Nicopolis/Julia Domna eagle

[Steve Minnoch]

A friend asked me to look at this coin - there is just enough from the legend to be sure it is Nicopolis ad Istrum, which leads me to this entry in AMNG.  Can someone please help me with the German?

I translate the rev as: "Eagle with closed wings standing right on a rock(?), with head turned left holding wreath".

The comment is much harder for me, with the risk of humiliating myself: "With the Wiener example it is unclear what the eagle stands on, it seems to me a low base rather than a rock, the same interpretation is possible with the second example"

The final thing is I read the obv legend that is legible as IOV (delta)OM., with "CEBACTH" OR "NA CEBACTH" likely to be on thr right side.  Does anyone concur/disagree?

Steve

[slokind]

Here it is.  There are several dies for this as well as dies for Septimius and the Boys.  I love them.  Mine has lots of patina, but I won't touch it!
27 12 04 (acc date)  Æ16  1.89g  axis ~12:00.  Nicopolis ad Istrum.  Julia Domna, draped bust to r.  [IOVLIA]D    OMNA SEB (?).  Rev., Eagle with wings folded, regardant with wreath in beak, stg to r. on a line.  NIKOP[OL..   PRO]S ISTRO.  Cf. Pick p. 395, no. 1481, but even if Pick's specimens do not stand on rocks this one is different dies and a different obv. legend.  See also these eagles for Caracalla, Geta, Septimius.
Pat L.
30 12 02 AE 16+  Nicopolis ad Istrum.  Caracalla as Caesar, bareheaded, draped bust to r.  M AV KAI      ANTONINOS (retrograde, as Pick 1512; no. 1511 is a head).  Rev., Eagle on exergue line standing with furled wings to l., regardant, with wreath in beak.  NIKOPOLIT PROS ISTR.  Eagle not listed.
31 03 03 AE16 Nicopolis ad Istrum.  Septimius Severus, laureate, head to r.  A[V K L]      SEVEROS.  Rev., Eagle to l., with partly spread wings.  This coin is the obv. of Pick AMNG I, 1, no. 1413 or 1414 with the reverse of no. 1413, though I cannot confirm the misspelling and it is unclear whether Pick's eagle was regardant, only wreathless.  Pl. XIX, 35 shows an eagle reverse for Septimius like Julia Domna's, below.

[kerux]

Steve,

I believe the coin is Moushmov 1047...here is the info & pic from Wildwinds:

Julia Domna, Nicopolis ad Istrum
Obv: IOVLIA DOMNA, draped bust right
Rev: NIKOPOLEITWN, Eagle standing right on a rock, holding wreath in its beak

 Moushmov 1047 of Nicopolis ad Istrum.

Contributed by Dane for George Clegg, August, 2005.


Joe W.

[kerux]

Just noticed the obverse legend listed for Moushmov 1047 is wrong (or at least it does not match the coin pic). The coin clearly has "IOV :Greek_Delta:O" as does your friends coin.

Joe W.

[slokind]

Judging from Wildwinds listing Mushmov 1047 is Æ24, not Æ 16 or 18 like the Pick AMNG listing that Steve found OR the three coins that I posted for the eagle type.  AMNG 1481 is only 15mm, and the three of mine only 16mm.
Yet the Wildwinds coin most surely does match the type on the  coin Steve inquired about.  From the Wildwinds photo, I think it is (was) a globe, something that eagles do stand on, and Pick reports that on his Specimen 2, Market (!), the eagle was said to stand on a globe (Kügel), on 3 'on the ground'.  Pick thought that on the first of them, Vienna, it stood on a low base.  Pat L.

[Pscipio]

Pat would surely have corrected your translation, Steve, if it were completely wrong, thus I don't know whether it is of value to you, but yes, your interpretations are mostly correct. While you omitted some words, you still understood the meaning of the sentences very well.

Lars

Edit: I see, Pat has worked on her last posting, so sorry for mine. Kugel (not Kügel), in numismatic language, usually is a globe, while in normal use of German, it is just a bowl.

[Steve Minnoch]

Joe: the obv legend is the same because the coin is the same, hers is no doubt now "ex George Clegg".

Because Moushmov really only gives the ruler and rev type, I don't find it very useful as a reference myself (although it can be a handy tool). AMNG is much better - but as I am not multilingual I struggle when the German goes beyond the very (very!) basic.  I rather skipped over the varieties section, I see now I should have been more diligent.

Thanks to everyone.

Steve

[Steve Minnoch]

Further to that - the wildwinds listing is in error - the coin is only 16mm, and both legends are wrong!  I will let Dave Surber know.  Sorry I didn't explicitly state the diameter earlier, but I thought it was implied by the AMNG extract.

Steve