Hi!
This coin I have bought because of its strange figure on the
rev. The result of my research I want to share.
Lycaonia, Savatra,
Antoninus Pius, AD 138-161
AE 28, 9.57g
obv. AVT KAIC ADR - ANTWNINOC - CE
Head, laureate, r.
rev. CAOV - TREWN
Bearded water-god, nude, stg. frontal,
head l., holding in lowered r. hand grain-ears and
resting with raised l. hand on long
reed; on
his r.
side another smaller
plant, on
his l.
side a
fish l.
ref.
SNG von Aulock 5406; Aulock Lykaonien 166;
SNG Copenhagen 16;
SNG France 2330;
Rec.Gen. 4797
rare, F+/about VF, green-brown
patinaThe
rev. is really peculiar: We see a bearded male figure looking a
bit like
Zeus, but with the attributes of a river-god. And he is standing not reclining as usually river-gods do. Who is this deity?
Savatra, near the recent Yaghli-Baiyat, was located north-east of
Iconium in the heart of
Asia Minor. In the known literature it appears as Soatra (so at Strabo), Sautra, Sauatra, Savatra, Sabatra or Sabatka. We know very little about this city, already demonstrated by its many different names. It is mentioned by Strabo, Ptolemaios and Hierokles. And it is listed in the Tabula Peutingeriana too. So it was located at a
Roman street, namely that leading from Laodikeia via Hyde to Koropissos. Beginning with
Trajan and until
Philip I Savatra issued own coins (HN). For some time it was the seat of a
bishop: AD 381 Aristophanes, who was present at the 1st Oecumenical Council in
Constantinopolis, and AD 451 Eustathius.
The most outstanding fesature of Savatra was its water shortage. For that it was famous (Strabo). A small village which is seen today at its old place is Su Vermeß(?) which should mean 'no water'. It is a desert-like region. The
poor rivers get lost in several country lakes of which the Tatta Lake (today Dusgköl), a salt-lake, is the largest. It is so salty that it was reported that an object thrown in the lake was covered with salt crystals in a moment. Whenever a bird touches the water with its wings the salt is attached to the wings and the bird must sink because of the
weight.
Because of
his attributes the depicted figure is surely a water-god. But because the region at Savatra was waterless, he can't be a river-god but is probably a deity of one of the salt lakes in the neighbourhood (
Hill, BM).
Hill suggested the Tatta Lake and he stressed the fact that the figure is standing and doesn't recline as a river-god usually does. Even if the Tatta Lake is about 70km distant of Savatra it is such an impressive phenomenon that the appearance of its tutelary deity on a coin of Savatra is understandable without difficulties - if the district of Savatra would has reached to its
shore. But that seems to be not the case. However there is an alternative: the salt-lake near Obroklu, which probably was dependent on Savatra (Ramsay). Because usually only that is depicted on coins which is situated on the territory of the city it is probably not the Tatta Lake whivch is meant by the figure on the
rev., but the smaller lake near Obroklu.
Sources:
(1) Ludwig Georgii, Alte Geographie (on books.google)
(2) H. S. Cronin, First Report of a Journey in
Pisidia,
Lycaonia, and
Pamphylia, 1902
(3)
WikipediaBest regards
