attributed
doubtfully
to
Anazarbus,
in
ignorance
of Imhoof s
previous
attribution to Caesarea.
It is
interesting
now to note that the
newly acquired
coin was
purchased
at Anazarbus itself
by
the
person
who sold it to the British Museum.
20
Babelon,
loc.
cit.,
4284.
21
See B. M. C. :
Lycaonia , &c., p.
cvin note
; cp.
J. H.
8,,
xxxi.
p.
62.
22
B. M. C.:
Lycaonia , c,f p. xcviii; Wroth,
m Num . Chron
1902,
p.
343.
GREEK COINS
ACQUIRED
Antiochus I op Syria.
Obv.
-
Head of Athena
r., wearing
crested Corinthian
helmet,
adorned with coiled
serpent ;
her hair
in formal curls.
Bev.
-
BAZIAEQZ
|
AN TIOXOY Nike
standing 1.,
carrying
wreath and standard
;
in field
1.,
monogram, <
N. 18*5 mm.
f
Wt. 132*8
grs. (8*61 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
12.]
The four
gold
staters of Antiochus I in the British
Museum which bear his
portrait
have the reverse die
inverted as
regards
the obverse.
They
were
probably
struck in the
East,
where that
arrangement
was fashion-
able.23 The
present
stater,
with Alexandrine
types,
has both dies in the same
position.
Whether this
points
to a Western mint I cannot
say.
The
die-posi-
tions of the Alexandrine silver of the same
reign
seem
to follow no fixed rule. Of the tetradrachms in the
British Museum two are
f
,
one
^ ;
of the
drachms,
one
is the other
f ;
and a half-drachm is
Antiochus IV of Syria.
Obv.
-
Head of Zeus Osiris
r.,
laureate
;
the wreath is
decorated in front with the
"
cap
of Osiris
"
(?),24
and its tie is treated like a
diadem,
with one
end
flying behind,
the other
coming
over r.
shoulder
;
border of dots.
Bev .
-
BAZIAEQZ
|
ANTIOXOY on r.
downwards,
EOY
|
EflIOANOVZ on 1. downwards.
Eagle
with
closed
wings standing
r. on thunderbolt.
JE. 36*5 mm.
^
Wt. 574*8
grs. (37*25
grms. ). [Pl.
XIII.
13.]
23
Macdonald,
in Corolla Numismatica
, p.
187.
24
See
Gardner,
B. M. C. : Seleucid
Kings , p.
38.
An
unusually well-preserved
and
patinated specimen
of a well-known coin.
Attempts
have been made to
see in the head of Zeus on the tetradrachms of this
Antiochus a
reproduction
of the features of the
King.
As Babelon
remarks,25
all that can be said is that the
features of the
god
are
intentionally brought
into a
certain resemblance to those of the
King.
On the other
hand,
the not
very
usual treatment of the tie of the
laurel-wreath seems to recall the
regal
diadem.
Seleucus IV of Syria.
Obv.
-
Head of
King r.,
diademed
;
border of dots.
Eev- BAZIAEQZ
|
ZEAE YKOY
Apollo
seated 1. on
omphalos, holding
arrow in
r., resting
1. on bow
;
above and in
exergue,
thunderbolts
;
in field r.
H
;
1.
monogram,
] and laurel-branch.
M
plated. ^
30 mm. Wt. 233*2
grs.
(15-11 grms.). [Pl.
XIII.
14.]
The tetradrachms of Seleucus IV with
Apollo
on the
omphalos
as reverse
type
fall into two
groups
;
in the
one,
the
king's
diadem falls
straight,
and the border is
of dots
(.
B . M. 0. : Seleucid
Kings
,
p.
31,
Nos.
1, 2) ;
in the
other,
one of the ties of the diadem flies backward and
upward,
while the other comes forward over the
right
shoulder,
and the border is a fillet. In the former
class there is
usually
a
symbol
behind the head
-
a
wreath on B. M.
C.,
Nos.
1, 2,
and on the
Bunbury
specimen26
now in the British
Museum,
and
perhaps
also on at least one of the Paris
specimens.27
In
regard
25
Bois de
Syrie , p.
xcvi.
26
Sale Catal.
,
ii. lot 484.
27
Babelon,
Bois de
Syrie , p. 62,
No.
475, pl.
xi. 14 : in the illustration
I see traces of
something
behind the head.
GREEK COINS
ACQUIRED
to the diadem and border the
present
coin
belongs
to
the former
class,
but it has no
symbol
on the obverse
;
for
this, however,
compensation
is made on the reverse
by
the
duplicated
thunderbolt and the laurel-branch.
So, too,
on the coins of the second
class,
since there is
no room for a
symbol
on the
obverse,
two
(wreath
and
palm-branch)
are
put together
on the reverse. This
coin seems to be transitional between the two classes.
A few
days
after the above was
written,
I was shown
in a
private
collection formed in Persia a tetradrachm
of Seleucus
IV,
with an obverse of the more usual
kind,
and a reverse
exactly
similar to the
present
one. But
the coin was
distinctly suspect, being
either struck from
false dies
(of
which the reverse
may
have been made
from one similar to our
own)
or else a
very
fine cast.
Armenia : Artavasdes III
(?).
Obv.
-
Bust of
King r., wearing
Armenian
tiara,
adorned
with a
globe
between two
eagles ; behind,
a
small Nike
flying
holds out a wreath to crown
him.
Rev.
-
BAZ
-
above,
METAAoY downwards on
1.,
[APT]AIAAo[Y]
below. On
r.,
the
King,
wear-
ing
trousers, standing 1., resting
with 1. on
sceptre, extending
r. to
city-goddess,
who kneels
before him
;
in the field between
them,
M
M. 17 mm.
f
Wt. 47*3
grs. (3*06 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
15.]
The
profile
of the
portrait
on this coin is unfortu-
nately
lost,
so that it is
impossible
to
compare
it with
the
portraits
on coins attributed to Artavasdes I and
III
;
but the
legend corresponds
to that on the silver
denarius28 of the latter
king (l being
a mere blunder
28
B. M. C. :
Galatia, dc.,
PL xiv. 3.
VOL.
XIII.,
SERIES IV. U
for Y in the
King's name).
At the same time it is not
impossible
that the coin
may
have been struck
by
his
father,
Artavasdes
II,29
the
opponent
of
Tigranes
III.
The reverse
type
is a modification of one used
by
the
Parthian
kings
in the first
century
B.c.
; thus,
on coins
of Orodes I the
city-goddess
kneels before the seated
king,30
and the same
type
occurs under Phraates IV.31
Our coin is too
badly
executed for us to see whether the
goddess
holds
anything
in her hands.
Hispano-Carthaginian.
Obv.
-
Head of Heracles
1., laureate,
with
curly
beard
;
large
club over r. shoulder
;
border of dots.
Rev.
-
Elephant walking r.,
driven with a hooked
goad
by
a rider who wears a
long
cloak
;
border of
dots.
M. 26 mm.
^Wt.
227*4
grs. (14*74 grms.).
[Pl.
XIII.
16.]
This coin
belongs
to the
important
series of coins
issued
by
the Barcids in
Spain (doubtless
from the mint
at
Carthago-Nova)
to which due attention was first
called in
1863,
in connexion with the find of Mazarron.32
Two
specimens
from that find
weighed
14*83 and 14*75
grammes respectively.
Ours was found in 1910 at
Mogente,33
in the
province
of Valencia. The denomina-
29
It was to this
king
that Gardner attributed the silver denarius
just
mentioned.
30
B. M. C. : Parthia
, p. 72,
Nos.
30, 31,
Pl. xiv.
10,
11.
31
Ibid., ? 101,
No.
11,
Pl. xix. 1.
32
Zobel de
Zangroniz,
in Monatsber. der 7c. Akad. der
Wiss.,
1863
(June), pp.
248 ff.
; cp.
Memorial Numismatico
Espaol,
iv.
pp.
160
f.,
177 f.
33
See Boletin de la B. Acad, de la Historia
, June,
1910.
GREEK COINS
ACQUIRED
tion is the
tetradrachm,
two-thirds of the hexadrachm
or
largest
coin of the
series, which,
according
to
Hultsch,
weighs normally
23*39
grammes ;
34
the normal
weight
of
these coins should therefore be 15*59
grammes.
34
See
Hultsch, Metrologie 2, p.
425.
Gr. F. Hill.
u 2
BRITISH
MUSEUM,
GREEK
ACQUISITIONS,
1911-12
Num. Chron. Ser. IV. Vol. XIII. Pl. XII
BRITISH
MUSEUM,
GREEK ACQUISITIONS,
1911-12
Num. Chron. Ser. IV. Vol. XIII. Pl. XIII

Greek Coins Acquired by The British Museum, 1911-1912 / (G.F. Hill)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Greek Coins Acquired by The British Museum, 1911-1912 / (G.F. Hill)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

/';-=09 )(8* =-0/']

This content downloaded from 83.85.130.64 on Mon, 30 Jun 2014 05:04:38 AM

You might also like