FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board
Numismatic and History Discussion Forums => Greek Coins Discussion Forum => Topic started by: Paul S13 on August 14, 2021, 04:43:44 pm
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Dear folks,
That depictions of god Sun in the obverse with A and P and Zeus (?) probably in the reverse irritated me, so I was thinking at the beginn about Ambracia-Epirus, but this N between the legs does not match
Any idea about the id of this bronze coin please ?
BR
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Yes, it looks like Ambracia.
Sometimes also with an N between the legs:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8573125b
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Great, so I wasnt mistaking, what could this N stand for ?
Maybe the owner plural:
AMBΡΑΚΙΩΤΩΝ
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There are two varieties of this type from Ambrakia with a radiate Apollo on the obverse.
One with Zeus on the reverse holding thunderbolt and aegis: see BMC Thessaly, p. 95, 23
and one with Apollo on the reverse holding bow and drawing an arrow out of a quiver on his back:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8573128k
https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/107976
If the preservation of the coin is not very good (being mostly the case :-\), than the two variants are hard to discern :-\.
On the coin here the gesture of the right arm looks more like drawing an arrow out of the quiver.
Besides the AMBP for the city you find different letters or monograms on the coins, which are thought to be control marks controlling the process of the coin production. These control marks can stand for certain people being responsible in some sense for the minting (sometimes you find whole names on coins), for different batches of the coinage or for something different. There is up to now no satisfying explanation for all these additional signs and symbols on ancient coins in general, and I don't know whether there is at least a theory for the coinage of Ambrakia :-\.
Regards
Altamura
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Thanks for the BMC Thessaly Altamura, great help :afro:
Indeed the preservation of these coins does not help much:
As you mentioned, I thought as well that the short angle of the right hand of Apollo/Helios, indicates the move, drawing an arrow out of the quiver.
Unfortunately, that does not implicate a style criterium, cause I present here another Ambracia coin with Apollo/Helios using a long angle for drawing an arrow, the way also Zeus use it in order to brandish thunderbolts ??? Hard to say ....
Additional letters/monogramms/marks are here Λ and Ν
BR