Some time ago when reading Stephen Toulmin's magnificent book
Night Sky at Rhodes (which is sadly out of print but should be required reading for anyone interested in
Asia Minor and the early
history of science and philosophy) I took note of
his observation that signal beacons on hilltops could spread messages across
Ionia within minutes. I took note of this because about the same time I came across a coin from Erythrae, dating to the 3rd C AD, and claiming to illustrate a fire beacon on the
reverse. (I assume it is a
Roman provincial; I just printed a picture from the web without details.)
Just now I was reading the beginning of Aeschylus'
Agamemnon, and was struck again by the story of the near-instant communication of the fall of
Troy along a chain of signal beacons all the way to mainland
Greece. (A fictional and dramatic account, but the idea is clear.)
Two related questions: (1) Has anyone made a list of fire beacons appearing on coins? (Perhaps they are easy to confuse with altars or other structures?) (2) Are there any other famous literary example of communication-by-beacon, especially in western
Asia Minor?
One of our
fine art historians (
Pat?) must have some wisdom for us.