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Image search results - "Olympia"
BRD_10_D-Mark_1972_J_Olympia_Mnchen_PP_Proof_Polierte_Platte.jpg
Bundesrepublik Deutschland

10 D-Mark 1972 (Silber)

Münzstätte Hamburg

Olympiade München 1972

Gewicht: 15,5g

Erhaltung: leicht angelaufen, Polierte Platte _1699
Antonivs Protti
PHILIP_II_OF_MACEDON.JPG
Philip II, 359 - 336 BC. AE18. Struck after 356 BC at an uncertain mint in MacedoniaObverse: No legend. Young male head, usually identified as Apollo, with hair bound in a taenia, facing left.
Reverse: ΦIΛIΠΠOY, Naked rider on horse prancing left, uncertain control mark, often described as the head of a lion, beneath the horse. The control mark looks a bit like the ram on the prow of a galley to me, but that is just my personal opinion.
Diameter: 17.4mm | Weight: 6.9gms | Die Axis: 12
SNG ANS 872 - 874

The bronze series of this type is extensive and differentiated principally by the different control marks. These control marks are symbols and letters which generally appear on the reverse, very occasionally the obverse, of the coin, and they were used to identify the officials responsible for a particular issue of coinage.
Philip II won the horseback race at the 106th Olympics in 356 BC, and it is thought that the horseman on the reverse of this coin commemorates that event.


Philip II of Macedon was King of Macedon from 359 until his death in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III Arrhidaeus. In 357 BC, Philip married Olympias, who was the daughter of the king of the Molossians. Alexander was born in 356 BC, the same year as Philip's horse won at the Olympic Games.
Only Greeks were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, and Philip was determined to convince his Athenian opposition that he was indeed worthy to be considered Greek. And, after successfully uniting Macedonia and Thessaly, Philip could legitimately participate in the Olympics. In 365 BC Philip entered his horse into the keles, a horseback race in the 106th Olympics, and won. He proceeded to win two more times, winning the four horse chariot race in the 352 BC 107th Olympics and the two horse chariot race in the 348 BC 108th Olympics. These were great victories for Philip because not only had he been admitted officially into the Olympic Games but he had also won, solidifying his standing as a true Greek.
The conquest and political consolidation of most of Greece during Philip's reign was achieved in part by the creation of the Macedonian phalanx which gave him an enormous advantage on the battlefield. After defeating Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC Philip II established the League of Corinth, a federation of Greek states, with him at it's head, with the intention of invading the Persian empire. In 336 BC he sent an army of 10,000 men into Asia Minor to make preparations for the invasion by freeing the Greeks living on the western coast and islands from Persian rule. All went well until the news arrived that Philip had been assassinated. The Macedonians were demoralized by Philip's death and were subsequently defeated by Persian forces near Magnesia.
Philip II was murdered in October 336 BC, at Aegae, the ancient capital of the Macedonian kingdom, while he was entering into the town's theatre. He was assassinated by Pausanius, one of his own bodyguards, who was himself slain by three of Philip's other bodyguards. The reasons for Philip's assassination are not now fully known, with many modern historians saying that, on the face of it, none of the ancient accounts which have come down to us appear to be credible.
5 comments*Alex
PHILIP_II.JPG
Philip II, 359 - 336 BC. AE18. Struck after 356 BC at an uncertain mint in MacedoniaObverse: No legend. Young male head, usually identified as Apollo, with hair bound in a taenia, facing left.
Reverse: ΦIΛIΠΠOY, Naked rider on horse prancing right, forepart of bull butting right control mark (helmet?) beneath the horse.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 6.95gms | Die Axis: 9
GCV: 6699 | Forrer/Weber: 2068

The bronze series of this type is extensive and differentiated principally by the different control marks. These control marks are symbols and letters which generally appear on the reverse, very occasionally the obverse, of the coin, and they were used to identify the officials responsible for a particular issue of coinage.
Philip II won the horseback race at the 106th Olympics in 356 BC, and it is thought that the horseman on the reverse of this coin commemorates this event.


Philip II of Macedon was King of Macedon from 359 until his death in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III Arrhidaeus. In 357 BC, Philip married Olympias, who was the daughter of the king of the Molossians. Alexander was born in 356 BC, the same year as Philip's horse won at the Olympic Games.
The conquest and political consolidation of most of Greece during Philip's reign was achieved in part by the creation of the Macedonian phalanx which gave him an enormous advantage on the battlefield. After defeating Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC Philip II established the League of Corinth, a federation of Greek states, with him at it's head, with the intention of invading the Persian empire. In 336 BC, Philip II sent an army of 10,000 men into Asia Minor to make preparations for the invasion by freeing the Greeks living on the western coast and islands from Persian rule. All went well until the news arrived that Philip had been assassinated. The Macedonians were demoralized by Philip's death and were subsequently defeated by Persian forces near Magnesia.
Philip II was murdered in October 336 BC, at Aegae, the ancient capital of the Macedonian kingdom, while he was entering into the town's theatre. He was assassinated by Pausanius, one of his own bodyguards, who was himself slain by three of Philip's other bodyguards. The reasons for Philip's assassination are not now fully known, with many modern historians saying that, on the face of it, none of the ancient accounts which have come down to us appear to be credible.
*Alex
Philip_II_retrograde_E.JPG
Philip II, 359 - 336. AE18. Struck after 356 BC at an uncertain mint in Macedonia Obverse: No legend. Young male head, usually identified as Apollo, with hair bound in a taenia, facing right.
Reverse: ΦIΛIΠΠOY, Naked rider on horse prancing right, retrograde E control mark beneath the horse.
Diameter: 17.16mm | Weight: 6.09gms | Die Axis: 12
SNG ANS 919 - 920

The bronze series of this type is extensive and differentiated principally by the different control marks. These control marks are symbols and letters which generally appear on the reverse, very occasionally the obverse, of the coin, and they were used to identify the officials responsible for a particular issue of coinage.
Philip II won the horseback race at the 106th Olympics in 356 BC, and it is thought that the horseman on the reverse of this coin commemorates this event.


Philip II of Macedon was King of Macedon from 359 until his death in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III Arrhidaeus. In 357 BC, Philip married Olympias, who was the daughter of the king of the Molossians. Alexander was born in 356 BC, the same year as Philip's horse won at the Olympic Games.
The conquest and political consolidation of most of Greece during Philip's reign was achieved in part by the creation of the Macedonian phalanx which gave him an enormous advantage on the battlefield. After defeating Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC Philip II established the League of Corinth, a federation of Greek states, with him at it's head, with the intention of invading the Persian empire. In 336 BC, Philip II sent an army of 10,000 men into Asia Minor to make preparations for the invasion by freeing the Greeks living on the western coast and islands from Persian rule. All went well until the news arrived that Philip had been assassinated. The Macedonians were demoralized by Philip's death and were subsequently defeated by Persian forces near Magnesia.
Philip II was murdered in October 336 BC, at Aegae, the ancient capital of the Macedonian kingdom, while he was entering into the town's theatre. He was assassinated by Pausanius, one of his own bodyguards, who was himself slain by three of Philip's other bodyguards. The reasons for Philip's assassination are not now fully known, with many modern historians saying that, on the face of it, none of the ancient accounts which have come down to us appear to be credible.
*Alex
359_-_336_BC_PHILIP_II_of_MACEDON.JPG
Philip II, 359 - 336. AE18. Struck after 356 BC at an uncertain mint in MacedoniaObverse: No legend. Young male head, usually identified as Apollo, with hair bound in a taenia, facing right.
Reverse: ΦIΛIΠΠOY, Naked rider on horse prancing left, spearhead control mark beneath the horse.
Diameter: 18.00mm | Weight: 6.00gms | Die Axis: 12
SNG ANS 850 | Mionnet I: 750

The bronze series of this type is extensive and differentiated principally by the different control marks. These control marks are symbols and letters which generally appear on the reverse, very occasionally the obverse, of the coin, and they were used to identify the officials responsible for a particular issue of coinage.
Philip II won the horseback race at the 106th Olympics in 356 BC, and it is thought that the horseman on the reverse of this coin commemorates this event.


Philip II of Macedon was King of Macedon from 359 until his death in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III Arrhidaeus. In 357 BC, Philip married Olympias, who was the daughter of the king of the Molossians. Alexander was born in 356 BC, the same year as Philip's horse won at the Olympic Games.
The conquest and political consolidation of most of Greece during Philip's reign was achieved in part by the creation of the Macedonian phalanx which gave him an enormous advantage on the battlefield. After defeating Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC Philip II established the League of Corinth, a federation of Greek states, with him at it's head, with the intention of invading the Persian empire. In 336 BC, Philip II sent an army of 10,000 men into Asia Minor to make preparations for the invasion by freeing the Greeks living on the western coast and islands from Persian rule. All went well until the news arrived that Philip had been assassinated. The Macedonians were demoralized by Philip's death and were subsequently defeated by Persian forces near Magnesia.
Philip II was murdered in October 336 BC, at Aegae, the ancient capital of the Macedonian kingdom, while he was entering into the town's theatre. He was assassinated by Pausanius, one of his own bodyguards, who was himself slain by three of Philip's other bodyguards. The reasons for Philip's assassination are not now fully known, with many modern historians saying that, on the face of it, none of the ancient accounts which have come down to us appear to be credible.
*Alex
rjb_2016_06_08.jpg
14Augustus 27BC - 14 AD
Denarius
Northern Peleponesian mint
Obv: AVGVSTVS
Bare head right
Rev: IOVI OLV
Hexastyle temple to Zeus at Olympia
RIC 472
mauseus
ConstansVot.jpeg
1405a, Constans, 9 September 337 - 19 January 350 A.D. (Alexandria)Bronze AE 4, RIC 37, gVF, Egypt, Alexandria, 1.54g, 15.0mm, 180o, 345-347 A.D. Obverse: D N CONSTANS P F AVG, pearl diademed head right; Reverse: VOT XX MVLT XXX in wreath, SMALA• in exergue.

Flavius Julius Constans, third and youngest son of Constantine I and Fausta, was born between 320 and 323 A.D. Primary sources for the life and reign of Constans I are scarce. To reconstruct his life and career, one must draw on a variety of references in both fourth century and later works. Raised as a Christian, he was made a Caesar on 25 December 333 A.D. Constans I and his two brothers, after the death of their father on 22 May 337 and the subsequent "massacre of the princes" in which many other relatives were purged, met in the first part of September 337 in Pannonia to re-divide the empire among themselves. There they were acclaimed Augusti by the army. Constans' new realm included Italy, Africa, Illyricum, Macedonia, and Achaea. Shortly before his father's death, Constans' engagement to Olympias, the daughter of the Praetorian Prefect Ablabius, was announced; although the match was never solemnized because of political reasons.

It would appear that Constans was successful in the military sphere. Following his accession to the purple in 337, he seems to have won a victory over the Sarmatians. In 340 Constans was able to beat back an attempt by his brother Constantine II to seize some of his realm. The latter died in a battle fought near Aquileia and Constans absorbed his late brother's territory. In 341 and 342 he conducted a successful campaign against the Franci. He also visited Britain in 343, probably on a military campaign.

As an emperor Constans gets mixed reviews. In what may be a topos, sources suggest that the first part of his reign was moderate but in later years, however, he became overbearing. The emperor apparently attempted to obtain as much money as he could from his subjects and sold government posts to the highest bidder. His favorites were allowed to oppress his subjects. Sources also condemn his homosexuality. He did have some military success and, in addition to other military threats, he had to deal with Donatist-related bandits in North Africa.

Like his father Constantine I and his brother Constantius II, Constans had a deep interest in Christianity. Together with Constantius II he issued (or perhaps re-issued) a ban against pagan sacrifice in 341. The next year, they cautioned against the destruction of pagan temples. Unlike his brother Constantius II, who supported the Arian faction, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Athanasius and other members of the Orthodox clique. In fact, it is due to his request that the Council of Serdica was called to deal with the ecclesiastical squabble between Athanasius of Alexandria and Paul of Constantinople on one side and the Arian faction on the other.

When Magnentius was declared emperor in Gaul during January 350, Constans realized his reign was at an end. When he learned of the revolt, he fled toward Helena, a town in the Pyrenees. Constans was put to death by Gaeso and a band of Magnentius' assassins, who dragged their victim from a temple in which he had sought refuge.

By Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University and Robert Frakes, Clarion UniversityPublished: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.

Cleisthenes
Constans.jpg
1405n, Constans, 9 September 337 - 19 January 350 A.D. (Siscia)Constans, 9 September 337 - 19 January 350 A.D. Bronze AE 3, RIC 241, S 3978, VM 69, VF, Siscia, 2.32g, 18.3mm, 180o. Obverse: D N CONSTANS P F AVG, pearl diademed draped and cuirassed bust right; Reverse: FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Phoenix radiate, standing on rocky mound, GSIS and symbol in ex; nice green patina.

Flavius Julius Constans, third and youngest son of Constantine I and Fausta, was born between 320 and 323 A.D. Primary sources for the life and reign of Constans I are scarce. To reconstruct his life and career, one must draw on a variety of references in both fourth century and later works. Raised as a Christian, he was made a Caesar on 25 December 333 A.D. Constans I and his two brothers, after the death of their father on 22 May 337 and the subsequent "massacre of the princes" in which many other relatives were purged, met in the first part of September 337 in Pannonia to re-divide the empire among themselves. There they were acclaimed Augusti by the army. Constans' new realm included Italy, Africa, Illyricum, Macedonia, and Achaea. Shortly before his father's death, Constans' engagement to Olympias, the daughter of the Praetorian Prefect Ablabius, was announced; although the match was never solemnized because of political reasons.

It would appear that Constans was successful in the military sphere. Following his accession to the purple in 337, he seems to have won a victory over the Sarmatians. In 340 Constans was able to beat back an attempt by his brother Constantine II to seize some of his realm. The latter died in a battle fought near Aquileia and Constans absorbed his late brother's territory. In 341 and 342 he conducted a successful campaign against the Franci. He also visited Britain in 343, probably on a military campaign.

As an emperor Constans gets mixed reviews. In what may be a topos, sources suggest that the first part of his reign was moderate but in later years, however, he became overbearing. The emperor apparently attempted to obtain as much money as he could from his subjects and sold government posts to the highest bidder. His favorites were allowed to oppress his subjects. Sources also condemn his homosexuality. He did have some military success and, in addition to other military threats, he had to deal with Donatist-related bandits in North Africa.

Like his father Constantine I and his brother Constantius II, Constans had a deep interest in Christianity. Together with Constantius II he issued (or perhaps re-issued) a ban against pagan sacrifice in 341. The next year, they cautioned against the destruction of pagan temples. Unlike his brother Constantius II, who supported the Arian faction, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Athanasius and other members of the Orthodox clique. In fact, it is due to his request that the Council of Serdica was called to deal with the ecclesiastical squabble between Athanasius of Alexandria and Paul of Constantinople on one side and the Arian faction on the other.

When Magnentius was declared emperor in Gaul during January 350, Constans realized his reign was at an end. When he learned of the revolt, he fled toward Helena, a town in the Pyrenees. Constans was put to death by Gaeso and a band of Magnentius' assassins, who dragged their victim from a temple in which he had sought refuge.

By Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University and Robert Frakes, Clarion University
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
U2476F1OVDKUXTA.jpeg
1405t, Constans, 9 September 337 - 19 January 350 A.D. (Thessalonica )Constans, 9 September 337 - 19 January 350 A.D., Bronze AE 3, unattributed; Thessalonica mint, 2.25g, 18.9mm, 0; aVF.

Flavius Julius Constans, third and youngest son of Constantine I and Fausta, was born between 320 and 323 A.D. Primary sources for the life and reign of Constans I are scarce. To reconstruct his life and career, one must draw on a variety of references in both fourth century and later works. Raised as a Christian, he was made a Caesar on 25 December 333 A.D. Constans I and his two brothers, after the death of their father on 22 May 337 and the subsequent "massacre of the princes" in which many other relatives were purged, met in the first part of September 337 in Pannonia to re-divide the empire among themselves. There they were acclaimed Augusti by the army. Constans' new realm included Italy, Africa, Illyricum, Macedonia, and Achaea. Shortly before his father's death, Constans' engagement to Olympias, the daughter of the Praetorian Prefect Ablabius, was announced; although the match was never solemnized because of political reasons.

It would appear that Constans was successful in the military sphere. Following his accession to the purple in 337, he seems to have won a victory over the Sarmatians. In 340 Constans was able to beat back an attempt by his brother Constantine II to seize some of his realm. The latter died in a battle fought near Aquileia and Constans absorbed his late brother's territory. In 341 and 342 he conducted a successful campaign against the Franci. He also visited Britain in 343, probably on a military campaign.

As an emperor Constans gets mixed reviews. In what may be a topos, sources suggest that the first part of his reign was moderate but in later years, however, he became overbearing. The emperor apparently attempted to obtain as much money as he could from his subjects and sold government posts to the highest bidder. His favorites were allowed to oppress his subjects. Sources also condemn his homosexuality. He did have some military success and, in addition to other military threats, he had to deal with Donatist-related bandits in North Africa.

Like his father Constantine I and his brother Constantius II, Constans had a deep interest in Christianity. Together with Constantius II he issued (or perhaps re-issued) a ban against pagan sacrifice in 341. The next year, they cautioned against the destruction of pagan temples. Unlike his brother Constantius II, who supported the Arian faction, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Athanasius and other members of the Orthodox clique. In fact, it is due to his request that the Council of Serdica was called to deal with the ecclesiastical squabble between Athanasius of Alexandria and Paul of Constantinople on one side and the Arian faction on the other.

When Magnentius was declared emperor in Gaul during January 350, Constans realized his reign was at an end. When he learned of the revolt, he fled toward Helena, a town in the Pyrenees. Constans was put to death by Gaeso and a band of Magnentius' assassins, who dragged their victim from a temple in which he had sought refuge.

By Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University and Robert Frakes, Clarion University.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
olympic2.jpg
1976 Olympic Canadian Memorial CoinA gold 1976 Olympic canadian memorial coin.

OBVERSE: Olympians
REVERSE: Queen Elizabeth
Aarmale
PC_0004.JPG
19th Century framed uniface plaster cast Stater from ElisObv:- Eagle's head left, below poplar leaf
Rev:- winged thunderbolt
Elis. Olympia. 93rd Olympiad, c. 408 BC. Stater

Famed uniface plaster cast from 19th century.
Originally mounted on velvet and one would assume in a display case. Traces of velvet still attached to underside of frame.
1 commentsmaridvnvm
CaligulaAsVesta.jpg
1ao Caligula37-41

As
Bare head, left, C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT
Vesta std, VESTA SC

RIC 38

The son of Germanicus, modern research suggests, was not as bad a ruler as history generally supposes, but the winners write the history, and Caligula had the dubious honor of being the first loser to die in the purple at the hand of assassins.

Suetonius recorded: Gaius Caesar (Caligula) was born on the 31st of August AD12, in the consulship of his father, Germanicus, and Gaius Fonteius Capito. The sources disagree as to his place of birth. Gnaeus Lentulus Gaetulicus claims it was Tibur (Tivoli), Pliny the Elder, says it was among the Treveri in the village of Ambitarvium, above Confluentes (the site of Koblenz) at the junction of the Moselle and Rhine. . . . His surname Caligula (‘Little Boot’) was bestowed on him affectionately by the troops because he was brought up amongst them, dressed in soldier’s gear.

Caligula accompanied his father, Germanicus, to Syria (in AD 19). On his return, he lived with his mother, Agrippina the Elder until she was exiled (in 29 AD), and then with his great-grandmother Livia. When Livia died (in 29 AD), he gave her eulogy from the rostra even though he was not of age. He was then cared for by his grandmother Antonia the Younger, until at the age of eighteen Tiberius summoned him to Capreae (Capri, in AD 31). On that day he assumed his gown of manhood and shaved off his first beard, but without the ceremony that had attended his brothers’ coming of age.

On Capraea, though every trick was tried to lure him, or force him, into making complaints against Tiberius, he ignored all provocation, . . . behaving so obsequiously to his adoptive grandfather, Tiberius, and the entire household, that the quip made regarding him was well borne out, that there was never a better slave or a worse master.

Even in those days, his cruel and vicious character was beyond his control, and he was an eager spectator of torture and executions meted out in punishment. At night, disguised in wig and long robe, he abandoned himself to gluttony and adulterous behaviour. He was passionately devoted it seems to the theatrical arts, to dancing and singing, a taste in him which Tiberius willingly fostered, in the hope of civilizing his savage propensities.

And came near to assuming a royal diadem at once, turning the semblance of a principate into an absolute monarchy. Indeed, advised by this that he outranked princes and kings, he began thereafter to claim divine power, sending to Greece for the most sacred or beautiful statues of the gods, including the Jupiter of Olympia, so that the heads could be exchanged for his own. He then extended the Palace as far as the Forum, making the Temple of Castor and Pollux its vestibule, and would often present himself to the populace there, standing between the statues of the divine brothers, to be worshipped by whoever appeared, some hailing him as ‘Jupiter Latiaris’. He also set up a special shrine to himself as god, with priests, the choicest sacrificial victims, and a life-sized golden statue of himself, which was dressed each day in clothes of identical design to those he chose to wear.

He habitually committed incest with each of his three sisters, seating them in turn below him at large banquets while his wife reclined above. . . . His preferred method of execution was by the infliction of many slight wounds, and his order, issued as a matter of routine, became notorious: ‘Cut him so he knows he is dying.’
Blindado
1053_P_Hadrian_RPC5050.jpg
5050 EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian Tetradrachm 117-18 AD Dikaiosyne standingReference.
RPC III, 5050 (this coin). Dattari-Savio Pl. 65, 1347 (this coin).Emmett 833.2

Issue L B = year 2

Obv. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙС ΤΡΑΝΟС (sic) ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС СƐΒ
Laureate head of Hadrian, r., drapery on l. shoulder

Rev. L Β
Dikaiosyne standing facing, head l., holding scales and cornucopia

12.52 gr
25 mm
12h

Note.
From the Dattari collection.

In ancient Greek culture, Dikē (/ˈdiːkeɪ/ or /ˈdɪkiː/; Greek: Δίκη, English translation: "justice") was the goddess of justice and the spirit of moral order and fair judgement based on immemorial custom, in the sense of socially enforced norms and conventional rules. According to Hesiod (Theogony, l. 901), she was fathered by Zeus upon his second consort, Themis. She and her mother were both personifications of justice. She is depicted as a young, slender woman carrying a physical balance scale and wearing a laurel wreath while her Roman counterpart (Justitia) appears in a similar fashion but blind-folded. She is represented in the constellation Libra which is named for the Latin name of her symbol (Scales). She is often associated with Astraea, the goddess of innocence and purity. Astraea is also one of her epithets referring to her appearance in the nearby constellation Virgo which is said to represent Astraea. This reflects her symbolic association with Astraea, who too has a similar iconography.

The sculptures of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia have as their unifying iconographical conception the dikē of Zeus, and in poetry she is often the attendant (paredros) of Zeus.
In the philosophical climate of late 5th century Athens, dikē could be anthropomorphised as a goddess of moral justice.
She was one of the three second-generation Horae, along with Eunomia ("order") and Eirene ("peace")
okidoki
978_P_Hadrian_RPC6020_1.jpg
6020 EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian Drachm 134-35 AD Poseidon in hippocamp bigaReference.
RPC III, 6020/3; Dattari-Savio Pl. 89, 7759; Emmett 1023 (triton biga)

Issue L ƐΝΝƐΑΚ·Δ = year 19

Obv. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙС ΤΡΑΙΑΝ - ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС СƐΒ
Laureate draped and cuirassed bust of Hadrian, r., seen from rear

Rev. L ƐΝΝƐΑΚ·Δ
Poseidon in hippocamp biga, r.raising hand and holding trident

23.35 gr
32 mm
12h

Note.
Poseidon was the Olympian god of the ocean, earthquakes and horses. His father Kronos swallowed him whole when he was born, later Zeus with the help of Metis managed to set him free. During the Titanomachy, the Cyclopes forged a unique trident for Poseidon, and together with his brothers they defeated the Titans and threw them into the Tartaros. The god is well known for his famous attributes such as the Trident, sometimes he also used to carry around a rock with sea creatures on it, and he is pictured on pottery with a wreath of celery leaves. His sacred animals are the dolphin, the bull and the horses. However he is also associated with animals such as the hippocampus, in fact, his chariot was driven by seahorses.
okidoki
306_P_Hadrian_Emmett.jpg
6252 EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian Tetradrachm 137-38 AD Pronoia Reference.
RPC III, 6252; Emmett 881.22; K&G 32.770; Dattari (Savio) pl. 68, 7457; Köln 1243 var. (distribution of rev. legend)

Issue L KB = year 22

Obv. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙС ΤΡΑ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС СƐΒ
Laureate head of Hadrian, r., drapery on l. shoulder

Rev. ΠΡΟΝΟΙΑ LKB
Pronoia standing left, holding phoenix and sceptre.

13.60 gr
24 mm
12h

Note.
CNG
Pronoia (“foresight”) was an Oceanid nymph and wife of the Titan Prometheus, who was sentenced to eternal torture for stealing fire from the Olympian gods for use by humans.
2 commentsokidoki
ATG_bust_Pergamon.jpg
Alexander III The Great, Macedonian Kingdom, 336 - 323 B.C.Alexandros III Philippou Makedonon (356-323 BC), better known as Alexander the Great, single-handedly changed the entire nature of the ancient world in little more than ten years.

"Born in the northern Greek kingdom of Macedonia in 356 BC, to Philip II and his formidable wife Olympias, Alexander was educated by the philosopher Aristotle. Following his father's assassination in 336 BC, he inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom, which he had to secure - along with the rest of the Greek city states - before he could set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire, in revenge for Persia's earlier attempts to conquer Greece.
Against overwhelming odds, he led his army to victories across the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt without incurring a single defeat. With his greatest victory at the Battle of Gaugamela, in what is now northern Iraq, in 331 BC, the young king of Macedonia, leader of the Greeks, Overlord of Asia Minor and Pharaoh of Egypt also became Great King of Persia at the age of 25.

Over the next eight years, in his capacity as king, commander, politician, scholar and explorer, Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles, founding over 70 cities and creating an empire that stretched across three continents and covered some two million square miles.

The entire area from Greece in the west, north to the Danube, south into Egypt and as far east as the Indian Punjab, was linked together in a vast international network of trade and commerce. This was united by a common Greek language and culture, whilst the king himself adopted foreign customs in order to rule his millions of ethnically diverse subjects.

Primarily a soldier, Alexander was an acknowledged military genius who always led by example, although his belief in his own indestructibility meant he was often reckless with his own life and that of those he expected to follow him. The fact that his army only refused to do so once, in the13 years of a reign during which there was constant fighting, indicates the loyalty he inspired.

Following his death in 323 BC at the age of only 32, his empire was torn apart in the power struggles of his successors. Yet Alexander's mythical status rapidly reached epic proportions and inspired individuals as diverse as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Louis XIV and Napoleon.

He continues to be portrayed according to the bias of those interpreting his achievements. He is either Alexander the Great or Iskander the Accursed, chivalrous knight or bloody monster, benign multi-culturalist or racist imperialist - but above all he is fully deserving of his description as 'the most significant secular individual in history'."

By Dr Joann Fletcher (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/alexander_the_great.shtml)
Cleisthenes
ATGlifetimeDrachmLydiaSardes.jpg
Alexander III The Great, Macedonian Kingdom, 336 - 323 B.C. Lifetime IssueSilver drachm, Price 2553, VF, 4.297g, 16.4mm, 0o, Lydia, Sardes mint, c. 334 - 323 B.C. Lifetime Issue; Obverse: Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck; Reverse: BASILEWS ALEXANDROU, Zeus enthroned left, eagle in right, scepter in left, EYE monogram left, rose under throne. Ex FORVM.

Alexandros III Philippou Makedonon (356-323 BC)

"Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, single-handedly changed the entire nature of the ancient world in little more than ten years.

Born in the northern Greek kingdom of Macedonia in 356 BC, to Philip II and his formidable wife Olympias, Alexander was educated by the philosopher Aristotle. Following his father's assassination in 336 BC, he inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom, which he had to secure - along with the rest of the Greek city states - before he could set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire, in revenge for Persia's earlier attempts to conquer Greece.

Against overwhelming odds, he led his army to victories across the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt without incurring a single defeat. With his greatest victory at the Battle of Gaugamela, in what is now northern Iraq, in 331 BC, the young king of Macedonia, leader of the Greeks, Overlord of Asia Minor and Pharaoh of Egypt also became Great King of Persia at the age of 25.

Over the next eight years, in his capacity as king, commander, politician, scholar and explorer, Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles, founding over 70 cities and creating an empire that stretched across three continents and covered some two million square miles.

The entire area from Greece in the west, north to the Danube, south into Egypt and as far east as the Indian Punjab, was linked together in a vast international network of trade and commerce. This was united by a common Greek language and culture, whilst the king himself adopted foreign customs in order to rule his millions of ethnically diverse subjects.

Primarily a soldier, Alexander was an acknowledged military genius who always led by example, although his belief in his own indestructibility meant he was often reckless with his own life and that of those he expected to follow him. The fact that his army only refused to do so once, in the 13 years of a reign during which there was constant fighting, indicates the loyalty he inspired.

Following his death in 323 BC at the age of only 32, his empire was torn apart in the power struggles of his successors. Yet Alexander's mythical status rapidly reached epic proportions and inspired individuals as diverse as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Louis XIV and Napoleon.

He continues to be portrayed according to the bias of those interpreting his achievements. He is either Alexander the Great or Iskander the Accursed, chivalrous knight or bloody monster, benign multi-culturalist or racist imperialist - but above all he is fully deserving of his description as 'the most significant secular individual in history'."

By Dr. Joann Fletcher
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/alexander_the_great.shtml

"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer."--attributed to Plutarch, The Moralia.
http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=96

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
AlexTheGreatMemphisTet.jpg
Alexander III The Great, Macedonian Kingdom, 336 - 323 B.C., Possible Lifetime IssueThis is the same coin in my collection, different picture, as the Alexander tetradrachm listed as [300mem].

Silver tetradrachm, Price 3971, VF, 16.081g, 26.1mm, 0o, Egypt, Memphis mint, c. 332 - 323 or 323 - 305 B.C.; obverse Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck; reverse ALEXANDROU, Zeus enthroned left, legs crossed, eagle in right, scepter in left, rose left, DI-O under throne. Ex Pavlos S. Pavlou. Ex FORVM, "The Memphis issues are among the finest style Alexander coins. Experts disagree on the date of this issue. Some identify it as a lifetime issue and others as a posthumous issue (Joseph Sermarini).

Alexandros III Philippou Makedonon (356-323 BC)

"Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, single-handedly changed the entire nature of the ancient world in little more than ten years.

Born in the northern Greek kingdom of Macedonia in 356 BC, to Philip II and his formidable wife Olympias, Alexander was educated by the philosopher Aristotle. Following his father's assassination in 336 BC, he inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom, which he had to secure - along with the rest of the Greek city states - before he could set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire, in revenge for Persia's earlier attempts to conquer Greece.

Against overwhelming odds, he led his army to victories across the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt without incurring a single defeat. With his greatest victory at the Battle of Gaugamela, in what is now northern Iraq, in 331 BC, the young king of Macedonia, leader of the Greeks, Overlord of Asia Minor and Pharaoh of Egypt also became Great King of Persia at the age of 25.

Over the next eight years, in his capacity as king, commander, politician, scholar and explorer, Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles, founding over 70 cities and creating an empire that stretched across three continents and covered some two million square miles.

The entire area from Greece in the west, north to the Danube, south into Egypt and as far east as the Indian Punjab, was linked together in a vast international network of trade and commerce. This was united by a common Greek language and culture, whilst the king himself adopted foreign customs in order to rule his millions of ethnically diverse subjects.

Primarily a soldier, Alexander was an acknowledged military genius who always led by example, although his belief in his own indestructibility meant he was often reckless with his own life and that of those he expected to follow him. The fact that his army only refused to do so once, in the13 years of a reign during which there was constant fighting, indicates the loyalty he inspired.

Following his death in 323 BC at the age of only 32, his empire was torn apart in the power struggles of his successors. Yet Alexander's mythical status rapidly reached epic proportions and inspired individuals as diverse as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Louis XIV and Napoleon.

He continues to be portrayed according to the bias of those interpreting his achievements. He is either Alexander the Great or Iskander the Accursed, chivalrous knight or bloody monster, benign multi-culturalist or racist imperialist - but above all he is fully deserving of his description as 'the most significant secular individual in history'."

By Dr. Joann Fletcher
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/alexander_the_great.shtml

"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer."--attributed to Plutarch, The Moralia.
http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=96

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
1 commentsCleisthenes
Antiochus_2b.jpg
Antiochus I (Soter) * Apollo, 280-261 BC
Antiochus I * Apollo,* 280-261 BC
Æ hemidrachm (?)

Obv: Diademed head of Antiochus right
Rev: Apollo seated on omphalos (Delphi), holding arrow in right hand, leaning on strung bow with his left hand, left-facing.
BASILEOS to the right, [A]NTIOXOY to the left. Monograms to left and right, omitted by strike from the right, effaced by wear from the left.

Weight: ca. 4.0 grams
Die axis: 190 degs.

Patina: Quite lovely 'desert-patina.'

Sear, GCATV * (SG) Number 6866v (This example appears to be bronze, not silver: I have been unable to date to find any reference to an Æ variant of SG #6866).
BMC, 4.9, 10


This coin bears portrait of the middle-aged Antiochus I 'Soter,' from the time of his sole reign (280-261 BC.), following the death of his father, Seleukos I.
The reverse depicts Delphian Apollo holding a single arrow, as opposed to the two arrows as seen on the coins dating from his joint-reign with his father.

* Olympian

Tiathena
Elis_Olympia.jpg
Apollo right/ Zeus right with eagle and thunderbolt, AE 21Elis, Olympia, Late 3rd century-191 B.C. AE 21mm, 5.77g. Obv: Head of Apollo r. Rev: Zeus stg. r., hurling thunderbolt, eagle. BCD-292. Ex H.J.BerkPodiceps
AP_Apollo-Anchor~0.jpg
Apollonia Pontika, Thrace * Apollon / Anchor * AR Trihemiobol,
Apollonia Pontika, Thrace
Silver Trihemiobol
Date: ca. 450-350 BC(?)
Obv: Laureate Head of Apollo facing
Rev: Inverted anchor, A at center, and perpendicular MA monogram to the left.

Weight: 1.10 g.
St. 12 * (Image shown, reverse is inverted to actual coin)


Similar to, Sear Greek Coins and their Values (SG) Number sg1657
SNG Cop 459-461.

* Olympian
Tiathena
DAEE35E0-C38D-4EBE-9DE8-381BAC801E6D.jpeg
Apollonia Pontika, Thrace, 410 - 323 B.C.Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in ancient Greek and Roman religion and Greek and Roman mythology. The ideal of the kouros (a beardless, athletic youth), Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry, and more. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the chaste huntress Artemis.
GS88290. Silver diobol, Topalov Apollonia p. 387, 6 and p. 596, 56; SGCV I 1657, SNG Cop 459 - 461; HGC 3.2 1315, aEF, slightly off center, some porosity, small edge split, Apollonia Pontica (Sozopol, Bulgaria) mint, weight 1.256g, maximum diameter 10.2mm, die axis 180o, 410/404 - 341/323 B.C.; obverse laureate head of Apollo facing with short hair; reverse anchor flukes up, thick flukes, A left, crayfish right; ex Numismatik Lanz (2010)
Mark R1
heraia__AE15_-_HGC_5,_840_(this_coin).jpg
Arkadia, Heraia, ca. mid-4th Century BC, Æ DichalkonHead of Athena wearing crested Attic helmet right.
Straight sided letter H.

HGC 5, 840 (this coin); BCD Peloponnesos 1367 (this coin); BMC 27; Traité 1020.

(15 mm, 2.70 g, 1h).
ex- BCD Collection: LHS 96 Lot 1367 (8 May 2006). Found near Phigaleia (in SW Arkadia) per BCD collection tag and acquired by BCD through exchange with AR in March 1994.

Heraia was a fortified city located in western Arkadia on the border with Elis. It was situated on one of the banks of the river Alpheios upstream from Olympia. Little is known of its history. The site of the ancient city was excavated in 1931, but it remains closed to the public. Phigaleia, where this coin was found, was a fortified city, located about 50 km due south of Heraia in one of the most elevated parts of the Peloponnesos. Phigaleia fell into decay under Roman rule in the third century AD.
n.igma
Olympia2C_Elis_Double_Struck_Ex_BCD_tag2C_Cohen2C_DGP_28JPG29~0.jpg
B. Flip-Over Double Strike: Olympia, Elis AE, ex BCD Coll.Photo Source: Künker (edited) [LINK]
Greek (Hellenistic). Olympia, Elis AE Half Unit or Dichalkon (18mm, 4.26g, 6h), c. late 3rd - 192 BCE.
Obv: Laureate head of Apollo to right. (Overstrike visible: Partial rev. legend, F, & Zeus' throwing arm.)
Rev: Zeus holding eagle & hurling thunderbolt to right. F / HP (monogram) to left; A / ME (monogram) to right.
Ref: BCD Olympia 295 (for type).
Prov: Ex BCD Collection, acquired Jan 1975 for “50 d(rs?)" from “DGP,” ex “C.P.”; J. Cohen Collection (CNG EA 401 [2017], 731 [part]). (For add. prov. notes, see this coin in my BCD album: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=180670.)

Numis. Notes: A rare & interesting "flip-over double strike." As Oliver Hoover described it (2011): “A rare variety of these errors is the flip-over double (or more) strike, where the flan flips over before it is struck again. In such a case, each side of the flan will have both obverse and reverse images present” (HGC 5: p. xvi.) In this case, portions of each side can be seen on the other, but the clearest evidence is the reverse ethnic (F-A) visible above Apollo's head on the obverse.
Curtis JJ
Kroton.jpg
Bruttium, Kroton (Circa 425-350 BC)AR Stater

7.73 g

Obverse: Eagle standing left, head right, on stag’s head

Reverse: Tripod; ivy leaf to left, QPO to right.

HN Italy 2146; SNG ANS 351-2

Obeying a directive of the oracle of Delphi, A group of Achaean settlers founded Kroton around 710 BC. Like its neighbor to the north, Sybaris, it soon became a city of power and wealth. Kroton was especially celebrated for its successes in the Olympic Games from 588 BC onward (Milo of Kroton being the most famous of its athletes).

The philosopher Pythagoras established himself there about 530 BC and formed a society of 300 disciples who were sympathetic toward aristocratic government. In 510 BC Kroton was strong enough to defeat the Sybarites and raze their city to the ground. However, shortly after the sack of Sybaris the disciples of Pythagoras were driven out, and a democracy established.

The obverse was comparable with similar types on probably contemporary coins from Elis (which put on the Olympic games at the nearby sanctuary of Olympia) The coins of both cities were thus likely issued for athletic festivals in honor of Zeus. In Kroton’s case the coins probably commemorated its citizens’ Olympic victories with the eagle representing Zeus who presided over Olympia and the games themselves. The tripod (reverse) represented the divine sanction for the town's founding from the Oracle of Delphi (who sat on a three legged stool when producing her oracles).
2 commentsNathan P
Vlasto_5.jpg
Calabria, Taras. Half stater circa 333-331/0AV 4.26 g.
TAPANTINΩN Head of Hera r., wearing stephane, triple-pendant earring and necklace; in l. field, E.
Rev. TAPAΣ Dolphin rider l., holding small dolphin on outstretched r. hand and trident in l.; below, T – K.
Vlasto 5. de Luynes 247 These dies). Jameson 149 (these dies). AMB 90 (these dies). Fischer-Bossert G7h (this coin). Historia Numorum Italy 902.
Very rare and possibly the finest specimen in private hands. A portrait of exquisite
style, work of a very talented master engraver. Extremely fine
Ex Sammlung Dr. G.W., erworben bei Crédit Suisse Monetarium Zürich am 14.6.1996.

In the late fourth century BC, Taras fell under increasing pressure from neighbouring Italic peoples, particularly the Lucanians and the related Brettians. As a means of defending themselves against the growing threat, the Tarentines took to hiring foreign mercenary commanders and their armies. These commanders were often important and powerful figures in mainland Greece. In 340 BC, the Tarentines hired Archidamos III, the Eurypontid Spartan king to wage war against their enemies. When the Lucanian menace was renewed in 334 BC, the Tarentines hired Alexander I of Epeiros, the Molossian king who was not only brother to Olympias and uncle to Alexander the Great, but also father of Pyrrhos, whose own Italian adventures are the subject of legends. Alexander the Molossian was very keen to take up the call for military aid both in an effort to parallel the glory enjoyed by his Macedonian nephew as he began the conquest of the Persian Empire and to cheat an oracle that linked the doom of Alexander I to the river Acheron and the city of Pandosia—both in Epeiros, he assumed. From 333 to 332 BC, Alexander the Molossian was extremely successful, inflicting numerous defeats on the Lucanians, Brettians, and Samnites, recapturing Greek cities, like Herakleia (a colony of Taras) and Metapontion, and even seizing several Brettian settlements. However, by 331 BC his relationship with the Tarentines had begun to fray due to the king’s meddling in the civic politics of the region, and the Lucanians and Brettians were prepared to renew the conflict. Alexander I encamped with his army on three hills on the border between Lucania and Bruttium near a small city, but found himself besieged by the enemy during a heavy rainfall. He attempted to escape the battle by fording a nearby river, but was killed by a Lucanian spear. The name of the river turned out to be the Acheron and that of the nearby city, Pandosia. It was bad luck for Alexander the Molossian that Greek colonists in other lands often had a taste for naming cities and local geographical features after those in their homeland. This beautiful gold hemistater was struck at Taras as part of the financial support for the great army of Epeirote and Italiote Greek mercenaries that Alexander I led. Fending off barbarians was never cheap and one can only imagine how much more expensive it made things to have a king serving as mercenary commander. The obverse depicts Hera, a goddess often favoured by Dorian Greek peoples, like the Tarentines, while the reverse features a dolphin rider—a popular type at Taras. There is disagreement among numismatists as to whether this rider is correctly identified as Taras, the mythological eponymous founder of the city or as Phalanthos, the historical oecist responsible for the foundation of Taras. Both have stories attached to them of being saved by dolphins when they were at risk of drowning. In this particular case since the rider carries a trident, the weapon of Poseidon, and Taras was said to be the son of the same god it may be more likely that we are looking at Taras rather than Phalanthos here.
1 commentsLeo
Caracalla_Mars-Right.jpg
Caracalla, Silver Denarius "Mars, the Aggressor" * 196-217 AD *
Caracalla, "Mars,* the Aggressor"
AR Denarius

Obverse: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right.
Reverse: PONTIF TR P X COS II, Mars advancing right carrying trophy over left shoulder and spear in right hand.

Mint: Rome
Struck: 213 AD

Size: 18 mm.
Weight: 2.85 grams
Die axis: 180 deg.

Beautiful luster.

RIC 88, RSC 431

* Olympian

1 commentsTiathena
Caracall_Mars_Def_~0.jpg
Caracalla, Silver Denarius "Mars, the defender" * 196-217 AD *
Caracalla, "Mars*, the defender."
AR Denarius
Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT - Laureate head right
Rev: MARTI PROPVGNATORI – Mars advancing left, holding spear and trophy

Mint: Rome
Struck: 213 AD

Size: 18 mm.
Weight: 4.5 grams(?)
Die axis: 180 deg.

RIC IVi, 223 (s) Scarce; Cohen 150; D. Sear II, 6819; pg. 521
SCARCE

* Olympian
6 commentsTiathena
2390320.jpg
CILICIA, Seleucia ad Calycadnum. Septimius SeverusCILICIA, Seleucia ad Calycadnum. Septimius Severus. AD 193-211. Æ (28mm, 11.64 g, 12h). Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Athena standing left, holding shield and spear, about to attack serpent-legged Giant to right. SNG France -; SNG Levante 736 var. (view of bust); SNG Levante Suppl. -; SNG Copenhagen -. Near VF, dark green and brown patina, two scratches before bust.

Ex - CNG Esale 239 lot 320

230/100

After Zeus had defeated the Titans in the Titantomachy and apportioned their former relatives to his fellow Olympians, he was compelled to resolve a conflict with the Giants, offspring of Gaia and Cronus. Known as the Gigantomachy, these chthonic half-man, half-serpent creatures attempted to wrestle power from the Olympians by casting them out of Olympus. To accomplish this, the Giants attempted to reach Olympus by heaping up one mountain range on top of the other. From above, Zeus and the other Olympians defended themselves by hurling their weapons. In the end, however, it was the assistance of Hercules, that won the day.
5 commentsecoli
Treb_gallus~0.jpg
Coele-Syria. Damascus; COL Δ AMASMETRO around wreath, within which CEBA/CMIA; ram's head below. AE 25Trebonianus Gallus. SYRIA, Coele-Syria. Damascus. A.D. 251-253. Æ 25mm (8.6g). Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / COL Δ AMASMETRO around wreath, within which CEBA/CMIA; ram's head below. The Olympia Sebasmia were local games celebrated as part of the Imperial cult.Podiceps
6103_6104.jpg
Constantine I, Follis, PROVIDENTIAE AVGG, R(Wreath)SAE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 326AD
16.5mm 2.30gr 0h
O: CONSTAN-TINVS AVG; Laureate head, right.
R: PROVIDEN-TIAE AVGG; City gate with two turrets, star above, no doors, seven layers of bricks.
Exergue: R(Wreath)S
Rome Mint
RIC VII Rome 287, S; Sear 16250; Aorta: 1519: B59, O4, R148, T12, M13.
Rated C2
olympiacoins 351659592236
2/28/16 1/29/17
Nicholas Z
6105_6106.jpg
Constantine I, Follis, VICTORIA AVGG NN, (Dot)TS(Dot)Γ(Dot)AE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 319AD
17.0 x 15.0mm 2.35gr 0h
O: CONSTANTINVS AVG; Laureate, cuirassed bust, right.
R: VICTORIA AVGG NN; Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm.
Exergue: (Dot)TS(Dot)Γ(Dot)
Thessalonica Mint
RIC VII Thessalonica 59, Γ; Aorta: 2114: B68, O4, R204, T238, M17.
Rated R3
olympiacoins 111912440111
2/28/16 1/29/17
Nicholas Z
11877_11878.jpg
Constantine I, Follis, VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP, ΓSIS(Star)AE Follis
Constantine I
Caesar: 306 - 307AD
Augustus: 307 - 337AD
Issued: 318AD
19.0 x 18.0mm 2.82gr 7h
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Helmeted, laureate and cuirassed bust, right.
R: VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP; Two Victories, each standing on either side of a shield inscribed with VOT/PR on altar; altar garlanded and with star.
Exergue: ΓSIS(Star)
Altar Type: 7R
Siscia Mint
Rated R1
RIC VII Siscia 47; Aorta: -; B43, O59, R221, T235, M16.
olympiacoins/Sasa Stankovic 353112646358
6/26/20 8/6/20
Nicholas Z
6529_6530.jpg
Constantius II, AE4, VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN, SMTSΔAE4
Constantius II
Caesar: 324 - 337AD
Augustus: 337 - 361AD
Issued: 347 - 348AD
17.5mm 1.72gr 6h
O: CONSTANTI-VS PF AVG; Diademed (pearls), draped and cuirassed bust, right.
R: VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN; Victories (2) standing facing each other, each holding wreath and palm.
Exergue: (Dot), top center; SMTSΔ, below line.
Thessalonica Mint
RIC VIII Thessalonica 99; Aorta: 2757: B10, O8, R83, T107, M16.
Rated C2.
olympiacoins 111943814475
3/28/16 1/29/17
Nicholas Z
20333797.jpg
Corinthian helmetsMuseum - Olympia J. B.
_T2eC16R,!)8E9s4l7bLyBRYzULF)P!~~60_58.jpg
Deutschland Medaille 1988 (Bronze) von Victor Hustlerauf die Olympiade 1988 in Seoul
Gewicht: 17,0g
Erhaltung: stempelglanz _261
Antonivs Protti
Dionysus_x2a.jpg
Dionysus * Dionysus, Maroneia * Thrace * AR Tetradrachm * After 148 BC
Dionysus / Front & Back, AR Tetradrachm, Maroneia

Obverse: Beautiful head of Dionysos* wreathed in ivy, right.
Reverse: Nude Dionysus standing left, holding cluster of grapes in right hand, and two narthex wands in his left hand; DIONYSO[Y] to his right; two monograms, one each to the left & the right; [T]WTHPOS, to the left (with test cut through the first letter)

Exe: MARWNIT[WN]
Weight: 16.0 grams
Size: 33 mm.

Sear Greek Coins and their Values:
Vol. 1, p.163, 1635

“After 148 BC (following the defeat of Andriscus and the organization of Macedonia into a Roman Province, the output of the great silver mines was sent to the Thracian mints of Maroneia and Thasos for conversion to coin)

B.M.C. 3, 48-63
These issues were imitated by the Danubian Celts of the interior.”
~ D. Sear, Ibid.

* Olympian

2 commentsTiathena
Elis,_AE_2Assaria_30__s_BC_.jpg
Elis, Civic Issue, ca. 30’s BC, Æ 2 AssariaHead of Hera wearing stephane right.
F-Eagle with wings closed standing right on thunderbolt, MY monogram to right.

BCD Peloponnesos 695 (this coin); HGC 5, 544 (this coin) (S); BCD Olympia 307-313; SNG Copenhagen (Phliasia) 429; Wroth p. 335, 6.

(24.5 mm, 13.32 g, 1h).
Edward J. Waddell, June 2011; ex- BCD Collection, LHS 96, 8-9 May 2006, 695; ex- B. Kritt collection - acquired from Kritt in 1987 for $1,800 per BCD note in LHS 96 catalogue.

One of the best examples of the type known - Alan Walker in the LHS 96 catalogue noted that this coin is ‘Very well struck and of unusually good style for this normally fairly dreadful issue.’

Warren connects this issue with the presence of Marc Antony in Elis and sees the eagle standing on a thunderbolt as being a reference to the standard Ptolemaic reverse type (the eagle at Olympia never seems to grasp the thunderbolt of Zeus) and thus an allusion to Cleopatra.
n.igma
60319LG.jpg
45-063.jpg
ELIS, Olympia
ELIS, Olympia. Time of the 101st-102nd Olympiad. Circa 421-365 BC. AR Hemidrachm (15mm, 2.54 gm, 1h). Hera mint. Struck circa 376-372 BC. Head of Hera right, wearing stephane / F A, eagle standing right, head reverted. Seltman, Temple -; BCD 111; BMC Peloponnesus -; SNG Copenhagen -. Fine, toned. Extremely rare.
Ancient Aussie
DSC05433.JPG
Elis, Olympia - 270s-260s BC. Time of the 115th-132nd Olympiad. AR Hemidrachm
obv: Laureate head of Zeus right
Thunderbolt within wreath; F-A above, A-P-I below.
BCD 213
2 commentsDino
Elis,_Olympia_111th-110th_Olympiad_336-2_BC_AR_Hemidrachm.jpg
Elis, Olympia, 113th -115th Olympiad ca. 328-320 BC, AR Hemidrachm Head of the nymph Olympia right.
Eagle standing right with open wings, F in right field.

BCD Olympia 336.10 (this coin) – previously unrecorded type. HGC 5, 454 - same obverse die with unrecorded reverse type (reverse variant – eagle standing left head reverted, F in left field); Seltman -.
Olympia, Hera mint.

(15 mm, 2.82 g, 6h).
ex- CNG e-Auction 144, 26 July 2006, 108; ex- CNG e-Auction 115, 25 May 2005, 66; ex- BCD collection: Leu Numismatik AG 90, 10 May 2004, 336.10 ; ex- Professor Athanasios Rhousopooulos (1823-1898) Collection.

This is a unique and unrecorded example of the last output of the Hera mint in the Olympia. Although from the same obverse die as HGC 5, 454 the reverse iconography involving a right facing eagle and right field ethnic is unrecorded by Hoover (Handbook of Greek Coinage) or Seltman (Temple Coins).
n.igma
Elis,_Olympia,_AR_Drachm_.jpg
Elis, Olympia, 134th-143rd Olympiad, 244-208 BC, AR Drachm Eagle flying right, with both wings above its body, grasping hare with talons and tearing at it with beak.
F-A either side of thunderbolt with wings below and volutes above.

Schwabacher NumChron 1939 Group III; BCD Olympia 243 (same dies); HGC 5, 509 (S); Seltman pl. VIII/34. Struck from a worn and rusty obverse die.

(18 mm, 4.73 g, 12h).
Freeman & Sear.
1 commentsn.igma
Elis,_Olympia,_AE_15_Dichalkon.jpg
Elis, Olympia, 340-330 BC, Æ DichalkonLaureate head of Zeus right.
Eagle standing right, with wings closed; F-A across field, ΔI below, all within olive wreath.

BCD Peloponnesos 655; BCD Olympia 287 (same dies); HGC 5, 528 (incorrectly attributed as BCD Peloponessos 287) (R2); BMC 143.

(15 mm, 2.70 g, 2h).
Classical Numismatic Group, December 2008; ex- BCD Collection (not in LHS sale); found in Thessaly according to BCD collection tag.

Amongst the first Elean bronze issues. Rare, only a few dozen known.
n.igma
Elis,_Olympia_Stater_-_Seltman_76.jpg
Elis, Olympia, 83rd-85th Olympiads, 448-440 BC, AR Stater Eagle flying right, grasping a snake with its talons and its beak; two countermarks (crab and mule's leg).
F-A Thunderbolt with volutes and wings.

Seltman 76 (same dies AS/βς Seltman pl. III); BCD Olympia 372.1 (this coin); HGC 5, 306 (R2). Zeus Mint 448-440 BC (83rd-85th Olympiads).

(24 mm, 11.71 g, 2h).
Harlan J Berk Buy or Bid Sale 175, 7 July 2011, 144; ex- BCD Collection: Leu Numismatik AG 90, 10 May 2004, 327.1.

Although the tip of the beak of the eagle is off-flan, it remains a portrayal with a great deal of elegance. Seltman’s obverse die AS was used to strike 8 emissions – Seltman 75-82. This is the fourth known example of Seltman 76 and the only one outside a museum collection.
n.igma
Elis,_Olympia_Hemidrachm_.jpg
Elis, Olympia, 90th Olympiad, 420 BC, AR Hemidrachm Eagle attacking hare right.
Winged thunderbolt.

HGC 5, 428 (variant F-A) (R2); BCD Olympia 60 var. (same obverse die, reverse with F-A); BCD Olympia 331.3 (this coin); Seltman pl. VIII/15; Sear 2878 variant (F-A on reverse).
Olympia, Zeus mint.

(17 mm, 2.68 g, 9h).
Kirk Davis Catalogue 50, Fall 2006, 59; ex- BCD Collection: Leu Numismatik AG 90, 10 May 2004, 331.3.
n.igma
ELIS,_Olympia__97th-100th_Olympiad__392-380_BC__AR_Hemidrachm__-_CNG_830947.jpg
Elis, Olympia, 97th-100th Olympiad, 392-380 BC, AR Hemidrachm Head of Eagle right; ΠO (Polykaon) below.
Thunderbolt with volutes above and wings below; F-A across field; all within olive wreath.

HGC 5, 433 (R2); BCD Olympia 95; Seltman, Temple pl. VIII, 20. Zeus Mint.

(15 mm, 2.58 g, 1h).
Classical Numismatic Group, August 2009; ex- BCD Collection (not in previous sales); ex- Dr. J. S. Wilkinson Collection: Malter 49, 15 November 1992, 627.
2 commentsn.igma
elis2.jpg
Elis, Olympia, after 191 BC.AE
Apollo head right.
Zeus advancing right.
BMC 147.
exBCD Collection, ex Schulman's Oct. 1975.
1 commentsDino
IMG_0010~0.jpg
ELIS, Olympia, c. early mid. 3rd Century BCAE Tetrachalkon. 5.77g 17mm
Obv: Laureate Zeus right;
Rev: F A Horse galloping right.
PYR
BMC 118. BCD 654.
ex BCD Collection, not in LHS Sale, AHB, May 73.
Dino
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Elis, Olympia, mid and later 2nd CenturyAE Tetrachalkon. Zeus right.
Re. FA/LEI/WN within wreath. BMC 672. SNG Cop. 448. BCD 673. exM&M Numismatics.
Dino
IMG_0005_1.JPG
Elis, Olympia. 271-191 BC.AR Hemidrachm
obv: Zeus head Laureate right
rev: F-A by thunderbolt within wreath
S2897var

Ex-BCD collection, via Leu 2004.
1 commentsDino
elis3.jpg
ELIS, Olympia. 131st-135th Olympiad. 256-240 BC. FoureeObv: Laureate head of Zeus right.
Rev: Thunderbolt within olive wreath.
AR(fourre) Hemidrachm
ancientone
Elis_Olympia_BCD-327_3.jpg
Elis, Olympia. Eagle and Nike Stater. Greece. Elis. c. 452-432 BC. AR Stater (11.89 gm, 17.1mm, 10h) of Olympia, Zeus mint, 450-440, 82nd-87th Olympiad. Eagle flying right, tearing at hare in its talons. Three bankers marks. / Nike running left, holding wreath in outstretched hand and raising hem of chiton. F–A in field. aVF. Ponterio Auction 136 #1755. Ex CNG 69 #326; Ex Hirsch XVI (6 Dec. 1906) #544. BCD Olympia 327.2 corr. (labeled 327.3) (same obv. die); Seltman Temple Gp B Series VIII (dies AN/ατ) pp.18-19 #69e (pl.II); SNG Cop 3 (Phliasia-Laconia) #358 (same dies). SNG Delepierre 2064-2065 (same); SNG Spencer-Churchill 165; HGC 5 #305.1 commentsAnaximander
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ELIS, Olympia. Late 3rd Century to 191 BC.AE Dichalkon. 3.7g 18mm.
Laureate head of Apollo right
FA/HR-S, Zeus striding right, hurling thunderbolt with eagle on wrist.

Moustaka 147. BCD 662.
ex BCD collection not in LHS sale.
2 commentsDino
olympia.jpg
ELIS. Olympia. 352-348 BC. AR hemidrachm.AR hemidrachm (17mm, 2.52g). 107th-108th Olympiad.
Laureate head of Zeus right / Eagle standing right on Ionic column capital. BCD Olympia 139-42. Ex BCD (private sale). VF toned.

JHE E-Auction #7.
6 commentsDino
Etruria.jpg
ETRURIA, Central Italy Uncertain City AE26, 300-250BC.ETRURIA, Central Italy Uncertain City AE26, 300-250BC. Male figure with Scepter (or lance) and Patera n. l. standing. Dog Rt. Holding a Aryballos in the muzzle hanging on cords for R. 10.17 G. SNG Cop. 44. P. Visonà, Due monete etrusche inedite e rare into collezioni italiane, SNR 79 (2000), 30, fig. 5. Very rare. Dark Green patina.

The Etruscan civilization was responsible for much of the Greek culture imported into early Republican Rome, including the twelve Olympian gods, the growing of olives and grapes, the Latin alphabet (adapted from the Greek alphabet), and architecture like the arch, sewerage and drainage systems.
1 commentsancientone
13679959.jpg
Greece, Athens - Temple of Olympian Zeuscompleted by HadrianusJ. B.
Temple_of_Olympian_Zeus.jpg
Greece, Athens - The Temple of Olympian Zeus
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Greece, Olympia - Entrence to Olypmic stadiumJ. B.
Epigraphic_Olympia.jpg
Greece, Olympia - EpigraphyTo be found on the approach to the ancient Olympic stadium.
Epigraphy_-_Olympia.jpg
Greece, Olympia - epigraphyTo be found on the approach to the ancient Olympic stadium.
Stadium_Olympia.jpg
Greece, Olympia - In the Stadium at OlympiaThe winner of the 2006 Ride on Mower final crosses the line in the stadium.
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Greece, Olympia - start line at Olympic stadiumgrooves hold Athlets' toes during startJ. B.
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Greece, Olympia - temple of HeraJ. B.
Temple_of_Hera_-_Olympia.jpg
Greece, Olympia - Temple of Hera
Temple_of_zeus_-_Olympia.jpg
Greece, Olympia - Temple of Zeus fallen columns
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Greece, Olympia - tholosJ. B.
Olympia.jpg
Greece, Olympia in SpringA magical site at any time, but resplendent in Spring!1 comments
Elis,_Olympia,_AE_Tetrachalkon,_2nd_century_BC_~0.jpg
GREEK, Elis, Civic Issue, mid 2nd century BC, AE Tetrachalkon - BCD Peloponnesos 673 (this coin)Laureate head of Zeus right / FA-ΛEI-ΩN within wreath, EY below.
BCD Olympia 302; BCD Peloponnesos 673 (this coin); BMC 155; SNG Copenhagen 448; Kroll, Agora, 752.
(21 mm, 5.65 g, 1h)
EF with flan adjustment marks on both sides.
Classical Numismatic Group Mail Bid Auction 78 (14 May 2008) Lot 704; ex- BCD Collection - LHS 96 (8 May 2006), Lot 673
2 comments
Vlasto_5~0.jpg
Greek, Italy, Calabria, Taras. Half stater circa 333-331/0AV 4.26 g.
TAPANTINΩN Head of Hera r., wearing stephane, triple-pendant earring and necklace; in l. field, E.
Rev. TAPAΣ Dolphin rider l., holding small dolphin on outstretched r. hand and trident in l.; below, T – K.
Vlasto 5. de Luynes 247 These dies). Jameson 149 (these dies). AMB 90 (these dies). Fischer-Bossert G7h (this coin). Historia Numorum Italy 902.
Very rare and possibly the finest specimen in private hands. A portrait of exquisite
style, work of a very talented master engraver. Extremely fine
Ex Sammlung Dr. G.W., erworben bei Crédit Suisse Monetarium Zürich am 14.6.1996.

In the late fourth century BC, Taras fell under increasing pressure from neighbouring Italic peoples, particularly the Lucanians and the related Brettians. As a means of defending themselves against the growing threat, the Tarentines took to hiring foreign mercenary commanders and their armies. These commanders were often important and powerful figures in mainland Greece. In 340 BC, the Tarentines hired Archidamos III, the Eurypontid Spartan king to wage war against their enemies. When the Lucanian menace was renewed in 334 BC, the Tarentines hired Alexander I of Epeiros, the Molossian king who was not only brother to Olympias and uncle to Alexander the Great, but also father of Pyrrhos, whose own Italian adventures are the subject of legends. Alexander the Molossian was very keen to take up the call for military aid both in an effort to parallel the glory enjoyed by his Macedonian nephew as he began the conquest of the Persian Empire and to cheat an oracle that linked the doom of Alexander I to the river Acheron and the city of Pandosia—both in Epeiros, he assumed. From 333 to 332 BC, Alexander the Molossian was extremely successful, inflicting numerous defeats on the Lucanians, Brettians, and Samnites, recapturing Greek cities, like Herakleia (a colony of Taras) and Metapontion, and even seizing several Brettian settlements. However, by 331 BC his relationship with the Tarentines had begun to fray due to the king’s meddling in the civic politics of the region, and the Lucanians and Brettians were prepared to renew the conflict. Alexander I encamped with his army on three hills on the border between Lucania and Bruttium near a small city, but found himself besieged by the enemy during a heavy rainfall. He attempted to escape the battle by fording a nearby river, but was killed by a Lucanian spear. The name of the river turned out to be the Acheron and that of the nearby city, Pandosia. It was bad luck for Alexander the Molossian that Greek colonists in other lands often had a taste for naming cities and local geographical features after those in their homeland. This beautiful gold hemistater was struck at Taras as part of the financial support for the great army of Epeirote and Italiote Greek mercenaries that Alexander I led. Fending off barbarians was never cheap and one can only imagine how much more expensive it made things to have a king serving as mercenary commander. The obverse depicts Hera, a goddess often favoured by Dorian Greek peoples, like the Tarentines, while the reverse features a dolphin rider—a popular type at Taras. There is disagreement among numismatists as to whether this rider is correctly identified as Taras, the mythological eponymous founder of the city or as Phalanthos, the historical oecist responsible for the foundation of Taras. Both have stories attached to them of being saved by dolphins when they were at risk of drowning. In this particular case since the rider carries a trident, the weapon of Poseidon, and Taras was said to be the son of the same god it may be more likely that we are looking at Taras rather than Phalanthos here.
2 commentsLeo
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Herakles and ZeusMacedonian Kingdom, Philip III and Alexander IV, 323 - 317 B.C.
GS70917. Silver drachm, Price 1515; ADM II Series V, 91 - 95; SNG München 474; Müller Alexander -, VF, attractive style, Troas, Abydus mint, weight 4.097g, maximum diameter 18.1mm, die axis 180o, Leonnatos, Arrhidaios, or Antigonos I;

obverse Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck;

reverse AΛEΞAN∆POY, Zeus seated left on throne, right leg drawn back, eagle in extended right, long scepter vertical behind in left, horse leg left, Ξ under throne; ex Nemesis;

Herakles is the son of the divine Zeus and mortal Alcemene who was cursed by the jealous Hera to murder his entire family. He then had to overcome twelve labors given to him by King Eurystheus to repent for the atrocity. The first labor (defeating the Nemean Lion) is portrayed on the obverse of this coin.

Zeus is the main king of the Olympians ruling over the realm of man. He is known to be a notorious womanizer having affairs with several divine and mortal women, which constantly makes his wife Hera extremely jealous. He is associated with lightning and the eagle (as shown on the reverse of this coin) among other symbols.
Colby S
Praxiteles_Hermes_carrying_the_infant_Dionysos_Hirmer_Munich.jpg
Hermes Bearing the Infant DionysosHermes bearing the infant Dionysos, made by Praxiteles, around 364 BC. Hellenistic marble copy, now in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia/Greece. Depicted on a coin from Philippopolis.
Jochen
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Hermes with infant Dionysosmuseum in OlympiaJ. B.
Thasos.jpg
ISLAND OFF THRACE. ThasosCirca 480-463 B.C. AR Stater (21mm, 8.80gm). Le Rider, Thassienes 5; HPM pl. X, 12; HGC 6, 331; SNG Copenhagen 1010-2. Obverse: Ithyphallic satyr advancing right, carrying off protesting nymph. Reverse: quadripartite incuse square. VF, toned.

Ex CNG

The motif of the satyr abducting a maenad appears on several northern Greek coins. In the case of Thasos, an island just off the coast of Thrace in northern Greece, this Dionysiac motif serves to promote the island's famous wine. Satyrs belong to the retinue of Dionysos, the god of wine. They are only interested in drinking wine and having sex, usually with the maenads, the female followers of Dionysos. Satyrs are commonly represented as half-man, half-horse or goat, often with a horse tail and pointy horse ears. On the obverse of this coin, however, the satyr has mostly human traits, except for his goat legs. In addition, his bestial nature is made clear by means of his nudity (which visibly contrasts with the maenad's modest chiton), his obvious sexual arousal, and the fact that he is trying to abduct a maenad against her will, as evidenced by raising her right arm in protest (and about to slap her abductor!). The overtly sexual displays seen on many early Greek coins can be disconcerting to the modern eye, viewing them through the lens of centuries of Christian fulminations against ‘paganism’ and its erotic excesses. These scenes are at their most graphic in northern Greece, for example, on the archaic coins of Lete and the island of Thasos, showing the interplay of nymphs and satyrs. The towns and tribes of this region were only newly introduced to the ‘civilizing’ influences of the south, and were still close to their roots in farming and herding cultures. Their gods were not the Olympian super beings, but the spirits of nature, and the emphasis was on celebrating the fecundity of fields and flocks. Thasos gained its enormous wealth by virtue of its local silver mines as well as mines it controlled on the Thracian mainland opposite the island city-state. According to Herodotos (VI, 46), the city derived 200-300 talents annually from her exploitation of this mineral wealth. Such source of the sought-after white metal attracted foreign interest on the mines. The famous of these was when Athens attacked Thasos, ironically one of its members in the Delian League, in 465 B.C. with a single purpose in taking control of these mines. Additionally, Thasos gained much material wealth as a producer and exporter of high quality wines, which was tightly regulated by the government, and it was perhaps due to this trade in wine that her coinage spread throughout the Aegean making it a widely recognized and accepted coinage in distant lands.

2 commentsJason T
Isle_of_Man_1_Crown_1980_Olympiade_Lake_Placid_Winter_Olympia.jpg
Isle of ManIsle of Man

1 Crown 1980 (Kupfer-Nickel)

Winterolympiade Lake Placid 1980

Gewicht: 28,28g

Erhaltung: unzirkuliert _1038
Antonivs Protti
Julia_Mamaea_Juno.jpg
Julia Mamaea, Juno with peacock, Silver Denarius * 222-235 A.D.
AR Denarius

Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVG. Draped bust, right.
Rev: IVNO CONSERVATRIX. Juno* standing left, holding patera in left hand and scepter in right hand, peacock at her feet to left and both left-facing.

Mint: Rome
Struck: 222 AD.

Size: 1.9 cm.
Weight: 3.1 grams.
Die axis: 0 degs.

Beautiful clear luster, with ‘minor’ shock damage to lower edge.

RIC IV/2, 343; C.35
Sear 2310
BMCR.43

* Olympian

Mamaea's imperial title was Iulia Augusta, mater Augusti nostri et castrorum et senatus et patriae, recalling the titulature of Julia Domna. Her position in the government was confirmed by the title consors imperii. Recognized as religiosissima, she had conversation with Origen while in the East as She accompanied Alexander on campaign there against the Persians in 230-231. In 235, she was with him in Germany, at Mainz, when they were assassinated by the troops, with Maximinus Thrax chosen as successor. She suffered damnatio memoriae.
Tiathena
Julian_Siscia.JPG
Julian II 'The Philosopher' (as Augustus)361-363 AD
AE3 (19mm, 2.65g)
O: Diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust left, holding shield and spear; DN FL CL IVLIANVS PF AVG.
R: VOT X MVLT XX in four lines within wreath; BSISC· below.
Siscia mint
RIC VIII 421; Sear 4074v
ex Munzen Sann

“Are you not aware that all offerings whether great or small that are brought to the gods with piety have equal value, whereas without piety, I will not say hecatombs, but, by the gods, even the Olympian sacrifice of a thousand oxen is merely empty expenditure and nothing else?”
~ Julian
1 commentsEnodia
Philip_II~0.jpg
Kings of Macedon. Philip II (Circa 359-336 BC)AE 16, 6.23 g

Obverse: Head of Apollo right

Reverse: "ΦIΛIΠΠOY" (FILIPPOY) above naked youth on horse right, theta p control mark below

SNG ANS 927

The rise of Macedon during the reign of Philip II was achieved in part by his reformation of the Ancient Macedonian army, establishing the Macedonian phalanx that proved critical in securing victories on the battlefield. After defeating Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, Philip II led the effort to establish a federation of Greek states known as the League of Corinth, with him as the elected hegemon and commander-in-chief of a planned invasion of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia. However, his assassination in 336 BC (perhaps orchestrated by one of his wives, Olympias, and son, Alexander the Great) led to the immediate succession of Alexander.
Nathan P
phillip iii.jpg
MACEDON KINGDOM - PHILIP IIIPhilip III brother of Alexander the Great AR drachm Philip III 323 - 317 BC was half brother of Alexander III the Great and was ruling together with the infant son of Alexander - Alexander IV. Philip III was king for only 6 years and was murdered by Olympias, mother of Alexander the Great. Obv.: Head of Herakles right. Rev.: Zeus enthroned left, holding an eagle and scepter. Legend in Greek. , 4.01 g.
dpaul7
GRK_Macedonia_Philip_tetradrachm.JPG
Macedonian KingdomSear 6684 var., Le Rider pl. 47, 18 var. (without the I to the right of the Δ).

AR Tetradrachm (23-24 mm.), struck in the name of Philip II (359-336 B.C.) under Cassander (Regent 317-305 B.C.; King 305-297 B.C.) or his sons, Philip IV (297 B.C.) and Alexander V (297-294 B.C.) at Amphipolis, ca. 315-294 B.C. (per Le Rider) or ca. 320-315 B.C. (per Price).

Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right.

Rev: ΦIΛΙΠ-ΠΟΥ above young naked jockey astride racehorse prancing right, carrying long palm frond of victory in right hand and holding reins in left hand; Λ above race-torch below horse; Δ below horse’s foreleg.

Philip II claimed descent from Zeus, and hence adopted the head of Zeus for his obverse. The image is thought to possibly be inspired by the great statue of Zeus by Phidias at Olympia, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The reverse celebrates Philip's victories at the Olympic games, where his racehorses were victorious in the games of 356 B.C. and possibly again in 348 B.C.

Philip adopted the Chalcidian weight standard (c. 14.45 g.) for his tetradrachm, in an effort to replace the Chalcidian League's coinage at that standard after his sacking of Olynthus in Chalcidice in 348 B.C. The expansion of Macedonia under Philip resulted in its coinage overtaking Athenian owls as the leading currency of the Greek world. The type continued to be struck long after the death of Philip. The type was imitated in tribal lands north of Macedonia up to the first century B.C.
1 commentsStkp
PhilipIIMacedonLifetimeTet.jpg
Macedonian Kingdom, Philip II, 359 - 336 B.C., Lifetime IssueSilver tetradrachm, Le Rider 233 (D130/R188); SNG ANS 385 ff., VF, Pella, 14.163g, 25.4mm, 225o, 342 - 336 B.C.; obverse laureate head of Zeus right; reverse "FILIPPOU", naked youth on horse pacing right on horseback holding palm, thunderbolt below; ex CNG 214, 82; very high relief sculptural portrait, nice style, lifetime issue. Ex FORVM.

Philip II expanded the size and influence of the Macedonian Kingdom, but is perhaps best known as the father of Alexander the Great. He personally selected the design of his coins.

Philip II of Macedon (382 BC–336 BC; in Greek Φίλιππος = φίλος (friend) + ίππος (horse), transliterated Philippos) was the King of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination. He was the father of Alexander the Great, Phillip III Arrhidaeus, and possibly Ptolemy I Soter, founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Born in Pella, Philip was the youngest son of King Amyntas III and Eurydice. In his youth, (ca. 368 BC–365 BC) Philip was a hostage in Thebes, which was the leading city of Greece during the Theban hegemony. While a captive there, Philip received a military and diplomatic education from Epaminondas, was involved in a pederastic relationship with Pelopidas and lived with Pammenes, who was an enthusiastic advocate of the Sacred Band of Thebes. In 364 BC, Philip returned to Macedonia. The deaths of Philip's elder brothers, King Alexander II and Perdiccas III, allowed him to take the throne in 359 BC. Originally appointed regent for his infant nephew Amyntas IV, who was the son of Perdiccas III, Philip managed to take the kingdom for himself that same year.

Philip's military skills and expansionist vision of Macedonian greatness brought him early success. The hill tribes were broken by a single battle in 358 BC, and Philip established his authority inland as far as Lake Ohrid. He used the Social War as an opportunity for expansion. In 357 BC, he took the Athenian colony of Amphipolis, which commanded the gold mines of Mount Pangaion. That same year Philip married the Epirote princess Olympias, who was the daughter of the king of the Molossians. In 356 BC, Philip conquered the town of Crenides and changed its name to Philippi. Philip also attacked Abdera and Maronea, on the Thracian sea-board. Also in 356 Alexander was born and his race horse won in the Olympics in He took Methone in 354 BC, a town which had belonged to Athens. During the siege of Methone, Philip lost an eye.

Not until his armies were opposed by Athens at Thermopylae in 352 BC did Philip face any serious resistance. Philip did not attempt to advance into central Greece because the Athenians had occupied Thermopylae. Also in 352 BC, the Macedonian army won a complete victory over the Phocians at the Battle of Crocus Field. This battle made Philip tagus of Thessaly, and he claimed as his own Magnesia, with the important harbour of Pagasae.
Hostilities with Athens did not yet take place, but Athens was threatened by the Macedonian party which Philip's gold created in Euboea. From 352 to 346 BC, Philip did not again come south. He was active in completing the subjugation of the Balkan hill-country to the west and north, and in reducing the Greek cities of the coast as far as the Hebrus (Maritza). For the chief of these coastal cities, Olynthus, Philip continued to profess friendship until its neighboring cities were in his hands.

In 349 BC, Philip started the siege of Olynthus. Olynthus at first allied itself with Philip, but later shifted its allegiance to Athens. The Athenians did nothing to help Olynthus. Philip finally took Olynthus in 348 BC and razed the city to the ground. In 346 BC, he intervened effectively in the war between Thebes and the Phocians, but his wars with Athens continued intermittently.

Macedonia and the regions adjoining it having now been securely consolidated, Philip celebrated his Olympic games at Dium. In 347 BC, Philip advanced to the conquest of the eastern districts about the Hebrus, and compelled the submission of the Thracian prince Cersobleptes. Meanwhile, Athens had made overtures for peace, and when Philip, in 346 BC, again moved south, peace was sworn in Thessaly. With key Greek city-states in submission, Philip turned to Sparta; he sent them a message, "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city." Their reply was "If." Philip and Alexander would both leave them alone. Later, the Macedonian arms were carried across Epirus to the Adriatic Sea. In 342 BC, Philip led a great military expedition north against the Scythians, conquering the Thracian fortified settlement Eumolpia to give it his name, Philippoupolis (modern Plovdiv).

In 340 BC, Philip started the siege of Perinthus. Philip began another siege in 339 BC of the city of Byzantium. After unsuccessful sieges of both cities, Philip's influence all over Greece was compromised. However, Philip successfully reasserted his authority in the Aegean by defeating an alliance of Thebans and Athenians at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. He erected a memorial of a marble lion to the Sacred Band of Thebes for their bravery that still stands today. Philip created and led the League of Corinth in 337 BC. Members of the League agreed never to wage war against each other, unless it was to suppress revolution. Philip was elected as leader (hegemon) of the army of invasion against the Persian Empire. In 336 BC, when the invasion of Persia was in its very early stage, Philip was assassinated, and was succeeded on the throne of Macedon by his son Alexander the Great.

Philip’s Assassination

The murder happened in October of 336 BC, at Aegae, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Macedon. The court had gathered there for the celebration of the marriage between Alexander of Epirus and Philip's daughter. While the king was entering unprotected into the town's theatre (highlighting his approachability to the Greek diplomats present), he was killed by Pausanias of Orestis, one of Philip's seven bodyguards. The assassin immediately tried to escape and reach his associates who were waiting for him with horses at the entrance of Aegae. He was pursued by three of Philip's bodyguards and died by their hands.
The reasons for Pausanias' assassination of Phillip are difficult to fully expound, since there was controversy already among ancient historians. The only contemporary account in our possession is that of Aristotle, who states rather tersely that Philip was killed because Pausanias had been offended by the followers of Attalus, the king's father-in-law.

Whatever else that may be written about Philip II it must be recognized that he was responsible for making Macedon the ascendant Greek power. He reorganized the Macedonian army. It was this army that Alexander the Great inherited. Phillip II trained some of Alexander’s best generals: Antigonus Cyclops, Antipater, Nearchus, Parmenion, and Perdiccas.

According to the Greek historian Theopompus of Chios, Europe had never seen a man like king Philip of Macedonia, and he called his history of the mid-fourth century BCE the Philippic History. Theopompus had a point. Not even his better known son Alexander has done so much to change the course of Greek history. Philip reorganized his kingdom, gave it access to the sea, expanded its power so that it could defeat the Achaemenid Empire, and subdued the Greek city-states, which never regained their independence again. To achieve this, he modernized the Macedonian economy, improved the army, and concluded several marital alliances. The result was a superpower with one weakness: it was as strong as its king. When Philip's son Alexander died, the institutions were too weak, and Macedonia never recovered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_II_of_Macedon
http://www.livius.org/phi-php/philip/philip_ii.htm
Ed. by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
1 commentsCleisthenes
GRK_Macedonian_Kings_Philip_III_Arrhidaeus_Sear_6750-51.jpg
Macedonian Kingdom. Philip III Arrhidaeus (323-317 B.C.)Sear 6750-6751 var.; Price P57; Müller P89.

AR drachm; struck circa 323-319 B.C. at the Ionia, Magnesia ad Maeandrum (Magneasia on the Meander) mint, 3.92 g., 17.04 mm. max, 0°.

Obv.: Head of Herakles right, wearing Nemean lion's skin headdress.

Rev.: ΦIΛIΠΠOY, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, holding eagle and sceptre, IAT monogram below throne.

Arrhidaeus was the illegitimate son of King Philip II of Macedonia by Philinna of Larissa, and thus an elder half-brother of Alexander III the Great. He had mild learning difficulties. Alexander was fond of Arrhidaeus and took him on his campaigns, both to protect his life and to prevent his use as a pawn in any prospective challenge for the throne. After Alexander's death in Babylon in 323 B.C., the Macedonian army in Asia proclaimed Arrhidaeus as king, and he was re-named Philip. He served merely as a figurehead and as the pawn of a series of powerful generals. He was murdered in October 317 by Olympias, Alexander's mother, to ensure the succession of her grandson.
Stkp
PhilipAplustre_Tet_b.jpg
metapontum.jpg
Metapontion, Lucania, Italy, c. 330 - 290 B.C.Silver stater, HN Italy 1581; SGCV I 416 var; Noe-Johnston 3, class C 1.2-72, VF, obverse off center, weight 7.851g, maximum diameter 20.2mm, die axis 150o, c. 330 - 290 B.C.; obverse head of Demeter right; reverse head of grain, META on left, plough above leaf on right, M[AX] lower right; ex CNG; ex FORVM

Demeter in Greek mythology is the goddess of grain and fertility, the pure; nourisher of the youth and the green earth, the health-giving cycle of life and death; and preserver of marriage and the sacred law. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, dated to about the seventh century B.C. she is invoked as the "bringer of seasons," a subtle sign that she was worshipped long before she was made one of the Olympians. She and her daughter Persephone were the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries that also predated the Olympian pantheon.
3 commentsPhiloromaos
1968_mexico_olympic_coin_silver.jpg
Mexico 196825 Pesos. XIX Olympiad; summer Olympics, Mexico City
Aztec ballplayer above the Olympic rings on obverse.
laney
20277801.jpg
museum in Olympia - Zeus throwing lightning J. B.
Olympia_wreath.jpg
Olympia - AE tetrachalkonmid 2nd century BC
laureate head of Zeus right
legend within wreath
FA / ΛEI / ΩN
Cf. BCD Olympia 302-5; cf. SNG Copenhagen 446-8; cf. BMC 150
3,9g 18mm
J. B.
Olympia_eagle.jpg
Olympia - AR hemidrachm312-271 BC
laureate head of Zeus right
eagle right; olive leaf right
F _ A
BMC 84. Dewing 1896. McClean 6637. SNG Delepierre 2158
2,7g 14mm
ex Aurea
J. B.
olympia~0.jpg
Olympia hemidrachm390/380 BC, signed by Polykaon (signature not visible on this coin)
16-17 mm, 2.73 g
obv: head of eagle left
rev: F-A; winged thunderbolt in wreath
Slg. BCD 103
ex Künker, ex. Robert Ball Nachf., Berlin
1 commentsareich
Elis_Olympia_E1TRWh.jpg
Olympia, Elis AE (27mm), 30s BCE. Ex Franke, Morcom, Warren, Philipsen Collections, Naville Ars Classica XV & Hirsch XXVGreek (Post-Hellenistic, Roman Era). Olympia, Elis AE Diassarion-Dupondius (25-27mm, 12.56 g, 1h), temp. Marc Antony & Cleopatra, c. 30s BCE.
Obv: Head of Hera right, wearing stephane & necklace. Rev: Eagle standing right on thunderbolt; F-A across field, monogram (K or Y Retrograde Γ = Ꞁ) to lower right.

Ref (BCD): BCD Olympia 307 (same monogram, different dies); see also BCD Olympia 308-313 (mgm. vars.); BCD Peloponnesos 695-696 (mgm. vars.); BCD Peloponnesos II 2303-2307 (mgm. vars.). Ref (other): HGC 5, 544; Franke (1984 p. 19: Abb. 21, and p. 21); Weber 4082; Strauss-Laffaille (1990) 368; SNG Copenhagen 429-30 var. (monogram); Cahn 71 [1931], 365 (same rev., obv. facing left); Wroth (NC) 1905: p. 335; Earle-Fox (NC) 1898: pp. 292-3.

Prov: Sammlung P.R. Franke (1926-2018) [Solidus Auktion 108 (8 November 2022), Lot 137];
Christopher Morcom (1939-) Collection [CNG MBS 76 (12 September 2007), Lot 562];
Col. R.K. Morcom Collection (1877-1961);
Edward Perry Warren (1860-1928) Collection [Naville Ars Classica XV (2 Jul 1930), Lot 809, ill. on Pl. 28, "amateur étranger récemment décédé"];
Sammlung Gustav Philipsen (Copenhagen, 1853-1925) [Jacob Hirsch XXV (25 Nov 1909), 1300 (Pl. XVI)];
Ex IGCH 216 (unknown findspot hoard, c. 1887-1894); possibly dispersed by Canon [Rev.] William Greenwell (1820-1918).

Notes: Variously described as Double-Unit, Diassarion, Dupondius, Obol, and/or “Denomination A” (Hoover, HGC 5); and dated c. 4th BCE (Franke), 3rd (Wroth, Strauss), 2nd (Moustaka), or 30s BCE, temp. Antony/Cleopatra (J. Warren, Nicolet, BCD). (For a summary, see BCD Olympia 307 [LINK].) In the past 25 years it has become more common to interpret these coins as part of Antony & Cleopatra’s Romanization of currency in the Greek Provinces, struck during their final years in the lead up to Actium. From this perspective, we can interpret them as a Diassarion equivalent to a Dupondius.
7 commentsCurtis JJ
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