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Author Topic: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction  (Read 3217 times)

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Offline rjohara

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Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« on: August 19, 2005, 12:53:30 am »
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.

Offline rjohara

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2005, 01:08:36 am »
Here is an example of a different coin, but also from Erythrae, showing a fire beacon on the reverse, from the Fitzwilliam Museum collections.

Offline cscoppa

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2005, 01:12:13 am »
There are many theories about the meaning of the "turrets" on the campgate type of coins. There are two, three and four of these structures that sit atop the main building. One of the theories is that they are pots for holding fires for sending signals.  I have read how the various number of signals 2, 3 or 4 could be used to send a code from tower to tower.

It is interesting to me how the middle grouping (in the years of 316 to 330 AD) of this style coin's reverse for Constantine, his sons and Licinius and his son have two "turrets" for most of the 14 minting sites and only few sites for the three (in the East & Rome) and a few sites for the four (in the West & Rome).  Did this mean that there was two different types of  "advanced" signaling plus the standard two tower signals. Food for thought.
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Offline slokind

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2005, 01:26:41 am »
Sorry, this archaeologist must fail you.  But I'll keep it in mind.  The first thing I thought of is that there are places were there are towers that are not apparently part of walls, and these are often in high places.  That's not much.  Pat L.

Offline rjohara

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2005, 02:34:47 am »
Here is Toulmin, commenting on the view from a hill on Samos, looking east toward the Ionian coastline below him:

Quote
For the first time, I realized just how compact this area of the globe was. Our scientific tradition first saw light in a region the size of an English county. Clazomenae, Teos, Colophon, Ephesus, Panionium, Samos, Priene, Miletus: even in those days, the towns of the Ionian confederacy lay within a few hours' journey of one another. Indeed, they were all within signalling-range: though some of the towns (like Priene) lay shielded by the slopes of the mountains, a string of signal-fires on the hilltops above them could have carried messages from one end of Ionia to the other in a few minutes. As for the web of sea-routes by which the towns were all linked, these converged fatefully - as Polycrates had seen - on that mile-wide strait at my feet.

Offline Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #5 on: August 20, 2005, 05:56:44 am »
All the watchtowers around Hadrian's Wall are within sight of others when extrapolated to their original height. They must surely have had a signalling system in place; communications is vital to the working of any defence system. It need not necessarily have been anything very sophisticated though; a simple fire to say 'Raiders in sight' might have been sufficient. What would be interesting would be to know how they managed in bad weather, when flame or smoke would have been invisible.
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Offline slokind

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2005, 02:53:05 pm »
Now I want to read Toulmin!  Yes, this is just what I had in mind, only I was thinking of Euboea and AtticaPat L.

Offline rjohara

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2005, 08:07:42 pm »
Now I want to read Toulmin!  Yes, this is just what I had in mind, only I was thinking of Euboea and AtticaPat L.

I think you would adore it. The title is Night Sky at Rhodes, and I see there are quite a few cheap copies on abebooks.com. It is a travelogue through the Aegean and Ionia, but a travelogue of a trip taken to produce a documentary film on the origin of science and philosophy in Ionia. Toulmin as you probably know has been one of the most important historians and philosophers of science of the last two generations. He draws some important conclusions about the historical context of the origins of Western philosophy - even though it's a travelogue. (I never really understood the transparent logic of the four "elements" of earth, air, water, and fire until I read his explanation here.) In a sense, he addresses the same topic as Seaford in Money and the Early Greek Mind, although he does it through travelogue (and doesn't really mention coinage, except perhaps incidentally).

Offline slokind

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #8 on: August 21, 2005, 09:18:44 pm »
Thanks!  My copy is on the way.  It will be a good read and a good reward for efforts of of a more constrained kind.  P.L.

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #9 on: August 22, 2005, 06:23:48 pm »
The town in Lakonia, Greece where my father was born,  has a castle and was an ancient byzantine city. It used to communicate with two other castles via signals.

I used to thinksmoke signals were used only by American Indians until I found that out.

--Peter

Offline Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2005, 06:48:11 pm »
They still use them to this day in Papal elections.
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Offline Rhetor

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2005, 03:10:13 pm »
To offer a fantasy analogue, I'm reminded of the fire beacons that Pippin lights in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.  The chain of beacons is well executed in Peter Jackson's film.

I'm actually teaching the Agamemnon on Monday and am referencing the LOTR film since I'm sure most students have seen it.

Rhetor


Offline slokind

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Re: Fire beacons on coins and for long-distance communiction
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2005, 07:31:19 pm »
Tolkien usually got his archaeology right, even when he did with it what he wanted.  Pat L.

 

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