Classical Numismatics Discussion
  Welcome Guest. Please login or register. 10% Off Store-Wide Sale Until 2 April!!! Explore Our Website And Find Joy In The History, Numismatics, Art, Mythology, And Geography Of Coins!!! Expert Authentication - Accurate Descriptions - Reasonable Prices - Coins From Under $10 To Museum Quality Rarities Welcome Guest. Please login or register. 10% Off Store-Wide Sale Until 2 April!!! Explore Our Website And Find Joy In The History, Numismatics, Art, Mythology, And Geography Of Coins!!! Support Our Efforts To Serve The Classical Numismatics Community - Shop At Forum Ancient Coins

New & Reduced


Author Topic: A seated Homer from Kyme  (Read 1137 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Pscipio

  • Tribunus Plebis 2009
  • Procurator Monetae
  • Caesar
  • *****
  • Posts: 3756
  • Si vis pacem, cole iustitiam
A seated Homer from Kyme
« on: July 10, 2011, 04:58:18 pm »
Kyme in the Aeolis was one of a number of cities that claimed a connection to Homer by putting him on their coins in Roman times. The reason for this claim was that Homer's mother Kritheis (or Krethis) was said to have been from Kyme (there are different accounts about her). Unlike the Homer coins from Amastris (which are rare but not extremely so), the ones from Kyme are, to my knowledge, very rare. I thus felt very lucky in finding an unidentified specimen on eBay some while ago, the first I have personally seen on the market so far. At least one other bidder must have realized what it is as he bid me up way above what would have been a normal price for a pseudo-autonomous bronze with seated Zeus as it was described by the seller. Still the price seemed fair to me for what the coin is. RPC online knows four specimens of the type with the ethnic in oak wreath reverse, two in London, one in Paris and one in Vienna. There is a second type from the same series of which RPC knows seven specimens, this time with Kritheis as reverse type.

Kyme, Aeolis, AE19, time of Commodus.
Obv: OMHPOC, Homer seated right, resting right arm on seat and holding scroll in left hand.
Rev: ΚΥΜ/Α/ΙΩΝ within oak wreath.
RPC online 2469: 4 specimens, none illustrated, but cf. BMC Aeolis p. 115, no. 109-110

Lars
Leu Numismatik
www.leunumismatik.com

Offline Tom Mullally

  • Procurator Caesaris
  • Caesar
  • ****
  • Posts: 1086
Re: A seated Homer from Kyme
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2011, 12:22:24 am »
Very nice catch, Lars.  It's easy to see how the less-specialized collector/dealer would call the obverse Zeus.  It's a very attractive and rare piece.

Tom
Tom Mullally

Classical Numismatic Group

Offline Potator II

  • Procurator Caesaris
  • Caesar
  • ****
  • Posts: 1636
  • Error communis facit jus
    • Monnaies de la Dombes
Re: A seated Homer from Kyme
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2011, 01:58:36 am »
That is great Lars.
Reading the title, at first, I thought it might be a joke

Best
JC

Offline Pscipio

  • Tribunus Plebis 2009
  • Procurator Monetae
  • Caesar
  • *****
  • Posts: 3756
  • Si vis pacem, cole iustitiam
Re: A seated Homer from Kyme
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2011, 06:20:36 pm »
Thanks! So the question is: who is the better poet, Homer or Homer?

Here's my only Homer from Amastris, a coin Andreas Reich kindly traded to me.

Quasi-autonomous AE28, 2nd Century AD, Amastris, Paphlagonia.
Obv: OMHPOC, bearded and diademed head of Homer right.
Rev: AMACTPIANΩN, emperor standing left in military attire, holding sceptre and sacrificing from patera over altar.
26-28 mm, 9.60 g
RPC online -, SNG Aulock -, SNG Leypold -, SNG Righetti -, SNG -, Lindgren I + III -, Imhoof-Blumer KM -, acsearch -, asiaminorcoins -

Cf. SNG Aulock 6806 for a coin from the same obverse die. The description mentions another coin from that obverse die, published in ZFN 10 (1883), pl. 3,6, but I couldn't check it yet.

Lars

PS: click to zoom
Leu Numismatik
www.leunumismatik.com

 

All coins are guaranteed for eternity