A wonderful and remarkably rare complete set of Umayyad Reform Coinage Gold Dinars, excluding only the AH 77 Dinar (sold separately as lot 894), struck between the years AH 78 and AH 132. All are anonymous (but attributed to the time of the appropriate ruling Caliph) and without mintname, but they were almost certainly struck at the seat of the caliphate in Damascus. ‘Abd al-Malik AH 78. 4.28g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 79. 4.28g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 80. 4.28g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 81. 4.26g. Near Mint State. AH 82. 4.20g. Good Very Fine. AH 83. 4.23g. Extremely Fine. AH 84. 4.23g. Extremely Fine. Some deposits. AH 85. 4.25g. Good Very Fine. ‘Abd al-Malik or al-Walid I AH 86. 4.27g. Near Mint State. al-Walid I b. Abd al-Malik AH 87. 4.35g. Near Mint State. AH 88. 4.23g. Good Very Fine. AH 89. 4.23g. Mint State. AH 90. 4.28g. Near Mint State. AH 91. 4.26g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 92. 4.28g. Mint State. AH 93. 4.26g. Near Mint State. AH 94. 4.25g. Near Mint State. AH 95. 4.21g. Good Very Fine. al-Walid I or Sulayman AH 96. 4.25g. Good Extremely Fine. Sulayman b. ‘Abd al-Malik AH 97. 4.25g. Near Mint State. AH 98. 4.26g. Extremely Fine. Some minor deposits. Sulayman or ‘Umar II AH 99. 4.23g. Near Mint State. ‘Umar II b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz AH 100. 4.25g. Extremely Fine. Umar or Yazid II AH 101. 4.28g. Good Extremely Fine. Yazid II b. ‘Abd al-Malik AH 102. 4.27g. Extremely Fine. AH 103. 4.25g. Extremely Fine. AH 104. 4.27g. Mint State.- Yazid II or Hisham AH 105. 4.26g. Extremely Fine. Hisham b. ‘Abd al-Malik AH 106. 4.25g. Mint State. AH 107. 4.23g. Extremely Fine. AH 108. 4.25g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 109. 4.25g. Near Mint State. AH 110. 4.21g. Extremely Fine. AH 111. 4.25g. Near Mint State. AH 112. 4.27g. Near Mint State. AH 113. 4.25g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 114. 4.27g. Near Mint State. AH 115. 4.23g. Good Very Fine. AH 116. 4.22g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 117. 4.26g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 118. 4.24g. Good Very Fine. AH 119. 4.24g. Good Very Fine. AH 120. 4.27g. Near Extremely Fine. Some deposts. AH 121. 4.25g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 122. 4.23g. Good Extremely Fine. AH 123. 4.22g. Good Very Fine. AH 124. 4.25g. Extremely Fine. Hisham or al-Walid II AH 125. 4.26g. Near Mint State. al-Walid II or Yazid III or Ibrahim AH 126. 4.26g. Near Mint State. Ibrahim or Marwan II AH 127. 4.25g. Good Extremely Fine. Marwan II b. Muhammad AH 128. 4.24g. Extremely Fine. AH 129. 4.25g. Extremely Fine. AH 130. 4.26g. Good Very Fine. AH 131. 4.25g. Near Mint State. Some minor deposits. AH 132. 4.27g. Near Mint State.
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Indo-Greek Kingdom, Hermaios Soter, with Kalliope, AR Tetradrachm. Circa 105-90 BC. BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ EPMAIOY KAI KAΛΛIOΠHΣ, conjoined busts of Hermaios and Kalliope, both diademed and draped right / ‘Maharajasa tratarasa Hiramayasa Kaliyapaya’ in Kharosthi, Hermaios, in military attire, on horse rearing right, bow in bow case and spear attached to saddle; monogram to lower right. Mitchiner 407a; Bopearachchi 1B; SNG ANS 1317-1318. 9.66g, 28mm, 11h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare.
Philip I AR Denarius. Rome, AD 244. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / SECVRIT ORBIS, Securitas seated left, holding sceptre and leaning head on left hand. RIC 48a; C. 214. 2.96g, 22mm, 7h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; the only example on CoinArchives. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 72, 16 May 2013, lot 713. The denarii of Philip I are of very great rarity; only two have been offered at auction in the past two decades, including the present specimen. Maximinus I (235-238) was the last reigning emperor to have struck the denarius as the principal silver denomination intended for regular circulation. The reign of his successor Gordian III (238-244) saw the ‘Antoninianus’ or double-denarius become, virtually overnight, the mainstay of the Roman currency, due to the inflationary pressures of the early third century in part caused by ever greater military expenditure and associated successive debasements of the coinage. The denarius, though not yet relegated to the status of a mere unit of account, was now a critically endangered species. Issued sporadically throughout the reign of Gordian III, mass production of the denarius came to an end with the fourth issue at Rome in 241-243. By the time of Philip I’s accession in 244 the common use of the Antoninianus was well entrenched; Philip himself issued only three denarius types, ADVENTVS AVG (RIC 26), PIETAS AVGG (RIC 43a) and the present SECVRIT ORBIS. Of these, the first two may securely be said to represent ceremonial coins produced for the arrival of Philip at Rome in the late summer of 244, and for the elevation of his son Philip II to the rank of co-Augustus in 247. The present type is of no less rarity than the other two, and must therefore also have been produced for a special purpose. A possible occasion may be found at the beginning of Philip’s reign in early 244, when he was required to negotiate peace with Shapur I of the Sasanian Empire in order to return to Rome to secure his position. A scarce emission produced at this time at Antioch records the peace with the legend PAX FVNDATA CVM PERSIS, accompanied by types including SPES FELICITATIS ORBIS. The present coin therefore, with its reverse announcing the security of the (Roman) world, would seem a fitting type for concurrent issue at Rome, where the Antiochan legend would probably have been viewed with no small measure of distaste.
Valentinian III AR Half Siliqua. Ravenna, AD 425-455. D N PLA VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIA AVGG, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm frond; RV in exergue. RIC 2085; Ranieri 111-2; RSC 11b. 0.89g, 14mm, 12h. Extremely Fine; exceptional for the issue. Very Rare.
Trajan Æ33 of Caesarea Maritima, Samaria. AD 98-117. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OP AVG GER DAC COS VI P P, laureate bust right / Tyche standing left, resting foot on helmet, holding bust and sceptre, within Tetrastyle temple with central arch behind enclosure with altar in front; at her feet in right field, harbour-god holding anchor, C I F AVG CAES in exergue. Rosenberger 19; Kadman 22; Sofaer pl. 23 , 21; Samuels 172. 24.97g, 33mm, 1h. Good Very Fine. Earthen repatination. Rare this well preserved.
Seleukid Empire, Antiochos I Soter AV Stater. Aï Khanoum, circa 280-271 BC. Diademed head right / Horned and bridled horse head to right, with braided, horn-like forelock; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ to left, ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ below, pellet-in-Δ within circle at upper right. SC 426-7 (same reverse symbol position as 426, same obverse die as pl. 20, 427b); cf. ESM 676, 683-4. 8.43g, 16mm, 7h. Good Extremely Fine. An apparently unique variety of an exceedingly rare issue. Newell (The Coinage of the Eastern Seleucid Mints from Seleucus I to Antiochus III) attributed the important series of gold, silver and bronze coins, of which the present specimen is an exceptionally rare and beautiful example, to Baktra, the capital city of Baktria. Subsequent excavations at Aï Khanoum, which was perhaps the Alexandria Oxiana mentioned by Ptolemy (6.12.6), revealed many coins there of the type assigned to Baktra. A more thorough study by Kritt (Seleucid Coins of Bactria, pp. 27-30), utilising the newly discovered information, reassigned the entire Baktra series to Aï Khanoum. The existence of an active mint there was confirmed by the excavation of a large palace complex complete with administrative offices, treasury and unstruck bronze flans. This reattribution was further supported by the discovery of a bronze coin depicting the river Oxus – a type appropriate to Aï Khanoum, but not Baktra. Antiochos I himself was possibly in residence at Aï Khanoum when he received word of his father’s assassination. Houghton and Lorber (Seleucid Coins, p. 151) note that this city’s monetary output grew in importance during Antiochos’ sole reign, probably rendering other local coinages obsolete. The horned horse head type has often been mistakenly thought to represent Alexander’s beloved warhorse Bukephalas, which apart from the mythical Pegasos was certainly the most celebrated horse of antiquity. The type was instituted by Seleukos, who used it at Pergamon for a brief issue of commemorative silver, at Apameia and Carrhae for small bronze, and at Ekbatana for an extremely rare issue depicting both horned horse and rider. Used more extensively by Antiochos I, the horned horse head seems, according to Miller and Walters (Seleucid coinage and the legend of the horned Bucephalas, SNR 83, 2004) “to have been a personal symbol of Seleukos I, and not an oblique claim to legitimisation via reference to Alexander’s favourite steed”. Several scholars including Hoover (1996) cite a statue mentioned by John Malalas (Chronographia, c. AD 491-578) which he says bore the inscription: “On this Seleukos fled Antigonos and was saved; returning and conquering him, he destroyed him.” It is clear that the use of bulls’ horns comes to represent royalty and divinity, a custom perhaps derived from ancient near-eastern religious motifs, and the usage of such horns was perpetuated on the portraits of Seluekos II, Antiochos III, and several later Baktrian kings. If Malalas may be believed then, the present horned horse type could easily represent this honoured steed that saved Seleukos - it is certainly the only horse we have any mention of in connection with him.
Titus, as Caesar, AV Aureus. Struck under Vespasian. Rome, AD 72-73. T CAES IMP VESP PON TR POT, laureate head right / Titus standing in triumphal quadriga to right, holding branch in right hand and sceptre in left. RIC 370 (Vespasian); BMCRE 520; BN 73; Calicó 722; Hendin 1469. 5.84g, 17mm, 6h. Near Very Fine; edge filed, probably for jewellery. Extremely Rare. Among the most difficult issues to obtain of the Judaean series, this aureus depicts the Triumph awarded to Titus for his decisive victory in the Jewish-Roman war, having breached the walls of Jerusalem and sacked the city.
Uranius Antoninus Æ32 of Emesa, Seleucis and Pieria. Dated SE 565 = AD 253/4. AVTOK C OVΛΠ ANTѠNЄINOC CЄ, laureate bust right, wearing paludamentum and cuirass / ЄMICѠN KOΛΩN, hexastyle temple of Elagabal at Emesa containing the conical stone of Elagabal shaded by two parasols; crescent in pediment, ЄΞΦ (date) in exergue. BMC 24; Baldus 38-42; R. Delbrueck, 'Uranius of Emesa,' NC 1948, Series I, 2; SNG Hunterian 3174. 24.34g, 32mm, 1h. Very Fine. Pleasant reddish-brown patina with green touches, a well-centred strike on a typically thick flan. Very Rare. The literary sources are unclear about Uranius Antoninus: Zosimus describes a usurper by the name of Antoninus during the reign of Gallienus, while contemporary Christian writer John Malalas speaks of an Emesan priest by the name of Samsigeramus who repulsed the Sassanid king Shapur I. Whether the accounts describe the same person, and whether this person was the Uranius who struck coins at Emesa, is a matter for debate. The era date given on the reverse of this coin, ЄΞΦ = 565 = 253/4, suggests that Uranius established an independent Empire at Emesa around the time Valerian and Gallienus were crowned co-augusti in 253. The dating supports Malalas’ account and Uranius may have indeed come to prominence during the attempts to defend the city of Emesa from the invasion of Shapur, prompting the establishment of his small independent state. If Uranius was the priest described by Malalas, the name Samsigeramus suggests that he may have been a member of the Emesan royal house of the same name and likely, the high priest of Elagabal. If this was the case, we might assume that Uranius was a descendant of the Severan-Emesan house who had previously seen a priest proclaimed emperor in Elagabalus. Though the name Samsigeramus is not attested on the coinage of Uranius, the reverse depiction of the temple of Elagabal certainly suggests the cult was important to his legitimacy. There is little doubt that Uranius’ rebellion came to an end shortly after Valerian marched east and recovered Syria in AD 254.
![Antoninus Pius Æ Drachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 24 = AD 160/1. [AVT K] TI AI AΔPI ANTωNINOC CEB EVC], laureate and dra](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/6ed11be1-d96e-48f0-9b95-a7de01046e04/1035f940-21c9-4166-8007-d0b9e8255626/468x382.jpg)
Antoninus Pius Æ Drachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 24 = AD 160/1. [AVT K] TI AI AΔPI ANTωNINOC CEB EVC], laureate and draped bust right / Ram standing right, wearing hem-hem crown; above, bust of Serapis to right, altar to right, LK- Δ (date) across fields. Köln 1857; Dattari (Savio) 2835; Milne 2418. 20.18g, 32mm, 12h. Very Fine. Rare.
Cyclades, Delos AR Stater. Circa 530 BC. Seven-stringed kithara / Rough incuse square. ACGC 122; cf. Traité pl. LXI, 16. 5.66g, 19mm. Very Fine; partitioned in antiquity. Extremely Rare. From a private Canadian collection. Delos was a holy sanctuary for approximately a thousand years before Olympian Greek mythology made it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Under the direction of Athens, the island was purified in an attempt to render it fit for the proper worship of the gods: in the 6th century BC, the tyrant Pisistratos ordered that all graves within sight of the temple be dug up and the bodies moved to another nearby island, and in the 5th century BC, during the 6th year of the Peloponnesian war and under instruction from the Delphic Oracle, the entire island was purged of all dead bodies. It was then ordered that no one should be allowed to either die or give birth on the island due to its sacred importance. Immediately after this purification, the first quinquennial festival of the Delian games were celebrated there.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hemihekte. Circa 600-550 BC. Head of tunny fish to left, two pellets behind; tunny fish above to right. Hurter & Liewald III 5.2; cf. Von Fritze I 2 (hekte); SNG France -; Boston MFA -; CNG 82, lot 586. 1.37g, 8mm. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare - only one example listed by Hurter & Liewald, a further two recorded at auction.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Europa, hair tied up in bun and wearing short-sleeved garment, seated on the back of Zeus in the form of a white bull who charges to left, her right hand holding on to a horn, the left resting on his rump; below, tunny fish to left / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 108, pl. III, 27; Boston MFA 1477; SNG France 250. 16.00g, 18mm. Extremely Fine; exceptionally complete for the issue. Extremely Rare. This type appears to have been fairly uniformly struck on flans that were just a little too short - both the von Fritze and Boston specimens are missing the top part of Europa's head, as are the two examples recently sold by Roma Numismatics (X, 490) and CNG (Triton XX, 232). The present example therefore is one of the most complete surviving examples. The reverse design of this coin is almost identical to one featured on a unique tetradrachm of Abdera (Roma Numismatics IV, lot 242), which shows Europa in the same pose on the back of the bull. Both follow a well established artistic and literary tradition that can be traced back as far as the 8th century BC, according to Herodotus' dating of Homer, though the myth itself is certainly much older than its earliest known literary appearance (in the Iliad), and its earliest securely datable visual appearance, which is not seen until the mid-7th century BC. We find the same treatment of the scene in Ovid's Metamorphoses many centuries later: "And gradually she lost her fear, and he offered his breast for her virgin caresses, his horns for her to wind with chains of flowers until the princess dared to mount his back, her pet bull's back, unwitting whom she rode. Then - slowly, slowly down the broad, dry beach - first in the shallow waves the great god set his spurious hooves, then sauntered further out 'til in the open sea he bore his prize. Fear filled her heart as, gazing back, she saw the fast receding sands. Her right hand grasped a horn, the other lent upon his back; her fluttering tunic floated in the breeze."
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 450-330 BC. Gaia rising out of the earth, bearing in both hands the infant Erichthonios; tunny fish below to right / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 157; Greenwell 31; Boston MFA 1500 = Warren 1449; BMC 65; cf. SNG France 304 (hekte). 16.03g, 19mm. Good Very Fine. Very Rare. This type depicts the myth of Erichthonios, a legendary early king of Athens. According to myth, the warrior goddess Athena was said to have visited the smith-god Hephaestus in order to request more arms be forged for her. Overcome by desire, Hephaestus attempted to seduce Athena, and when he was rebuffed, chased her and tried to rape her. Though Athena fought him off, in the struggle Hephaestus’ seed fell upon her thigh. In disgust, she wiped it from her leg and flung it to the earth. Upon contact with Gaia, the earth-goddess, an autochthonous boy was born and named Erichthonios (earth-shaker). This coin depicts the moment the new-born boy was presented by the personified Earth to the goddess of wisdom. Athena accepted the child, and gave him to the three daughters of Kekrops, the first king of Athens, in a box for safekeeping, warning the three daughters never to open it. Overcome by curiosity the sisters decided to take a fateful look inside, and the sight that greeted them (depending on the version of the myth) was the infant Erichthonios who either was encircled by a snake, or was himself half-man and half-serpent. Terrified and driven mad, the daughters threw themselves from the cliff-face of the Acropolis (or were killed by the snake). In this depiction of the myth, the pair are classically idealised, perhaps (as suggested by Greenwell) inspired by a statue group. This coin, with its clear pro-Athenian type, was almost certainly struck during the period of the city’s membership of the Delian League (478-411 BC).
Marc Antony and Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Military mint travelling with Marc Antony in Cisalpine Gaul, autumn 43 BC. Bearded bare head of Marc Antony right; lituus to left; M ANTO IMP•R•P•C downwards to right / Wreathed head of Julius Caesar right; capis to left, CAESAR DIC downwards to right. Crawford 488/2; CRI 123; RSC 3a. 3.88g, 19mm, 9h. Good Very Fine. Rare. Ex Schulman 264, 26 April 1976, lot 5336.
Ionia, Miletos EL Hemihekte. Circa 600-550 BC. Lydo-Milesian standard. Head of lion right / Incuse punch of stellate pattern. Weidauer -; Traité I -; SNG Kayhan 446-8; Boston MFA -; Rosen -; Elektron I 66. 1.13g, 7mm. Very Fine. Rare. Ex Roma Numismatics Auction VII, 22 & 23 March 2014, lot 561.
Vitellius Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 69. A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP AVG P M TR P, laureate and draped bust right / L VITELL CENSOR II, Vitellius, bare-headed three togate, seated left on platform, clasping hand of foremost of three figures before, seated togate figure in background; SC in exergue. RIC 134; BMCRE 49. 23.78g, 35mm, 6h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare; RIC lists the type as only 'scarce', however no examples have appeared at auction in over 15 years.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 450-330 BC. Laureate head of Apollo, facing slightly to right; tunny fish below to right / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 132; Greenwell 17; Boston MFA 1492 = Warren 1436; SNG France 283-284; BMC 56; Gillet 1079. 16.06g, 19mm. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare. The present coin, which features a highly competent three-quarters facing head of Apollo, forms part of a distinguished tradition of adventurous engraving at Kyzikos. Also depicted three-quarters facing are Athena, Medusa, Zeus, Zeus Ammon, and Demeter, thus making Apollo one of just four Olympian gods accorded this honour. The paucity of such facing portraits at Kyzikos, as elsewhere, is undoubtedly due to the inherent difficulty of engraving a portrait from this perspective. This difficulty is compounded by the low amount of wear that such coins can tolerate before important elements of the design become flattened, a problem that perhaps dissuaded many engravers from undertaking such a challenge. Often compared to the tetradrachms of Amphipolis struck immediately prior to the capture of Amphipolis by the forces of Philip II of Macedon in 357/6 BC due to the extreme similarity of the design, this type was almost certainly inspired by that remarkably brief but beautiful coinage, which itself is thought to have taken inspiration from the seated Apollo of the east frieze of the Parthenon created by Pheidias in the 430s BC. As a tribute therefore to a historically important monument, this coin becomes a significant record of how artistic influences travelled in the Greek world and were spread via the medium of numismatic art.
Seleukid Empire, Seleukos VI Epiphanes Nikator AR Diobol. Antioch, 95/4 BC. Diademed head right / Grain ear standing upright; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ in two lines to right, ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΝΙΚΑΤΟΡΟΣ in two lines to left. SC 2422; CSE 377; SNG Spaer 2778. 1.25g, 12mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Half-length bust of a winged female deity to left, wearing kekryphalos headdress, round earring and long-sleeved chiton, in her right hand holding a tunny fish by the tail, and raising a flower to her chin; bust truncation indicated by dotted line between parallel lines / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 75; SNG France 205; Boston MFA 1448 = Warren 1519. 16.11g, 20mm. Good Very Fine. Very Rare.
Ionia, uncertain mint EL Trite. Circa 600-550 BC. Lydo-Milesian standard. Horse rolling over on to back, head to left / Vertical incuse rectangular punch. Weidauer 136, 137 = SNG Berry 1034; SNG von Aulock 7784; Rosen 254; cf. BMC Ionia 2, pl. III, 4 (stater); M. Mignucci, Elettro arcaico, incroci di conio inediti, SM 42, 166 (May 1992), fig. 1-2. 4.65g, 13mm. Near Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, only the sixth known example of an issue of considerable artistic quality. This extremely rare trite is part of a small series of staters and trites which are all closely linked through shared dies, that show a ram with head reverted (Weidauer 52-54), the horse rolling onto its back (Weidauer 135-137), and a butting bull (Weidauer 131-132). Mignucci points out that all these coins had to have been struck over a very short period of time at a single mint. In particular, the highly unusual reverse of the trites displays a single punch-mark, rather than the two separate punch marks we might normally expect to see. This technique is seemingly without parallel, perhaps indicating a short-lived experiment. The identification of the mint, as with much early electrum, is impossible to ascertain at present. Agnes Baldwin Brett, in her commentary on an example of the ram-type stater (Boston MFA 1759), proposed that it was struck at Klazomenai, on the basis that the ram, a symbol of Apollo, was a commonly used design at that city during the 4th Century BC. This of course fails to explain the common features with the horse and bull types. All we can surmise therefore is that given the incredibly high artistic quality of the dies, it is probable that this series must have been the product of one of the more important mints in Ionia.
Seleukid Empire, Antiochos I Soter AR Tetradrachm. Smyrna, circa 281-261 BC. Diademed head right / Apollo Delphios seated left on omphalos, testing arrows and resting on grounded bow; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ to right, ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ to left, NK and ΩΣ monograms in exergue. SC 311.4; WSM 1496. 17.08g, 30mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine; a stunning coin both stylistically and in terms of preservation. Extremely Rare. Antiochos I was the son of Seleukos I and Apama, Seleukos' Persian wife. His date of birth is unknown, but was probably circa 320 BC as he was old enough to lead the Seleukid cavalry at the battle of Ipsos in 301. When Seleukos was assassinated in 281, Antiochos was probably in Ekbatana or Aï Khanoum, where he had maintained court ruling the eastern satrapies on behalf of his father since 294. With his accession, Antiochos faced immediate attacks by Ptolemy II in Asia Minor and revolts of the cities of Syria. He left his eldest son, Seleukos, as governor of the eastern satrapies and marched west to meet the threats, which he soon overcame. However, it was not long before his attention was once again drawn to disturbances, this time from a menacing force of warlike Celtic tribes that had crossed over the Hellespont in the winter of 278/7 and invaded Asia Minor, and also shortly thereafter renewed hostilities with Ptolemy II (First Syrian War, 274-271 BC). After defeating the Celts and receiving the title of Saviour (Soter) by the Greek cities of Asia Minor, Antiochos concluded an uneasy truce with Ptolemy which allowed him to focus on public relations and administrative work in Asia Minor. His subsequent reign was relatively peaceful, with the exceptions of sedition by his son and co-regent, Seleukos, whom he was forced to execute and replace with his younger son, the future Antiochos II, and the loss of northwest Asia Minor to Eumenes I of Pergamon. The tetradrachms of Antiochos from Smyrna are of two iconographic types, one with an elderly but god-like portrait, and the other with rejuvenated, powerful and idealized features, as on this coin. Likewise there are differences in the details of the reverse: on the former, Apollo holds but a single arrow, on the latter either two or three arrows. The figure of Apollo seated on the omphalos gained prominence under Antiochos, publicising his supposed descent from the god, and became the characteristic reverse type for most Seleukid precious metal coinage down through the reign of Antiochos IV.
Antoninus Pius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 150-151. ANTONINVS PIVS P P TR P XIIII, laureate bust right, slight drapery over far shoulder/ LAETITIA, Ceres standing to right, holding two grain ears, Proserpina standing to left at her side, holding pomegranate; COS IIII in exergue. RIC 199 var. (bust); Strack 224; Calicó 1559a (same obv. die); BMCRE 724, note; Biaggi 733 var. (rev. legend break). 6.67g, 18.5mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Rare.
Parthia(?), ‘Eagle series’ AR Drachm. Ekbatana(?), circa 246/5-239/8 BC. Local standard. Head of Athena right, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl; monogram of Andragoras(?) behind / Eagle standing left, head right; grape cluster on vine with leaf. Bopearachchi, Sophytes Series 2A; SNG ANS -; Mitchiner -; N&A -; CNG 63, 920. 3.66g, 15mm, 5h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Uncertain Eastern Satrapy, ‘Athenian Series’ AR Tetradrachm. Uncertain mint, circa 323-240 BC. Attic standard. Head of Athena right, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind, AΘE before; all within incuse square. Bopearachchi, Sophytes Series 1A; Mitchiner 13a; SNG ANS 1. 17.18g, 24mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; not a single example has appeared at auction since before 2001 at least.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Tunny fish between two dolphins, all swimming to left / Quadripartite incuse square. The New York Sale IV, 180; cf. Von Fritze 95 (hekte); Boston MFA -; cf. SNG France 236 (hekte); cf. Rosen 471 (hekte). 16.11g, 22mm. Very Fine. Extremely Rare; apparently only the second known example.
Antoninus Pius Æ Drachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 2 = AD 138/9. AVT K T AIΛ AΔP ANTѠNINOC EV CEB, bare-headed and draped bust right / Isis Pharia, holding billowing sail and sistrum, Pharos before; LB above. Dattari (Savio) -; Emmett 1592; RPC Online 15153 (temporary). Very Fine. Extremely Rare; no other examples on CoinArchives.
T. Carisius AR Sestertius. Rome, 46 BC. Mask of bearded Pan right; T•CARISIVS downwards behind / Panther walking to right, holding thyrsus; III•VIR in exergue. Crawford 464/7; RSC Carisia 12. 0.77g, 12mm, 7h. Very Fine. Banker's mark on obv. Extremely Rare; only one other example on CoinArchives (in very poor condition).
Parthia(?), 'Eagle series' AR Drachm. Ekbatana(?), circa 246/5-239/8 BC. Local standard. Head of Athena right, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl / Eagle standing left, head right; grape cluster on vine with leaf above. Bopearachchi, Sophytes Series 2A; SNG ANS 14-16; Mitchiner 26c; N&A 52-57. 3.54g, 14mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Constans AV Multiple of 1 1/2 Solidi. Treveri, AD 342-343. FL IVL CONSTANS P F AVG, laurel and rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / GLORIA EXERCITVS, emperor standing left in military dress, holding trophy in right hand, left resting on shield set on ground; TR in exergue. RIC -; cf. 120; Gnecchi -; Depeyrot -. 6.71g, 21mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Apparently unique and unpublished. This previously unpublished multiple, forms part of an extremely rare series issued at Treveri in AD 342/3. It formerly was known from only two unique specimens: one issued in the name of Constantius II (in Bonn) and one other in the name of Constans (in Berlin, with different obverse legend). Following the death of Constantine II in 340 after a botched invasion of his brother Constans’ Italian territories, Constans inherited all of the western territories: Hispania, Britannia and Gaul, as well as the African provinces, which his elder malcontent brother had been so dissatisfied with. Assuming his dead brother’s duties, in 341/2 Constans led a victorious campaign against the Franks, and in the early months of 343 he crossed to Britain, for which visit our source Julius Firmicus Maternus does not provide a reason, but it has been suggested that this was to repel an invasion by the Picts (Ammianus 20.1.1). The mint at Treveri, now under Constans’ control had not struck any multiples under Constantine II. Thought not securely datable, it seems probable that this extremely rare multiple solidi series honouring the two remaining Augusti (and now according Constans the laurel and rosette diadem denied him by his brother) was struck in a celebratory first issue. This year also coincided with Constans’ decennalia, for which a very rare gold and silver issue is known. Interestingly the Treveri mint (an important centre of coinage production in the West) appears to have struck no billon coinage from the point at which it came under Constans’ control until about 347/8. Though his reign began promisingly with a righteous victory over his covetous and aggressive brother Constantine II, and victories against the Franks and (possibly) Picts, Constans appears to have quickly slipped into less virtuous ways. The historian Eutropius tells us that “when he fell prey to ill-health and associated with rather depraved friends he turned to serious vices, and when he became intolerable to the provincials and unpopular with the soldiers he was killed by Magnentius’ faction.”
Q. Servilius Caepio (M. Junius) Brutus AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Brutus in Lycia, 42 BC. C. Flavius Hemicullus(?), legatus pro praetore. Draped bust of Apollo right, lyre before; C•FLAV•HEMIC•LEG•PRO•PR around / Victory standing left, crowning trophy with wreath; Q•CAEP• below, BRVT• to right, IMP• to left. Crawford 504/1; CRI 205; RSC 7. 3.83g, 20mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare.
Carthaginian Spain, Barcid Dominion AR Shekel. Time of Hasdrubal the Fair. Akra Leuka, circa 229/8 BC. Diademed head of Eshmun-Adonis left / Horse standing right. L. Villaronga, Las monedas hispano-cartaginesas, Barcelona 1973, Class IV, 60 (same dies); ACIP 557 (same dies); AB 490 (Cartagonova). 7.19g, 22mm, 12h. Good Very Fine; Punic(?) graffito on obv. Extremely Rare, only three specimens recorded by Villaronga, one other in CoinArchives. In 237 BC Hamilcar Barca, after having lost the First Punic War against Rome, but having won the Mercenary War against the Libyans, disembarked at Gadir with a Carthaginian expedition with the purpose of "re-establishing Carthaginian authority in Iberia" (Polybios, Histories, 2.1.6), and within 9 years he had expanded the territory of Carthage well into the Iberian peninsula, securing control of the southern mining district of Baetica and Sierra Morena, before dying in battle in 228. Hamilcar was succeeded by his son-in-law Hasdrubal the Fair who expanded the new province by skilful diplomacy and consolidated it with the foundation of Akra Leuka (Greek: White Mountain or White Point, modern Alicante), Mahon and finally in 227, Qart Hadasht (= New Carthage = Latin: Carthago Nova, modern Cartagena), originally named Mastia, as his capital.
![Cleopatra and Marc Antony AR Denarius. Uncertain Eastern mint, autumn 34 BC. CLEOPA[TRAE•R]EGINAE•REGVM•FILIORVM•REGVM, diade](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/6ed11be1-d96e-48f0-9b95-a7de01046e04/4bc0a717-5e4c-4f9d-c0c6-4394f1e8e97a/468x382.jpg)
Cleopatra and Marc Antony AR Denarius. Uncertain Eastern mint, autumn 34 BC. CLEOPA[TRAE•R]EGINAE•REGVM•FILIORVM•REGVM, diademed and draped bust of Cleopatra right; [at point of bust, prow right] / ANTONI•ARMENIA•DEVICTA, bare head of Marc Antony right; Armenian tiara to left. Crawford 543/1; CRI 345; RSC 1. 3.65g, 20mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Two bold, well-preserved portraits of fine style. Very Rare. Issued in the wake of the successful campaign against Armenia in early-mid 34 BC, this type proudly commemorates the victory with the legend 'Armenia Devicta' (Armenia vanquished). In the execution of his war on Parthia in early 36 BC, Antony had followed the advice of the Armenian king Artavasdes to invade Parthia not from the West (which would have been the shortest route) but from the North, subduing the Parthian allied kingdom of Media Atropatene along the way, whose king was (conveniently) an enemy of Artavasdes. At the fortified town of Phraaspa however, the attack foundered and Artavasdes abandoned Antony in the face of the enemy, allowing his logistics train and two legions to be massacred in an ambush. Following a failed two-month siege of Phraaspa, Antony was forced to call off the campaign and effect a fighting retreat back to friendly territory, in the course of which no fewer than eighteen battles were fought. Antony arrived back in Syria by late 36 BC, having lost about 40% (some 80,000 men) of his original force. In early 34 BC, after variously attempting to lure Artavasdes out to meet with him to discuss marriage proposals and renewed war on Parthia, pleasant inducements and entreaties through the king's companions, and then a forced march to the capital Artaxata and what Cassius Dio describes as 'aggressive use of his soldiers', eventually Antony convinced Artavasdes to come to his camp, where the king was promptly arrested. Antony proceeded to plunder the country as best he could, and returned to Alexandria with his captives: King Artavasdes, his wife, and his family. There he celebrated a mock Roman triumph – an eastern pastiche of Rome's most important military ceremony – wherein Antony paraded through the streets in a chariot with his captives walking behind him. Cleopatra watched, seated high above with Caesarion at her side. As a grand finale, the whole city was summoned to the gymnasium to bear witness to a political statement which became known as the Donations of Alexandria. Antony and Cleopatra, dressed as Dionysus-Osiris and Isis-Aphrodite, sat on golden thrones while Antony distributed kingdoms among his children by Cleopatra: Alexander Helios was named king of Armenia, Media and Parthia, his twin Selene was awarded Cyrenaica and Libya, and the young Ptolemy Philadelphus was given Syria and Cilicia. Cleopatra was proclaimed Queen of Kings, a title evidenced on the obverse of this coin type, which also names 'her Children, who are kings'. Most damaging of all to his relations with Octavian was the naming of Caesarion as a legitimate son and heir of Julius Caesar. This caused a fatal rupture of Antony's relations with Octavian, and Rome. When the triumvirate officially expired on the last day of 33 BC it was not renewed, and the Roman world again found itself at war.
Kyrenaika, Euhesperides AR Drachm. Circa 470-44 BC. Silphium plant with leaves / Head of Zeus Ammon to right within circle of dots; all within incuse square cornered by E-[Y]-E-Σ (retrograde). SNG Copenhagen 1003 (these dies); BMC p. 110, 3 (these dies). 3.26g, 14mm, 12h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 29, 11 May 2005, lot 243; Ex Münzen & Medaillen 88, 17 May 1999, lot 323.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 450-330 BC. Head of Artemis left, hair tied up behind, bow and quiver over shoulder; tunny fish below to left. Von Fritze -; SNG France -; Boston MFA -; cf. Hurter-Liewald, SNR 2002, 5a (stater, head right). 2.65g, 12mm. Very Fine. Unique and unpublished. An excessively rare depiction of Artemis on the Kyzikene coinage.
Hadrian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 134-138. HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP, laureate and draped bust left / AEGYPTOS, Egypt reclining left, holding a sistrum, left arm resting on a basket around which a snake coils; ibis standing before. RIC 296j; C. 98; Calicó 1186. 7.25g, 21mm, 6h. Very Fine. Very Rare. Ex Heidelberger 64, 20 November 2014, lot 2559. Part of the famous ‘travel series’ of Hadrian struck in the latter years of the emperor’s reign, this coin commemorates his visit to Egypt a few years earlier in AD 130. Heavily relied upon to supply grain to feed the people of Rome, the province of Egypt was itself entirely dependent on the annual floods of the Nile to fertilise the farmland along its banks. Furthermore, the river was a vital transport link for the ships carrying the grain to Rome, just as the Tiber was between the port of Ostia and the city. Hadrian himself travelled up the river with the imperial entourage, including his companion Antinous, during which trip the young man tragically drowned. The ancient sources are rife with speculation as to whether this occurrence was an accident, a suicide on the part of Antinous or a sacrifice to aid the health of the emperor, but what is clear is the strong bond between the two men (Scriptores Historiae Augustae Hadrian, 14, 5-7), which led to Hadrian’s encouragement of a cult in honour of a deified Antinous and his appearance on the coinage, especially in Egypt. Depicting the personification of the province of Egypt, this type was accompanied by reverse designs that feature the personified river-god Nilus. Perhaps issued on the emperor’s return to Rome, or otherwise some time thereafter, these Egypt and Nilus types must certainly have brought the emperor back bitter memories.
Octavian AR Denarius. Cyrene, autumn 31 BC. L. Pinarius Scarpus, Imperator. Head of Jupiter Ammon right; AVGVR upwards to left, PONTIF upwards to right / Victory standing right on globe, holding palm frond over left shoulder with left hand, and wreath tied with fillet in extended right hand; IMP CAESAR DIVI F in two lines across fields. Crawford 546/4; RIC 535; CRI 411; RSC 125. 3.73g, 19mm, 11h. Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare. This type is most likely the first struck by Scarpus after defecting to Octavian's side. Although clearly one of his issues as it bears the distinctive portrait of Jupiter Ammon, the imperator's name is absent no doubt as a sign of submission. The obverse instead bears Octavian's priestly titles of augur and pontifex, naming him on the reverse.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 450-330 BC. Demeter kneeling to left, wearing grain wreath, sleeveless girdled chiton and himation which hangs from left shoulder, holding sceptre in left hand, grain stalk in right hand / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 201; Boston MFA 1544; SNG France -. 16.00g, 19mm. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; one of very few specimens known and the only example of any denomination of this type on CoinArchives. This extraordinarily rare coin features a most unusual depiction of the goddess Demeter: her kneeling posture is without parallel in surviving contemporary statuary or relief. Indeed, gods would rarely be depicted in kneeling postures without exceptionally good cause; not only does such a stance, low to the ground, diminish the aura of grandeur about them (particularly where statues are concerned), it was from a technical standpoint a more difficult pose to draw, engrave, or sculpt. That Demeter should thus be portrayed here is noteworthy, but perhaps not surprising – in fact, Kyzikos made extensive use of the kneeling posture on its electrum coinage, certainly due to the limited ‘canvas’ space available for the showcasing of the engraver’s talent. To compress a design of artistic merit into so small a space required no small degree of creativity. While almost all fully figural types, as well as most animalistic types, are placed into a space-saving crouch or kneel, such a requirement then necessitated the provision of a motive for the subject. In the case of animals or mythical monsters, this was simple: a lion or panther may crouch, ready to pounce; a bull or goat may recline in rest. Where gods and heroes are concerned, and the motive becomes more difficult to produce, so then does the ingenuity of the engraver shine the brighter: Hermes kneels as he reaches his hand into an urn set upon the ground (von Fritze 204); Odysseos kneels in order to sacrifice a prostrate ram (von Fritze 156); Silenos kneels as he pours win from a krater using his leg for support (von Fritze 172); Theseus places his knee across a centaur’s back to force him to the ground (von Fritze 170). Here, Demeter is shown in the act of raising herself from a kneeling position - she puts her weight on her sceptre, held in her left hand, while in her right hand she holds and inspects the grain she has knelt to pick.
![Mn. Cordius Rufus AR Sestertius. Rome, 46 BC. Crested Corinthian helmet right; [MN•CORDIVS] below / Cupid walking right, hold](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/6ed11be1-d96e-48f0-9b95-a7de01046e04/332bebe3-1a3f-4ab0-fd16-9d514f4de8d2/468x382.jpg)
Mn. Cordius Rufus AR Sestertius. Rome, 46 BC. Crested Corinthian helmet right; [MN•CORDIVS] below / Cupid walking right, holding palm branch and wreath; RVF downwards to right. Crawford 463/6b; RSC Cordia 8. 0.52g, 10mm, 4h. Good Very Fine. Very Rare, and in excellent condition for the issue.
Kingdom of Macedon, Alexander III 'the Great' AR Dekadrachm. Babylon, circa 325-323 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, holding sceptre; AΛEΞANΔPOY to right, monogram and M below throne. Price 3618A = Mnemata: Papers in Memory of Nancy M. Waggoner, p. 69, 8, p. 69, 7, pl. 15 = Spink 71, 11 October 1989, lot 49 = Prospero 307 (same reverse die); Price pl. CLIX, 3598 = Künker 280, 163 (same obverse die); Coin Hoards I, 1975, fig 6, 1; Kraay-Hirmer pl. 173, 572. 40.15g, 33mm, 4h. Very Fine. Exceedingly Rare; the third known example of this variety. From a private Canadian collection.
Commodus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 186. M COMM•ANT•P•FEL•AVG BRIT, laureate, and draped head right / LIBERT AVG•P M TR P XI•IMP VII COS V P P, Libertas standing left, holding pileus and long sceptre. RIC 135 var.); C. 339; BMCRE -, c.f. 177 note; Calicó 2282 var. (obv bust). 7.33g, 21mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Extremely Rare. Commodus’ coinage from AD 181 attests to the official policy of his reign, according to Mattingly and Sydenham (RIC III, p. 357) a “policy of peace, based on victorious power (cp. Types of Victory and Pax, holding branch and spear), leading to public security (‘Securitas Publica’) and prosperity (‘Felicitas’), a policy of constitutional government (‘Libertas’) and care for the material well-being of the subject (‘Annona’ and ‘Aequitas’)”. The types of 186, the year this coin was struck, “continue to witness the happiness of the age, the harmony and loyalty of the troops, the victories of the Roman arms.” There are no direct references to the serious revolts in Gaul and Spain, which are swept under the numismatic carpet; only a type of ‘Concordia Militum’ with the emperor reconciling two groups of soldiers may relate to these troubles. The continued use of Libertas again in 186 seeks to emphasise the emperor’s respect for and adherence to a constitutional government. That this was of course a naked lie should come as no surprise; Cassius Dio (73.5-73.6) relates to us some of the extra-judicial killings carried out by Commodus: “Commodus also killed Salvius Julianus and Tarrutenius Paternus, who was enrolled among the ex-consuls, and others with them, including even a woman of the nobility. And yet Julianus, after the death of Marcus, could have done at once anything whatever that he wished against Commodus, since he was a man of great renown, was in command of a large army, and enjoyed the devotion of his soldiers; but he had refused to make any rebellious move, both because of his own probity and because of the good will that he bore to Marcus even after that emperor’s death. And Paternus, if he had plotted against Commodus, as he was accused of doing, could easily have killed him while he himself was still in command of the Praetorians; but he had not done so. Commodus likewise killed the two Quintilii, Condianus and Maximus; for they had a great reputation for learning, military skill... and wealth, and their notable talents led to the suspicion that, even if they were not planning any rebellion, they were nevertheless displeased with existing conditions. Sextus Condianus, the son of Maximus, who surpassed all others by reason both of his native ability and his training, when he heard that sentence of death had been pronounced against him, too, drank the blood of a hare, after which he mounted a horse and purposely fell from it; then, as he vomited the blood, which was supposed to be his own, he was taken up, apparently on the point of death, and was carried to his room. He himself now disappeared, while a ram's body was placed in a coffin in his stead and burned. After this, constantly changing his appearance and clothing, he wandered about here and there. And when this story got out, diligent search was made for him high and low. Many were punished in his stead on account of their resemblance to him, and many, too, who were alleged to have shared his confidence or to have sheltered him somewhere; and still more persons who had perhaps never even seen him were deprived of their property.”
Marc Antony and Octavian AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony in Asia Minor, 41 BC. L. Gellius Poplicola, quaestor pro praetore. Bare head of Mark Antony right; capis to left, M•ANT•IMP•AVG•III•VIR•R•P•C•L•GELL•Q•P around / Bare head of Octavian right; lituus to left, CAESAR•IMP•PONT•III•VIR•R•P•C around. Crawford 517/8; CRI 250; RSC 10. 3.89g, 23mm, 10h. Good Fine. Very Rare.
Arabia, uncertain mint AR Tetradrachm. 4th-3rd centuries BC. Imitating Athens. Head of Athena right, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl / Owl standing left, head facing; degraded Athens ethnic to left, degraded olive spray to right; all within incuse square. Unpublished in the standard references; cf. Huth 31-2; cf. CNG E-345, 339. 17.02g, 25mm, 12h. Very Fine; test cut. Very Rare.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Facing gorgoneion with mouth open and tongue protruding, six serpents on top of head, another below each ear; below, tunny fish to left / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 129, pl. IV, 15; Boston 1445 = Warren 1492; cf. SNG von Aulock 7295 (hemihekte); SNG France -. 16.08g, 19mm. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. While the origin or inspiration for many of the types used at Kyzikos is obscure or uncertain, the apotropaic design used on this type is very similar in style to those found on the silver coinage of Apollonia Pontika on the Black Sea coast of Thrace (Topalov 37-38ff), and certain issues from both Mytilene (Bodenstedt 19) and Phokaia (Triton XIX, 217). All were important trading hubs within a relatively short distance of Kyzikos; the latter’s strategic location on the main trade route would inevitably have meant close economic ties. Given that Apollonia Pontika utilised the gorgoneion as their principal reverse type, it seems likely that this would have been the primary source of inspiration for the present coin. Regardless of the stylistic origin of this beautiful stater, the use of the gorgoneion as an apotropaic (for averting evil influences or bad luck) symbol is well attested in Greek art from the Orientalising period in the eighth and seventh centuries BC, and it remained a popular protective convention until the advent of widespread Christianity, though even then its use persisted in the Byzantine empire. Widely employed on the coinage of Greek city states (no fewer than 37, as per A. Potts, ‘The World’s Eye’, 1982), the gorgoneion ranked in numismatic ubiquity only below several principal Olympian gods and Herakles. Its origin cannot be directly traced; though there is a similar monstrous image from the Knossos palace, datable to the fifteenth century BC, and and it has been argued (Marija Gimbutas, ‘The Living Goddesses’, 2001) that “the Gorgon extends back to at least 6000 BC, as a ceramic mask from the Sesklo culture illustrates”, this identification of a monstrous image as the traditional gorgoneion of myth cannot be supported. Gimbutas also identified the prototype of the gorgoneion in Neolithic art motifs, especially in anthropomorphic vases and terracotta masks inlaid with gold, however this approach fails to take into account a very widespread use of monstrous or otherwise frightening visages at a primitive human level, some of which inevitably accrue more complex mythologies around them. In the near east, the myth of the Mesopotamian monster Humbaba ‘the Terrible’ and its death at the hands of the hero Gilgamesh has some striking parallels with that of Medusa and Perseus, and both monsters are certainly depicted in very similar manners. However, while any attempt to imply a direct connection between the two is ultimately futile, we may certainly consider that the autonomous and indigenous European gorgoneion could have assimilated some aspects of its near-eastern parallel. Possibly our only clue to the evolution of the Greek myth lies in the work of Homer, who refers to the Gorgon on four occasions, each time alluding to only one gorgon, and just the head alone, as if it had no body. The implication is that the myth of the gorgon Medusa was not yet fully developed, and indeed it appears to have been left to Hesiod (Theogeny, c.700 BC) to imagine the Gorgons as sea daemons and increase their number to three.
Manlia Scantilla AV Aureus. Struck under Didius Julianus. Rome, 28th March-early June AD 193. MANL SCANTILLA AVG, draped bust right / IVNO REGINA, Juno standing left, draped and veiled, holding patera in right hand and sceptre in left; peacock to left at her feet. RIC 7a (Julianus); C. 1; BMCRE 10 and pl. 3, 13 (same obv die); Woodward, NC 1961, 1 and pl. VI, 9 (same); Kent-Hirmer pl. 108, 372 (same); Calicó 2004. 6.65g, 20mm, 6h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare. This aureus, struck during the brief 66 day reign that her husband Didius Julianus bought for himself when the Praetorian Guard put the empire up for auction, shows Manlia Scantilla as the proud bearer of the title Augusta. Granted by the Senate on the accession of Julianus, Scantilla and her daughter Didia Clara were both struck coinage with their new honours in all three metals, though in a peculiar departure from normal practice only utilising one reverse type throughout: the goddesses Juno for Scantilla, and Hilaritas for Clara. Very little is known of the life of Scantilla, save that her husband having been killed in favour of Septimius Severus as emperor, she and her daughter were stripped of their imperial titles. Scantilla died in obscurity, in marked contrast from the associations she chose to make with the single reverse type featuring Juno for her coins. One third of the Capitoline Triad and married to Jupiter, Juno Regina looked after the women of Rome, presiding over marriage and fidelity, and was afforded an attribute in the peacock, equivalent to the eagle present in depictions of Jupiter, which was both the signifier of conjugal concord but also a solemn and ever-watchful attendant as befitted the patron goddess of Rome and the Empire. It was with this iconography that Scantilla directly placed herself in line with the divine principate and began to develop a public image of herself and her role as the one to carry on the dynasty.
Caracalla AR Tetradrachm of Aelia Capitolina, Judaea. AD 198-217. AYT KAI ANTωNINOC CE, laureate bust right / ΔHMAPX ЄΞ VΠATOC TOΔ, eagle standing facing on thyrsus, head and tail left, with wings spread, holding wreath in beak; between legs, a theatrical mask to left. Prieur 1618 var. 13.42g, 25mm, 6h. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare.
Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm. Circa 490-482 BC. Archaic head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with chevron and dot pattern / AΘE, owl standing three-quarters right, head facing, olive sprig behind; all within incuse square. Cf. Seltman pl. XIII 'Civic Mint', particularly reverses P.235-P236 for similar style owl; cf. Svoronos pl. 5-7. 17.09g, 26mm, 6h. Very Fine; attractive old tone. Unusual and highly distinctive early style. Very Rare. From a private German collection. The famous Athenian ‘owl’ tetradrachm, unquestionably one of the most influential coins of all time, was introduced by the tyrant Hippias sometime between c.525 and c.510 BC, with van Alfen offering a date of about 515 as the most current view. The basic design would remain unchanged for nearly five hundred years, be extensively copied throughout the Mediterranean, and is today, as it was then, emblematic of Greek culture. The quality of the engraving on the early owl tetradrachms varies greatly, from the sublime to some which are very crude indeed. This disparity led Seltman to propose that those tetradrachms he considered to be of fine style were issues from a ‘civic’ mint in Athens, while those exhibiting little talent on the part of the engravers emanated from an ‘imperial’ mint in the Attic or Thracian hinterlands.
Octavian AR Denarius. Italian mint (Rome?), autumn 30 - summer 29 BC. Laureate head right / Rostral column ornamented with two anchors and six beaks of galleys, surmounted by a statue of Octavian, naked but for cloak over left shoulder, holding spear in right hand and parazonium in left; IMP CAESAR across fields. RIC 271; CRI 423; RSC 124. 4.05g, 19mm, 3h. Good Extremely Fine. Very rare in this condition.
Cilicia, Issos AR Stater. Circa 385-380 BC. Obverse die signed by Apatorios. Apollo standing facing, head left, holding patera and placing hand on laurel tree behind; engraver's signature AΠATOPIOΣ in upper left field / Herakles standing facing, head right, resting hand on grounded club and holding bow and arrow, lion skin draped over arm; ankh-like symbol in right field. Brindley, NC 1993, group 5b; Casabonne type 3; SNG France 2; cf. SNG Levante 173. 10.67g, 23mm, 3h. Extremely Fine; among the finest known. Very Rare. Privately purchased from Numismatic Fine Arts in 1989. Issos was situated on a strategic coastal plain along the Pinarus river, through which ran the highway linking east and west Cilicia. In 333 BC, it was the site of Alexander the Great’s decisive victory over Darios III of Persia.
Sabina AV Aureus. Rome, AD 128-136. SABINA•AVGVSTA HADRIANI AVG P P, diademed and draped bust right, wearing stephane / CONCORDIA•AVG, Concordia seated to left on throne, holding patera and resting arm on statue of Spes on low cippus. RIC -, 398 note; BMCRE 894; pl. 64,12 (same dies); Calicó 1429 (same dies). 7.36g, 19mm, 12h. 7.36g, 19mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Light reddish tone. Rare.
Parthia(?), 'Eagle series' AR Drachm. Ekbatana(?), circa 246/5-239/8 BC. Local standard. Head of Athena right, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl / Eagle standing left, head right; grape cluster on vine with leaf and kerykeion above. Bopearachchi, Sophytes Series 2A; SNG ANS -; Mitchiner 26d; N&A 63-64. 3.51g, 17mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Macedon, Potidaia AR Tetradrachm. Circa 500-480 BC. Poseidon Hippios, nude, riding horse walking to left, holding trident with his right hand and reins with his left; dolphin beneath horse / Quadripartite incuse square divided diagonally. Unpublished in the standard references, but cf. Traité pl. LII, 6 (stater) and Leu 28, 71 (star); Tkalec February 2013, 35 (same dies); Gorny & Mosch 232, 118 (same dies). 17.05g, 25mm. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare. Ex G. Kratochwil Collection, Numismatik Lanz 161, 7 December 2015, lot 70.
Kingdom of Macedon, Philip V AR Tetradrachm. In the name and types of Alexander III. Pella, circa 180 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, holding sceptre; AΛEΞANΔPOY to right, club in left field, B below throne. Price 636; Müller -; Roma XIII, 194. 16.71g, 30mm, 1h. Good Very Fine. Rare. This coin is part of the final issue of 'Alexanders' struck in Macedon, as outlined by Seyrig (H. Seyrig, 'Monnaies héllenistiques, 5. Philippe V ou les Bottiéens', RN 1963, 14-8, pl. ii). Price notes: It represents a revival of the coinage that is much later than the groups of the early part of Antigonos' reign. Seyrig showed that the style of the head of Herakles on these later issues compared closely with that on bronze issues in the name of Philip V, dated from the use of the same symbol and monograms as are found on the silver tetradrachms to the later years of his reign. The Alexander issue is not, however, marked with the controls of the royal coinage of Philip, and was presumably struck to make a particular payment for which this type of coinage was stipulated. The letter B which occurs on the Alexanders of this group may be related to the name of the Bottiaeans of the Emanthian plain around Pella, who at this time struck fractional coinage parallel to the royal issues of Philip V. This suggestion is strengthened by the symbol of the prow (Price 640-2) which echoes the reverse type of the coinage of the Bottiaeans. F. W. Walbank (Philip V of Macedon, Cambridge University Press, 2013, p. 265) notes however that there is now evidence of at least three other regional issues - those of the Amphaxians, coined at Thessalonica, and those of two Paeonian peoples, the Doberes and Paroreians. Additionally, many cities minted in their own names including Amphipolis, Aphytis in Chalkidike, Apollonia, Pella and Thessalonica. Walbank concludes that this represents a concession of the king's centralised political authority and an unprecedented devolution of minting authority. Rather than necessarily indicating weakness or insecurity though, Walbank makes the case for this devolution being a method of achieving some consolidation following the absolutist policies of the Antigonids, who had ever restricted coining rights, even to the great trading cities on the coasts. He proposes that the success Philip achieved with this policy should be measured by the prosperity of Macedon and the loyalty of its people to the king; the state of the Macedonian state on the eve of the Third Macedonian War indicates that this concession "weakened neither nation nor monarchy".
![Galba AR Tetradrachm of Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria. AD 68-69. AYTOKPATWP CEPOYIOC ΓAΛB[AC CEBACTOC], bare head right / Eagl](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/6ed11be1-d96e-48f0-9b95-a7de01046e04/1390a31e-c86f-498c-ac26-3dc95a1d1fa2/468x382.jpg)
Galba AR Tetradrachm of Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria. AD 68-69. AYTOKPATWP CEPOYIOC ΓAΛB[AC CEBACTOC], bare head right / Eagle standing left on opposed laurel branches, with wings spread, holding wreath in beak; palm in left field, ETOYC B in exergue. Prieur 99; RPC 4197; McAlee 310. 15.03g, 27mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Rare.
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