I want to run more by you guys on this subject.
There are other coins of
Abdera that are like mine, in that it appears a final Σ has been left off, which would be required for a
genitive case ending. However, I propose the possibility that these coins might not be missing a final letter and that they were intended to be in the dative case; the coins that carry the
EPI preposition might be found in both the
genitive and dative cases. As proof of this possibility, I offer the following:
Greek Prepositions
http://www.bcbsr.com/greek/gprep.htmlEpi (
Genitive, Dative, Accusative)
1. With
Genitive a. Spatial: on, upon, at near
b. Temporal: in the time of, during
c. Cause: on the basis of
2. With Dative
a. Spatial: on, upon, against, at, near
b. Temporal: at, at the time of, during
c. Cause: on the basis of
3. With Accusative
a. Spatial: on, upon, to, up to, against
b. Temporal: for, over a period of
This information gives a meaning for the preposition
EPI in
genitive of 'in the time of, during' (the same meaning that May gives in
his book). However, this information also gives a meaning in dative of 'at the time of, during'. Both of these case meanings would be appropriate to the coins in question.
While I have not yet found a reference for a dative case ending for the name of Protes (ΠΡΩΤΗΣ), I did find one for the name of Orpheus, and it is the same ending as that seen on my coin of Protes.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/OrpheusCase Singular
nominative Orphe͡us
genitive Orpheī, Orpheos
dative Orpheō
accusative Orpheum, Orphea
ablative Orpheō
vocative Orphe͡u
Henry Noel Humphreys ‘The Coin Collector's Manual’
Page 40 (see image below), Regarding a coin of
Alexander I of Macedon: “The
inscription stands ALEXANDRO, in the dative case, in the ancient manner, with O instead of Ω.”
Abdera was a neighbor, and the practice of using dative case coin inscriptions is attested here in Macedon before the time of my coin.