This is an unusually nice specimen of this coin.
Semi-autonomous copper
AE16 of
Nikopolis ad Istrum, 2nd-3rd century CE. 15x16mm, 1.92g.
Obverse: Draped
bust of Nike/Tyche right, winged, crowned with a turret in three parts, hair rolled along brow and brought into a bun at the back, wearing an earring of three spheres,
palm leaf over left shoulder.
Reverse: ΠPOC IC - TPON. Decorated
krater, with a bunch of grapes over its mouth.
Ref:
AMNG ---; Hristova/Jekov 8.0.52.3
corr. Hristova and Jekov made a few mistakes in their description, though their (faint) photographic image is clearly from the same dies. They give the headwear of Nike/Tyche as a
kalathos rather than the ornate turreting that it is; and give the
reverse type as a
kantharos, not mentioning the grapes. Some descriptions call it a vase, but that is rather generic and misleading.
Pat Lawrence has identified this as a
krater (elsewhere on
Forum) and the grapes over its mouth can only confirm that. On some specimens the grapes might resemble an ivy or vine leaf (which would have the same symbolic meaning), but this specimen has quite high relief generally, and this object is too roundly shaped to be a leaf.
The
krater has some decoration near the
rim; perhaps this is garlanding.
On the
obverse, Nike/Tyche's robe has some detail which I can't really make out, but which might have some significance, even if we don't know now what that might have been.
Bill
