Unknown pseudo autonomous

[Aleph]

Hi all,

Does anybody recognize this pseudo autonomous?  What is the reverse design??  It seems to be anepigraphic. I was interested in this coin because I had seen it in an older reference where it was rejected as an anonymous quadrans.  The conclusion there was just tessera?  I am not so happy with a classification of a provincial tessera, however, as this label is often applied to many things which are just otherwise not attributed.

1.9g, 14mm. I have the coin in hand but these are the sellers measurements and photo.

[Altamura]

The BnF also has one and classifies it as tessera as well: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b11353438n

But this also could be such an older classification.

And I think I have seen that during the last weeks in connection with some city, but I don't rember which one it was  .

Regards

Altamura

[Altamura]

I found the other one, not far from the first  . It is attributed to Tyre in Phoenicia:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b85372141     https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb417939764

But I have no idea how stable this attribution is  .

Regards

Altamura

[Aleph]

Thanks, Altamura.  One of the Paris examples is undoubtly the specimen I saw previous referred to- I didn’t realize it would be online!  The Tyre attribution seems odd as I don’t know of similar coins from Tyre.  That of course is not an argument against it.  A double thrysus was my thought as well for the reverse.  I had some doubt, however, as I have never seen a double headed thrysus like that.  I assume the obverse is Athena or Roma, but I am not sure what is over the shoulder.  In any event, I’ll be very curious if anybody has seen other examples.

[Altamura]

... The Tyre attribution seems odd as I don’t know of similar coins from Tyre.  ...

Yes, I am not convinced either. In the description in the BnF they refer to Ernest Babelon, "Les Perses achéménides ...", Paris 1893, but without giving a page or a number. When looking up there I did not find such a coin in this book  .

... I had some doubt, however, as I have never seen a double headed thrysus like that. ...

In the tessera version of the BnF it is described as a quadruple thyrsos, so you don't need double headed thyrsoi for an explanation .

... but I am not sure what is over the shoulder. ...

I would say this is the tip of a spear and thus it is not necessarily Athena or Roma, Ares would be a possibility as well.

Regards

Altamura

[Aleph]

The tip of a spear looks most likely to me also.  This is odd to me though because, as you point out, that may suggest ares or Mars.  In the Greek east, Ares was not common as a motif (I don’t think) while the Athena/Roma motif was extremely common.  It also suggests no particular relation to the thrysus reverse, but unrelated obverse/reverse are not unusual for pseudo autonomous provincial issues (though it would be unusual for an anonymous quadrans).