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Author Topic: Problems with a legend from Maionia  (Read 914 times)

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Offline Jochen

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Problems with a legend from Maionia
« on: April 27, 2022, 01:37:08 pm »
Dear friends of ancient coins!

In my collection I have a nice coin from Maionia, which shows Dionysus in a centaur biga. Unfortunately, it is not perfectly preserved. Now I have found a second specimen from Yale University. With it I have succeeded in completing the legend.

Composed of 2 copies, the legend on the reverse reads:
[EΠI IOVΛIAN - OV] - T..A. - A.B.APX[ONTOC]
i.e. "[this coin was struck] under the archon Julianus". The abbreviations T.A.A.B. cause difficulties.

Other coinages show that there was a 1st and a 2nd archon in Maionia.  EΠI KYEINTOY B AΡX A could then mean "under Quintus, who is 1st archon for the second time".

It is more difficult with EΠI KYINTOY B AΡX A T B e.g. means "under Quintus, who was 1st archon (APX A) for the second time (T B)". Here, however, the B before APX remains unexplained. 2nd archon would then be double!

To my coin: T.A. could then mean "for the first time", although the counting usually starts with the second time. Could A.B. then mean 2nd archon? But then the written APX[ONTOC] behind it would actually be double.

Can anyone help me out of this dilemma?

And anyone who does know the female figure under Dionysos' elbow?

With thanks in advance
Jochen

Offline Tom Mullally

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2022, 04:37:25 pm »
Jochen,

Your coin is also BMC 43 and SNG Leypold 1072 (rev. described as Cybele), neither mention the figure on the cart below Dionysus.  Extrapolating the legends between the known coins, I think the full legend should be: ƐΠΙ ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝΟΥ ΓΑ[Λ?] Β ΑΡΧΟΝΤΟϹ ΜΑΙΟΝΩΝ

Tom
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Offline Jochen

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2022, 04:45:49 am »
Dear Tom!

I think you have nailed it. It was a reading error: It should have been noticeable that A.B. are separated by a dot, but TA are not. And that is because it is not TA, but ΓA! Indeed, the archon's name is IOVΛIANOVC ΓA[...]. Wether the following A belongs to his name or means "the first [archon]" I don't know.

Thank you
Jochen

Offline Pekka K

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2022, 05:25:36 am »

Dane Kurth GRPC gives in MAI 119 the reverse legend as:

ƐΠΙ ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝΟΥ Α TO Β ΑΡΧΟΝΤΟϹ ΜΑΙΟΝΩΝ

Pekka K

Offline Jochen

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2022, 06:23:21 am »
Hi Pekka!

Do you have a picture of this coin? If it is the same one, then Dane has mistakenly taken the legend from another coin,

Jochen

Offline Pekka K

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2022, 06:28:13 am »

Here:

Offline Jochen

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2022, 07:24:55 am »
Please, take a look!

Jochen

BTW Has Dane mentioned the female figure on the cart below Dionysos?


Offline Pekka K

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2022, 08:14:20 am »

No mention, here is the text:

 

Offline Jochen

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2022, 08:33:05 am »
Thanks a lot! Sadly the obv. legend is incorrect too. Indeed it is AV K M L CEP CEVHROC PERTIN. You can read it on the coin.

Jochen

Offline Tom Mullally

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2022, 10:07:58 pm »
"Gentleman's Magazine"??? I guess those magazines have really had to switch audiences with the popularity of the internet these days!

Tom
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Offline helvetica

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #10 on: May 03, 2022, 12:58:18 pm »
Hahaha... when I was preparing GRPC I always tried to add as many references to each entry as I could. I personally find it frustrating when a book only cites ONE reference, and even more frustrating when it is a book I don't have. "Gentleman's Magazine" often listed some pretty interesting coins which turned out to be correct in every detail. PC-ers* today would demand the publication be renamed "Gentleperson's Magazine".
I didn't have any decent photos of this particular coin at the time - the books' files were at the printers for nearly a year before they were actually printed and despite my sending numerous "nicer pics" and corrections, the printers just didn't use them, which is maddening.

The female figure on these, if it's not Ariane (Ariadne), then it is usually described as a Maenad, sometimes dancing.
So I will add these corrections to the list for the supplement.

*Political Correctness freaks.

Offline helvetica

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #11 on: May 03, 2022, 01:25:51 pm »
By the way, I am sure the obv legend has KAI and not K M, which would be extremely unusual for Sept. Severus. In fact, looking through the legends on the ww Sept Severus page, I would say that the old entry of a coin of Nikopolis (from before my time) given as having "K M" needs to be corrected to KAI. You can see the crossbar on the A in your second image.

Offline Jochen

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Re: Problems with a legend from Maionia
« Reply #12 on: May 03, 2022, 03:51:03 pm »
Of course you are right about AV.KAI.L. CEP. It cannot be AV.K.M.L.CEP because there is no M in the name of Septimius Severus. And one can see rhe dots before and behind KAI. I will correct it.

Thanks
Jochen

 

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