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Author Topic: Hills on coins  (Read 3121 times)

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nenonenov

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Hills on coins
« on: February 19, 2010, 05:44:17 am »
Hi!
Several Philippopolis hills (of total seven) appeared on coins. I tried reconstruction at exact viewpoint of ancient engravers.
1. Djendem tepe hill - 211 AD. Apollo Kendrisos temple and column, another temple down hill and aquaduct.
2 Bunardjik hill - 186 - 196 AD. Temple on the top.
3. Sahat tepe hill - 211 AD. Heracles statue
4. Sahat tepe(left) - small building (water clock?), Djendem tepe (center) - Apollo Kendrisos statue, Bunardjik (right) - temple - 145 - 147 AD, aquadust between. On coins on revers order.
Background pictures - Panoramio/Artwall

Offline Jochen

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2010, 06:44:33 am »
Nice and interesting work. Thanks for posting!

Offline Kurt E

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2010, 08:30:42 am »
I agree! Very nice!

Kurt

Offline Dapsul

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2010, 08:51:44 am »
Great! I like your work very much. Should be expanded to other towns.

Best - Frank

Offline wandigeaux (1940 - 2010)

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2010, 02:15:22 pm »
Yes, indeed: very nice!  George S.
Hwaet!
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GET THE HELL OFF MY LAWN!!
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Offline Arminius

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2010, 03:24:22 pm »
Thanks for this nice information !

nenonenov

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2010, 03:28:39 am »
In addition - another interesting detail. Apollos column in Djendemtepe Hill appeared in Pic.1 of previous posting was popular place for Emperors sacrificing (picture below wildwinds mainly - look at the same column and statue). It is a certain evidence foe emperors visits in Philippopolis.
1. Septimius Severus - 196 AD. Then the emperor honoured Philippopolis as Metropolis as result of citizens support in war against Niger.
2. Geta or Caracalla - 211 AD. Due to some internal city problems the emperor took back Metropolis title during this visit.
3. Caracalla - 215 AD. Visit for splendid Pythean Alexandrian games in city. The city was right place for Caracallas mania to Alexander the Great with his father-founder Philip the Macedonian. Tons of sportive coins issued.
4. Elegabalus - 219 AD. In this visit the emperor had a lot of thinks to do - again Pythean Kendrisean games, giving back the title Metropolis as well as honouring Philippopolis as Neokor - this time for support against Macrinus.
 Great city, great history
It is a nice idea to expand this reconstruction to other cities but I am well informed only for Philippopolis coinage and seesights.

leemjvd

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2010, 03:14:25 am »
GREAT work ! Love it !

Thanks for sharing
Michael van der Lee - NL

Offline Randygeki(h2)

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2010, 09:38:30 am »
nice!

nenonenov

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2010, 11:28:15 am »
Another artefact of Philippopolis coinage. Two pieces fine marple architrave-frieze discovered in Plovdiv - part of huge builging HOUSE OF TREASURE (according latin inscription ... AEDEM THENSAVRORV... on first piece) - time of Antoninus Pius or Commodus (according second piece ...NINVS AVG PIVSS...). In the building probably took place provincial coin minting and control (ancient bank) close to Forum.

Offline curtislclay

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2010, 11:49:43 am »
Why

THENSAVRORVM rather than

THESAVRORVM (without the N)?

Is that a known variant spelling?

A very impressive inscription, in any case!
Curtis Clay

nenonenov

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2010, 01:00:00 pm »
Why

THENSAVRORVM rather than

THESAVRORVM (without the N)?

Is that a known variant spelling?

A very impressive inscription, in any case!
I am not familiar with Latin inscriptions. A possible reason is error due to low level of education in smaller eastern provincial cities (especially for seldom used Latin). Some examples - 17 (!) errors in a funeral greek inscription of rich Philippopolis citizen or unintended error on this coin - FAYSTEIAN insted FAYSTEINA:

Offline slokind

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2010, 02:52:16 pm »
The spelling on the coin is of a rather common kind.  In engraving the intaglio die, the engraver simply accidentally reverses the sequence of the nu and the alpha.
The nu added to the stem of a word, 'thesaurorum' is more complex.  First, it involves translating a slightly fancy Greek word into Latin, then carving the Latin (the language less common in Philippopolis, and a later arrival than Greek among those Thracians) in a monumental inscription, where it is easier to imagine that the carver knew his craft better than his languages.  The Greek would be  :Greek_Theta: :Greek_Eta: :GreeK_Sigma: :Greek_Alpha: :Greek_Upsilon: :Greek_Rho: :Greek_Omega: (or  :Greek_omega_small::Greek_Nu:.
I guess that, unlike Fausteian for Fausteina, this error is a unique occurrence.
Pat L.
I attach Herakles' replacements, AD 2000.

Emanuele Giulianelli

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2010, 06:44:05 am »
Very nice and interesting job, nenonenov!
Did you publish it?

nenonenov

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2010, 11:31:05 am »
Very nice and interesting job, nenonenov!
Did you publish it?

The information I posted is not published. There are at least 7 special articles for Plovdiv hills on coins in scientific literature (Bulgarian text mainly) but I am afraid that hills recognition in these is totaly confused. Note that for some objects we have archeological remains and evidence (esspecially for exact aquaduct route and location). I collected mass of information concerning this problem (the posted one is just a small part of it) but its publishing requires not available for me spare time. May be in future with some help from somebody ...

Offline curtislclay

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #15 on: February 23, 2010, 11:58:19 am »
The nu added to the stem of a word, 'thesaurorum' is more complex.  First, it involves translating a slightly fancy Greek word into Latin, then carving the Latin (the language less common in Philippopolis, and a later arrival than Greek among those Thracians) in a monumental inscription, where it is easier to imagine that the carver knew his craft better than his languages....I guess that, unlike Fausteian for Fausteina, this error is a unique occurrence.

I am reluctant to admit an outright error in such a monumental inscription! Surely the inscription was conceived by the civic authorities and the architect, and there must have been a foreman responsible for checking its spelling and layout by the workmen before they actually cut it into the marble.

Presumably there would be comments about this matter in any publication of the inscription, perhaps in a periodical after its discovery or in regional catalogues of inscriptions.
Curtis Clay

nenonenov

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #16 on: February 23, 2010, 12:34:39 pm »

Presumably there would be comments about this matter in any publication of the inscription, perhaps in a periodical after its discovery or in regional catalogues of inscriptions.

The main publication is: Ivanov T., R. Ivanov. Aedes Thensaurorum of Philippopolis. Archeologia, 1981, #1-2, pages 10-22 (Bulgarian text) which I do not posses - but can check in local library.
As I wrote errors are usual even on monumental inscription even more drastic.  Look this inscription finded 60 km north of Philippopolis in road station Viamata describing restoration of near road buldings. There timing is totally confused.

Offline curtislclay

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #17 on: February 23, 2010, 01:05:56 pm »
I don't see any errors in that inscription, however:

IMP CAESAR DIVI VERI FRATER DIVI ANTONINI PII FILIVS DIVI HADRIANI NEPOS DIVI TRAIANI PRONEPOS DIVI NERVAE ABNEPOS M AVRELIVS ANTONINVS AVGVSTVS GERMANICVS SARMATICVS PONTIFEX MAXIMVS TRIBVNICIAE POT COS III PAT PAT STABVLA VETVSTATE DILAPSA A SOLO SVA PECVNIA RESTITVIT

That is, Marcus Aurelius, with his correct titles of after 175 (Sarmaticus) and his deified relatives back to Divus Nerva, "has restored from the ground up with his own money stables that had deteriorated with age."

I would be interested in hearing Ivanov's explanation of the word THENSAVRORVM, if you are able to look it up!

Curtis Clay

Emanuele Giulianelli

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #18 on: February 23, 2010, 06:39:05 pm »
Very nice and interesting job, nenonenov!
Did you publish it?

The information I posted is not published. There are at least 7 special articles for Plovdiv hills on coins in scientific literature (Bulgarian text mainly) but I am afraid that hills recognition in these is totaly confused. Note that for some objects we have archeological remains and evidence (esspecially for exact aquaduct route and location). I collected mass of information concerning this problem (the posted one is just a small part of it) but its publishing requires not available for me spare time. May be in future with some help from somebody ...

are you from Bulgaria?

Offline Dapsul

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #19 on: February 24, 2010, 03:21:55 am »
The spelling THENSAVR... is not unique. Manfred Clauss' database of Latin inscriptions lists 9 examples. http://www.manfredclauss.de/
Unfortunately, I cannot link the results, but you can switch the site's language to English. Great database!

Frank

Offline curtislclay

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Re: Hills on coins
« Reply #20 on: February 24, 2010, 10:23:33 am »
I am relieved to hear that it is a legitimate alternate spelling rather than a mistake in letters one foot tall!

Thanks for the link, I've added it to my favorites!
Curtis Clay

 

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