EΠI - What does it mean?

[PtolemAE]

PtolemAE,

Have you looked in 'Seleucid Coins' for this coin? Your reading of ANTIOXEON looks good to me.
 

Thanks.  The letters aren't all perfectly legible after 2200 years   The Seleukids seem to have been fond of naming (or renaming) many towns 'ANTIOXEON' and then adding some secondary nickname or name of a river or region to make it more specific in coin inscriptions.  There were probably so many cities named 'ANTIOCH' this and 'ANTIOCH' that that even the residents might have become confused and pity the map-makers

Do you know the meaning of the words TON and PROS in these kinds of coin inscriptions ?  Perhaps a simple interpretation of EPI as 'near', in space and/or time according to context or grammatical case, consistent with earlier posts.

SC gives the spelling of the coin illustrated above as 'KALLAROHI' (SC 1499). 

The latter (with link to the gallery) is SC 1418 (no date in exergue).  Spelling in SC is 'DAPHNI' but this coin has (at least) one letter more.  It looks like 'DAPHNHN' and ANTIOXEON is fully legible.  What's odd is that references say it's from 'Antioch on the Orontes' but the coin uses a nickname 'ANTIOXEON' and 'DAPHNI' or 'DAPHNEN'.  This would seem to be so-called 'quasi-municipal' coinage given that form of its inscription but references say it's from the principal royal city, Antioch on the Orontes - where one might presume coinage would be 'royal' and not 'quasi-municipal'.  Plenty of other Antiochos IV coinage from Antioch has no reference to the city name. 

PtolemAE

[curtislclay]

ANTIOXEΩN TΩN EΠI KAΛΛIPOHI (Sear 6999) = "Of the people of Antioch, the ones at the spring Callirhoe".

ANTIOXEΩN TΩN ΠPOΣ ΔAΦNHI (Sear 6997) = "Of the people of Antioch, the ones at Daphne".

The legends explain which Antioch was meant.  

TΩN = "the ones", agreeing with ANTIOXEΩN.

EΠI and ΠPOΣ: both prepositions, used here with the dative case, meaning "at" or "near".

Linguistically these legends pose no problems, but what coin issuers they were meant to specify may still be uncertain. Pliny, for example, specifically says that Edessa was earlier known as "Antioch, called Callirhoe from its spring", but Pellerin argued that this legend more probably referred to a group of merchants from Antioch who had established themselves at the famous hot springs in Trans-Jordan, which were also called Callirhoe. Eckhel III pp. 305-6 followed Pellerin; Head in contrast returned to the idea that the coins were struck in Edessa (Historia Numorum, p. 814).

[Perikles]

Hallo everybody,
in Leschhorn the magistrate's name appears as ΠΡΩΤΗΣ (Πρωτῆς), with a circumflex on the last syllable.
Normally the genitive of this type of names ends in -EOΥΣ (like: ΣΟΦΟΚΛΗΣ-ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ / ΗΡΑΚΛΗΣ-ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ / ΠΕΡΙΚΛΗΣ-ΠΕΡΙΚΛΕΟΥΣ etc).
The genitive ΠΡΩΤΕΩ could be-i believe:
a) genitive of a name, that ends in -ΕΥΣ (for example ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ-ΠΡΩΤΕΩΣ), without the last -Σ
b) an archaic type of genitive or genitive in local greek dialect (-ΕΩ instead of -ΕΟΥΣ).
c)Head in Historia Nummorum gives some similar examples:
ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΩ, ΦΑΝΕΩ, ΠΥΘΕΩ etc. The two last could be ΦΑΝΕΑΣ (or ΦΑΝΗΣ) and ΠΥΘΕΑΣ (or ΠΥΘΗΣ). For the first one it is already known the nominative type: ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΑΣ.


Perikles

[Kevin D]

PtolemAE,

I didn’t find many references, but feel this is worth passing along:

in Hartmann & Macdonald ‘Greek Numismatic Epigraphy’ Reprint, on pages 31-32, I found both of the inscriptions in question (or very near variations of them). Basically, it is stated that these inscriptions came about to help contemporary people identify the issuer of the coinage. To the translations of each inscription in this book I have added: ‘of (the people of)’ because I think it is correct.

ANTIOXEΩN TΩN EΠI KALLIPOH
of (the people of) Antioch on Callirhoe (Edessa, Mesopotamia)

ANTIOXEΩN TΩN ΠPOΣ ΔAΦNH
of (the people of) Antioch by Daphne (Syria)

[Kevin D]

Hallo everybody,
in Leschhorn the magistrate's name appears as ΠΡΩΤΗΣ (Πρωτῆς), with a circumflex on the last syllable.
Normally the genitive of this type of names ends in -EOΥΣ (like: ΣΟΦΟΚΛΗΣ-ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ / ΗΡΑΚΛΗΣ-ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ / ΠΕΡΙΚΛΗΣ-ΠΕΡΙΚΛΕΟΥΣ etc).
The genitive ΠΡΩΤΕΩ could be-i believe:
a) genitive of a name, that ends in -ΕΥΣ (for example ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ-ΠΡΩΤΕΩΣ), without the last -Σ
b) an archaic type of genitive or genitive in local greek dialect (-ΕΩ instead of -ΕΟΥΣ).
c)Head in Historia Nummorum gives some similar examples:
ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΩ, ΦΑΝΕΩ, ΠΥΘΕΩ etc. The two last could be ΦΑΝΕΑΣ (or ΦΑΝΗΣ) and ΠΥΘΕΑΣ (or ΠΥΘΗΣ). For the first one it is already known the nominative type: ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΑΣ.


Perikles

Perikles,

On page 255 of Historia Numorum (1911 edition) Head gives ΠΡΩΤΗΣ as the nominative of the name (on coins of Abdera at this time). For nominative ΠΡΩΤΗΣ would the dative, in the early to mid fourth century BC, be ΠΡΩΤEΩ ? It looks to me that this is what it is on the coin, a dative case of the name. This looks like the cleanest interpretation to me, without need of identifying a dropped letter or unusual type of genitive case ending.

[Perikles]

Kevin D,
normally the dative of ΠΡΩΤΗΣ should be ΠΡΩΤΕΙ.
I am talking about a type of dialect, because once i have seen a provincial coin of Titus possibly of Abdera. The incription was a little strange like here but unfortunately i don't have any photo of it to prove my opinion.

Perikles

[PtolemAE]

ANTIOXEΩN TΩN EΠI KAΛΛIPOHI (Sear 6999) = "Of the people of Antioch, the ones at the spring Callirhoe".

ANTIOXEΩN TΩN ΠPOΣ ΔAΦNHI (Sear 6997) = "Of the people of Antioch, the ones at Daphne".

The legends explain which Antioch was meant.  

TΩN = "the ones", agreeing with ANTIOXEΩN.

EΠI and ΠPOΣ: both prepositions, used here with the dative case, meaning "at" or "near".

Linguistically these legends pose no problems, but what coin issuers they were meant to specify may still be uncertain. Pliny, for example, specifically says that Edessa was earlier known as "Antioch, called Callirhoe from its spring", but Pellerin argued that this legend more probably referred to a group of merchants from Antioch who had established themselves at the famous hot springs in Trans-Jordan, which were also called Callirhoe. Eckhel III pp. 305-6 followed Pellerin; Head in contrast returned to the idea that the coins were struck in Edessa (Historia Numorum, p. 814).

Brilliant, Curtis - just what I was hoping to learn about.  Thank you. 

Interesting also to learn that two possible Kallirohe cities might be in competition for the attribution.  SC takes the Edessa option.

The question about 'daphni' remains; namely why Antioch on the Orontes was referred to by a second name: 'Daphne'.  No reference of which I have any recollection mentions that these coins are from 'Daphne' or where such a city might be.  Nor is it obvious why the main capital (royal) city of Antioch might need a second 'quasi municipal' coinage in addition to the well-known royal coinage bearing inscriptions simply naming the king himself as the issuing authority: 'Antioxoy Theo Epiphanoys'.  A tale of two cities?  A tale of one city with two coinages?

PtolemAE

[Kevin D]

Kevin D,
normally the dative of ΠΡΩΤΗΣ should be ΠΡΩΤΕΙ.
I am talking about a type of dialect, because once i have seen a provincial coin of Titus possibly of Abdera. The incription was a little strange like here but unfortunately i don't have any photo of it to prove my opinion.

Perikles

Perikles,

If you have a reference for "normally the dative of ΠΡΩΤΗΣ should be ΠΡΩΤΕΙ" please pass it along. I would like to see a table of the different grammar cases for the personal name Protes, like that I cited and linked to earlier for the name Orpheus.

I do believe you regarding unusual dialects. I've attached an image (see below) of a diobol of Messambria where a single T is read as a SS.


Regarding the Abdera tetrobol, I doubt that a letter has been left off of the coin inscription, either intentionally or by accident. The inscription is well centered, with plenty of room for additional letters, and there are many of these coins like this from different dies. In addition, there are many of these coins with a normally seen genitive case ending that are contemporary with the coins like mine. So, I believe that what is on the coin should be used to read it. If it is an unusual dialect, then it was being used at the same time as other coins issued by Abdera with a normal genitive case ending.

May does state that the name is Protes, and Head states that this is the nominative of the name. Is the name on this coin really Protes, or maybe something else? Is there a name you can offer by reading this coin as a dative case? because it does look like a dative case ending to me. Proteus, Proteos, Protos? Is there a name you can offer by reading this coin's inscription in any normally seen case ending that you think is correct, by using the letters on the coin?

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Here is another wrinkle:

Some of the 'names' found on these Abdera coins might not be personal names. Jenkins and Hipolito (their work quoted below is later than May's) state them to be eponyms. An online definition I found for eponym: "An eponym is a person, place, or thing after whom or after which something is named."

Jenkins and Hipolito  ‘A Catalogue of the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection of Greek Coins’  Part II
Pages 28-29, “Abdera is a mint specially rich in signatures and in changing types. A large number of the signatures known, especially from the mid-fifth century onwards, are prefaced by the preposition EΠI and may safely be reckoned to be annual eponyms, though the name of the eponymous magistracy at Abdera is not known. Whether those names which are not accompanied by EΠI are equally eponyms is uncertain but it seems easier to allow for some irregularity of verbal usage than to suppose a real variation of practice in naming the coin issues. The naming of eponyms in this way is rarely met with on Greek coins, at least during the Classical and Helenistic periods…” I found no mention of grammar cases in the section on Abdera.

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I've attached an image (see below) of Protes used as a word on an AR Tetradrachm (but not as a "person, place, or thing" here?):

MAKEDONΩN  PROTES
Of the First (Region) of the Macedonians

[Perikles]

Hallo Kevin D,
you helped me a lot with your message. I'll explain to you.
Firstly: the male names that -end in -ΗΣ with circuflex on the last syllable or on the previous syllable according to the third declension of nouns have the dative:

https://ancientgreek.pressbooks.com/chapter/23/

Scroll down and see the example of Σωκράτης (Σωκράτους, Σωκράτει). Like Σωκράτης is the name Ἡρακλῆς (like Πρωτῆς according to Leschhorn): Ἡρακλέους-Πρωτέους, Ἡρακλεῖ-Πρωτεῖ)

See the tetradrachm of Thasos: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5167069

For the male name ΟΡΦΕΥΣ, you can see the example of ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ (King):

Scroll down: https://ancientgreek.pressbooks.com/chapter/24/


The TT and SS of Mesembria, i think, that comes from the attic dialect, like for example ΘΑΛΑΣΣΑ and ΘΑΛΑΤΤΑ (the sea).

The list of Münsterberg has some examples:
ΕΡΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΔΕΩ / ΜΟΛΠΑΓΟΡΕΩ / ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΩ / ΠΡΩΤΕΩ / ΠΥΘΕΩ / ΠΥΘΙΝΝΕΩ / ΦΑΝΕΩ.
The problem is that these types don't agree grammaticaly with the nominative form of the names (if we don't speak about a local dialect).

So, i think that these types are dative of the eponyms, that come from the names.

For example: Name: ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΑΣ, Eponym: ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΟΣ-ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΩ
                    Name: ΦΑΝΗΣ, Eponym: ΦΑΝΕΟΣ-ΦΑΝΕΩ
                    Name: ΠΡΩΤΗΣ, Eponym: ΠΡΩΤΕΟΣ-ΠΡΩΤΕΩ
                    Name: ΠΥΘΗΣ, Eponym: ΠΥΘΕΟΣ-ΠΥΘΕΩ
according to the second declension of nouns

Οr we can think of genitive of the attic dialect:
ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΑΣ-ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΩΣ-ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΩ
ΦΑΝΗΣ-ΦΑΝΕΩΣ-ΦΑΝΕΩ
ΠΡΩΤΗΣ-ΠΡΩΤΕΩΣ-ΠΡΩΤΕΩ etc.

Yes, ΠΡΩΤΗΣ is also the genitive form of singular of female and means ''of the first". It is also an hypothesis.

Perikles

[Kevin D]

Perikles,

Thank you very much for taking the time to look into this and write out so well what you found. I will now spend time looking at the websites you have linked, and try to absorb what you have laid out.

Kevin