Pamphylia, Aspendos AR Stater

Circa 330/25-300/250 BC. (26mm, 10.58 g, 12h). Tekin Series 5; SNG von Aulock-4573; SNG France-115. Obverse: Two naked wrestlers grappling; monogram between. Reverse: Slinger in throwing stance right; EΣTFEΔIY to left; to right, triskeles over downward facing club; all within dotted circle border. Minor die break on obverse. Good VF, toned, well centered.

Ex CNG

The ancient city Aspendos was an important Greek colony and harbor city on the river Eurymedon located 7 miles off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In the fifth century BCE, the city commenced minting coins based on the Persian standard, which was then common in Persian-ruled Asia Minor. The wrestler-type, began in the fourth century, probably refers to either pankration or pale (wrestling) victory in one of the Panhellenic games. The slinger on the reverse may be a punning reference to the city's name, since sphendone ("sling") sounds similar to Aspendos. The triskeles to the slinger's right might depict the city's badge. The ethnic on the reverse, Estwediu, corresponds to the Greek genitive case Aspendiou ("of the Aspendians"). It is interesting to note that the ethnic is spelled utilizing the then-archaic ancient Greek letter digamma F (pronounced “w”). Other known coinages which used the digamma letter were Elis in the Peloponnesos and Lydian “Walwet” coins. The Aspendians also liked to stress out that their city had been established by the Argives. The club of the Argive hero Herakles on the reverse may refer to the event when Argos bestowed honorary Argive citizenship to all Aspendians in a decree dated around 330-300 B.C. that was set up in Nemea, the site of the Nemean games. (Part of commentary extracted from HFMA Coin Catalogue).