Fine Coins Showcase
Antiquities Showcase
Show Empty Categories
Shop Search
Shopping Cart
My FORVM
Contact Us
About Forum
Shopping at Forum
Our Guarantee
Payment Options
Shipping Options & Fees
Privacy & Security
Forum Staff
Selling Your Coins
Identifying Your Coin
FAQs
zoom.asp
Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Military||View Options:   | | | |
In 467 B.C. the Athenian statesman and military commander Cimon, and his fleet of 200 ships, destroyed the Persian navy based at the mouth of the river Eurymedon in a surprise attack. In order to crush to Persian land forces, he tricked the Persians by sending his best fighters ashore wearing the garments of the hostages he had seized earlier. When they saw these men, the Persians thought that they were compatriots freed by the enemy and arranged festivities in celebration. Taking advantage of this, Cimon landed and annihilated the Persians. Aspendos then became a member of the Attic-Delos Maritime league.
Roma Numismatics speculated that the undertype of the present coin was the uncertain Cypriot stater of the ram with ankh symbol/laurel branch type. A tantalizing suggestion, but a likelier candidate for the host stater is an issue of neighboring Side with a pomegranate on the obverse and the head of Athena within an incuse square on the reverse. On the warrior side of our Aspendus coin, we see hints of the fruit, including its prominent stem flanked by two leaves. There are also suggestions of Athena’s neck on the reverse.GS114035. Silver stater, SNG Fitzwilliam 5052 (same rev. die); SNG BnF 2 var. (no tortoise; same rev. die); cf. SNGvA 4484 (EΣ only; rev. tortoise; lion btw triskeles), aVF, oval flan struck with worn dies, clean bright surfaces, overstruck with traces of undertype visible on both sides, weight 10.896 g, maximum diameter 24.6 mm, die axis 180o, Aspendos (Serik, Turkey) mint, c. 465 - 430 B.C.; obverse warrior advancing right, wearing crested helmet, nude, couched spear in right hand, round shield on left arm, tortoise between legs; reverse triskeles of human legs clockwise, EΣT high across field, crouching lion lower left behind triskeles, all within an incuse square; interesting overstrike; ex Roma Numismatics e-sale 112 (7 Sep 2023), lot 408; $350.00 (€329.00)
Trajan, 25 January 98 - 8 or 9 August 117 A.D.
In 107 A.D., Trajan received an ambassador from India. In 108 A.D., "doctor's offices" opened in Rome replacing "house calls.RS113935. Silver denarius, Woytek 270b, BnF IV 276, RIC II 128, RSC II 74, BMCRE III 328, Hunter II 104, Strack I 128, SRCV II 3129, EF, centered on a tight flan, attractive portrait, attractive toning, weight 3.505 g, maximum diameter 17.4 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 107 - 108 A.D.; obverse IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P, laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder; reverse COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, Victory standing slightly left, naked to hips, raising wreath in right hand, palm frond in left hand; from the Chris Noah Collection (purchased spring 2006); $330.00 (€310.20)
Seleukid Kingdom, Philip I Philadelphos, c. 94 - 83 or 75 B.C.
Philip I Philadelphus was the fourth son of Antiochus VIII Grypus. He took the diadem in 94 B.C. together with his twin brother Antiochus XI Epiphanes, after the eldest son Seleucus VI Epiphanes was killed by their cousin Antiochus X Eusebes. The next year Antiochus X killed Antiochus XI. Antiochus X was probably killed in 88 B.C. Philip's younger brother Demetrius III turned on Philip I and took the capital, but the Philip I prevailed and took Antioch. Their youngest brother Antiochus XII took Damascus. Philip I tried to take Damascus, after which he disappears from the historical record, which does not tell us how or when he died. His death is traditionally dated 83 B.C. but Numismatic evidence and clues in ancient literature indicate that Philip I might have died in 75 B.C. His coins remained in circulation when the Romans conquered Syria in 64 B.C. Roman authorities in Syria continued to issue coins modeled on Philip I's coins, including his portrait, until 13 B.C.GY113434. Silver tetradrachm, Houghton-Lorber II 2463(2)i, SNG Spaer 2803, Newell SMA 441, HGC 9 1319, BMC Seleucid -, gVF, toned, light encrustations, obv. off center, weight 15.904 g, maximum diameter 25.2 mm, die axis 0o, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, c. 88/7 - 83/75 B.C.; obverse diademed head of Philip I Philadelphos right, bulging eye, pouting lips, pronounced aquiline nose, fillet border; reverse BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΦIΛIΠΠOY EΠIΦANOYΣ ΦIΛAΔEΛΦOY, Zeus seated left on high-backed throne, nude to the waist, himation around hips and legs, Nike presenting wreath in right hand, long scepter vertical behind in left, .I.(Φ)/A outer left, N inner left,
(frozen control monogram) below throne, all within laurel wreath; ex Leu Numismatik auction 26 (13 July 2023), lot 6961 (part of); $320.00 (€300.80) Judean Kingdom, Herod the Great, 37 - 4 B.C.
Matthew (2:1-23) describes the Massacre of the Innocents. Wise men from the East visited Herod to inquire the whereabouts of "the one having been born king of the Jews," because they had seen his star. Herod, as King of the Jews, was alarmed. The chief priests, citing Micah 5:2, told Herod the anointed one would be born in Bethlehem. Herod sent the "wise men" to Bethlehem, instructing them to "report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." However, the Magi were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod. Joseph was warned in a dream that Herod intended to kill Jesus, so he and his family fled to Egypt. When Herod realized he had been outwitted, he gave orders to kill all boys of the age of two and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity. Joseph and his family stayed in Egypt until Herod's death, then moved to Nazareth. Herod was guilty of many brutal acts, including killing his wife and two sons, but no other source from the period refers to the massacre. Bethlehem was a small village, the number of male children under the age of two might not have exceed 20, and this may be the reason for the lack of other sources for this history.JD114512. Copper eight prutot, Hendin 6204; Meshorer TJC 44; Meshorer AJC II 1; BMC Palestine p. 220, 1; RPC I 4901; HGC 10 651, F, near black patina with highlighting blue-green deposits, uneven strike with weak areas, rev. edge beveled, edge splits, weight 6.120 g, maximum diameter 23.6 mm, die axis 45o, Samaria mint, 40 - 37 B.C.; obverse HPΩΔOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ (Greek: of King Herod), tripod with ceremonial bowl (lebes), LΓ -
Nero, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D., Koinon of Galatia, Galatia
In 25 B.C., Augustus raised Ankara to the status of a polis and made it the capital city of the Roman province of Galatia. Ankara is famous for the Monumentum Ancyranum (Temple of Augustus and Rome) which contains the official record of the Acts of Augustus, known as the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, an inscription cut in marble on the walls of this temple. An estimated 200,000 people lived in Ancyra in good times during the Roman Empire, a far greater number than was to be the case from after the fall of the Roman Empire until the early 20th century.
Numismatic scholars have long speculated which city in Galatia was the minter of the Koinon of Galatia issues, with reasons to suggest Ancyra, Pessinus, and Tavium. In May 2023, a member of the FORVM Ancient Coins Discussion Board asked for help in identifying a Roman provincial of Galba with a temple reverse that he believed was a product of Tavium. Quite surprisingly, its actual origin was Ancyra and its strong resemblance to RPC I 3566, a Koinon of Galatia issue struck under Galba, was unmistakable. The Ancyra coin, still unpublished on RPC Online and the earliest attested Roman provincial issue of the city, also bore an owl countermark (Howgego 468). This mark was previously known only from the Koinon of Galatia coinages of Nero and Galba, thus adding even more evidence in favor of Ancyra as the Koinon minter/issuer.RP114405. Bronze AE 20, RPC Online 3563A (6 spec., otherwise apparently unpublished) , VF, green patina, smooth surfaces except for the occasional tiny pit, a handsome specimen, weight 4.577 g, maximum diameter 20.3 mm, die axis 0o, Ancyra (Ankara, Turkey) mint, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D.; obverse NEPΩNOΣ ΣEBAΣTOY, laureate head right; reverse ΣEBAΣTH, Nike striding left, wreath in extended right hand, palm frond in left hand; very rare; $200.00 (€188.00)
Constantius II, 22 May 337 - 3 November 361 A.D.
In 352, The Alamanni and the Franks defeated the Roman army and took control of 40 towns between the Moselle and the Rhine. The return of happy times, advertised by the reverse legend, was more a hope than reality.SL113481. Billon heavy maiorina, RIC VIII Heraclea 82, LRBC II 1893, SRCV V 18144, Cohen VII 46, Hunter V 69 var. (2nd officina), NGC XF, strike 3/5, surface 4/5 (centenionalis, 2412818-042), weight 6.11 g, maximum diameter 24.5 mm, die axis 0o, 4th officina, Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) mint, 15 Mar 351 - 6 Nov 355 A.D.; obverse D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse FEL TEMP REPARATIO (happy times restored), helmeted soldier advancing left, shield on left arm, spearing fallen horseman, shield on the ground at feet, horseman is diademed, turns to face soldier, and extends left arm, Γ left, SMHΔ in exergue; from a Virginia Collector; NGC| Lookup; $150.00 (€141.00)
Nero, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D., Caesarea, Cappadocia
Kayseri, Turkey was originally named Mazaca. It was renamed Eusebia by Ariarathes V Eusebes, King of Cappadocia, 163 - 130 B.C. The last king of Cappadocia, King Archelaus, renamed it "Caesarea in Cappadocia" to honor Caesar Augustus upon his death in 14 A.D. Muslim Arabs slightly modified the name into Kaisariyah, which became Kayseri when the Seljuk Turks took control, c. 1080 A.D.GP114564. Silver hemidrachm, Ganschow 60, RPC Online I 3646, RIC I 618, Sydenham Caesarea 83, SNG Cop 183, SNGvA 6359, SNG Tub 4617, aVF, toned, mild roughness, weight 1.792 g, maximum diameter 13.9 mm, die axis 0o, Cappadocia, Caesarea (Kayseri, Turkey) mint, c. 58 - 59 A.D.; obverse NERO CLAVD DIVI CLAVD F CAESAR AVG GERMANI, laureate head right; reverse Victory standing right, right foot on globe, inscribing shield resting on knee; ex CNG e-auction 541 (28 Jun 2023), lot 357; ex Baldwin & Sons (London); $125.00 (€117.50)
Trajan, 25 January 98 - 8 or 9 August 117 A.D.
In 107 A.D., Trajan received an ambassador from India. In 108 A.D., "doctor's offices" opened in Rome replacing "house calls.RS113123. Silver denarius, Woytek 270b, BnF IV 276, RIC II 128, RSC II 74, BMCRE III 328, Hunter II 104, Strack I 128, SRCV II 3129, aVF, flow lines, small edge crack, weight 3.256 g, maximum diameter 19.0 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 107 - 108 A.D.; obverse IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P, laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder; reverse COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, Victory standing slightly left, naked to hips, raising wreath in right hand, palm frond in left hand; $120.00 (€112.80)
Judaea, Antonius Felix, Roman Procurator Under Claudius and Nero, 52 - 60 A.D.
The palm depicted is, of course, the date palm. The tree was a symbol of Judea where palm trees grow in greater numbers than the surrounding areas (the Romans also used it as a symbol of Judea on Judaea Capta coins). The palm also symbolized abundance and plenty, dignity, royal honor, jubilation and victory, and was used in religious processionsJD114538. Bronze prutah, Hendin 6377; Meshorer TJC 340; Sofaer 59; BMC Palestine p. 264, 21; RPC I 4971, aVF, dark patina with highlighting earthen deposits, obv. slightly off center, rev. edge beveled, sprue cuts, small edge split, weight 2.223 g, maximum diameter 16.3 mm, die axis 0o, Jerusalem mint, under Nero, 54 A.D.; obverse NEPW KΛAV KAICAP (Nero Claudius Caesar), two crossed oblong shields with two crossed spears on far side; reverse BPIT (Britannicus), six-branched palm bearing two bunches of dates, L - IΔ / K-AI (year 14 of Caesar) flanking trunk; $120.00 (€112.80)
Hierapolis, Phrygia, c. 1st Century B.C.
Hierapolis (Greek: "Holy City") was located on hot springs in Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia. Its ruins are adjacent to modern Pamukkale in Turkey and are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hot springs have been used as a spa since the 2nd century B.C., with many patrons retiring or dying there. The large necropolis is filled with sarcophagi. In A.D. 17, during the rule of the emperor Tiberius, a major earthquake destroyed the city.
The unusual seated figure on the reverse of this Apollo type has variously been described as Athena, Roma, Tyche, or a "City-goddess," none of which have found full acceptance among numismatists. Leo Weber in his 1911 XAPITEΣ article, "Zur Münzprägung des phrygischen Hierapolis" was decidedly against the attribution to Athena based on the absence of her iconic helmet. An unnamed city goddess, as tentatively proposed by Barclay Head in BMC Phrygia, seemed to Weber the closest identification of those he knew. That said, discussed later in the article was a pseudo-autonomous issue (i.e. RPC III 2350) inscribed ΘEA PΩMH ("the Goddess Roma") on the reverse. Although the designs are different in many ways and (supposedly) similar to the seated Athena type of the Pergamene kings, they undeniably capture the spirit of the old Hierapolis Greek type.GB113956. Bronze AE 19, BMC Phrygia p. 228, 2-3; HGC 7 696 (R2), cf. SNG Tübingen 4019 (uncertain monogram), gF, well centered, attractive dark green patina with good contrast, weight 6.802 g, maximum diameter 19.1 mm, die axis 0o, Hierapolis (near Pamukkale, Turkey) mint, c. 58 - 40 B.C.(?); obverse laureate head of Apollo right; reverse IEPO/ΠOΛITΩN downwards in right and left fields, respectively, Roma(?) seated left on pile of three shields, holding wreath-bearing Nike in right hand supported by scepter in left; letters ΦI in lower right field.; very rare; $110.00 (€103.40)
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE FROM THIS CATEGORY - FORVM's PRIOR SALES
Page created in 1.671 seconds.
