Dear friends of ancient
mythology!
I am proud to have now solved a mystery surrounding one of the most unusual coins of
Commodus from Nicopolis. This was achieved through the
quality of the following coin, which, when enlarged, revealed new, previously unknown details.
The coin:Moesia inferior,
Nicopolis ad Istrum,
Commodus, AD 177-192.
AE 18, 3.33g
Obv.:
AVT M AVPH - KOMOΔOC
Laureate
head r.
Rev.: NEIKOΠOΛI Π - POC EICTP(
sic!) (both P
reverse).
Pan, nude, wearing spruce
wreath, walking r., shouldering a
lagobolon with raised right
hand and holding a wine vessel in front of belly with left.
Ref.: a)
AMNG I/1, 1242
corr. (1 ex.,
Vienna)
b)
Varbanov 2181
corr. c)
Hristova-Hoeft-Jekov (2021) No.8.10.8.3
corr.not common, almost EF
120 year old mystery of the "horns" solved!During my research I found 7 other coins. On these, the naked figure on the
reverse is called
Pan,
Dionysus and even a
river god, among others.
The great
Behrendt Pick knew only 1 ex. 18mm in 1895, and cites Wien Arneth Sitzungsber. 9, 898, 7 as
his source. The
Rev. of this coin is illustrated under no. 13 on plate XIX.
Behrendt Pick (1861-1940) was probably the greatest
German numismatist.
His accuracy and reliability are a model unrivalled to this day.
His last position was honorary professor in Jena, where he was retired in 1934 as
part of the persecution of the Jews. He died in 1940.
His wife took her own life 2 years later for fear of Nazi persecution.
He writes about this coin: The naming of the very roughly worked figure is uncertain because the attributes are unclear. The object going from the right hand over the shoulder to the back seems to be a long staff, which would suggest
Pan; the two points appearing on the
head, which are rather horns than ends of a
wreath, would also fit.
This description has been adopted by almost everyone, but the "horns" always remain somewhat unclear. But now everyone can see for themselves that these "horns(?)" are looking like antlers and are indeed spruce branches!
So it really is
Pan, and the 120-year-old mystery of the "horns" has been solved: this depiction belongs to the
mythology of
Pan and the nymph Pitys. What could be nicer for a collector?
By the way: Does anyone know a coin that shows
Pan with a spruce
wreath?
Best regards
Jochen