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Serdica, Gallienus, "Philomousos", Help needed!

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Jochen:
Dear Friends of ancient coins!

I had already posted this coin a few years ago, but no result was achieved. I am therefore making here a new attempt:

Thrace, Serdica, Gallienus, AD 235-268
AE 27, 20.24g, 27.32mm, 15°
obv. AVT K ΓAΛ - ΛIHNOC
Bust, draped and cuirassed, seen from behind, radiate, r.
rev. OVΛΠIAC - CEPΔIKHC
in l. field in 3 lines one below the other ΦIΛO / MOV / COC
Eros, nude, winged, with unknown attribute on head, stg. l., holding in lowered l. hand bow and arrow, and holding in extended r. hand small figure.
ref. a) cf. Ruzicka 479:
has laureate head r. and doesn't mention the legend in field
b) Varbanov III, 2626:
calls the rev. figure Genius and the statuette an idol
c) Moushmov 4955:
calls the rev. figure Genius (Apollo?) and has no name for the statuette
d) Hristova/Jekov 12.46.41.1:
calls the rev. figur Genius and the statuette a Muse
very rare, F
We see that the description of the rev. is not homogeneous. I tend towards Eros because the figure is winged.
The 2nd problem is the small statuette. Because the legend ΦIΛOMOVCOC seems to be a connected the small statuette it should be a "friend of the Muses, friend of art and science". But what it is?

We know of Gallienus that he was a literate emperor, familiar with Greek literature. Does ΦIΛOMOVCOC mean Gallienus and is an adulation for the emperor? But Gallienus as small figur in the hand of Eros: Impossible!

Any suggestions highly appreciated!

Thanks in advance
Jochen

shanxi:
No suggestions but two more attributions for the small figure.:


Berlin: A small figure in a cloak holding a bow

https://ikmk.smb.museum/object?lang=de&id=18245978&view=rs


Corpus Nummorum (same coin):  statuette of Tyche

https://www.corpus-nummorum.eu/coins/5113

Jochen:
Dear Ralf!

Thank you very much for the 2 links.

Unfortunately, they do not help. They always show the same two coins. That makes mine the third in the bunch! And there are errors.  For example, the Corpus Nummorum quotes Varbanov and Hristova/Jekov twice(!) under "Literature", but writes only Hristova instead of Hristova/Jekov. And the Münzkabinett in Berlin transcribes Ruzicka's description incorrectly, so that the statuette now holds the bow in its hand. That would not have happened to Behrendt Pick!

Best regards
Jochen

Altamura:

--- Quote from: Jochen on January 17, 2022, 03:26:38 pm ---... They always show the same two coins. That makes mine the third in the bunch! ...
--- End quote ---
The two links of shanxi show one and the same coin, in the Corpus Nummorum record they even cite the object number of the Berlin collection.
So the bunch up to now consists of two :).

Regards

Altamura

Jochen:
In Hristova/Jekov 3 specimens are illustrated:

Ex. #1, identical with the illustration in Varbanov
Ex. #2
Ex. #3, identical with the illustration in Ruzicka and from the Münzkabinett Berlin.

Together with my Ex. we have together 4 specimens of this interesting type!

Jochen

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