| Last additions - Enodia's Gallery |
Taras, Calabria 271-228 BC
AR Diobol (10mm, 0.74g)
O: Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with Skylla hurling stone.
R: Infant Herakles, nude, strangling a serpent with each hand; monogram to left, ΛE in exergue.
Vlasto 1460-61; HN Italy 1068; Cote ---; SNG France ---; McGil ---
Very scarce
ex Munzhandlung Ritter
A scarce diobol showing the infant Herakles strangling the two serpents sent by Hera to kill him, it becomes even scarcer with Athena facing right.
Vlasto has two specimens, both of which describe the Her helmet as decorated with a 'sea horse' (hippocamp), but which is actually a 'Skylla hurling stone' type.
Retirement has seriously curtailed my collecting lately, but I've been after one of these infant Herakles types for a long time. The damage to this coin is unfortunate but did bring the price down without really affecting the devices, other than impairing Athena's otherwise full crest.
EnodiaJul 14, 2022
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Taras, Calabria 300-250 BC
AE13 (13mm, 2.03g)
O: Octopus
R: Scallop shell
Vlasto 1855; SNG Cop 1089; HN Italy 1095 (as Taras); SNG ANS 447 (as Kroton); HN Italy 2240 (as Kroton)
Very rare
ex Bertolami Fine Arts
A very rare and enigmatic coin with conflicted attributions.
SNG Copenhagen places this coin at Taras, as does Vlasto, although Vlasto puts it under the heading "Bronze Coins Doubtfully Attributed to Tarentum" and claims Kroton as a probable alternative.
SNG ANS gives it clearly to Kroton, while HN Italy seems to attribute both cities with varying catalog numbers.
I believe this coin is likely from Kroton as this city-state often used the octopus is a common device there. However I'm placing it in my Taras file due to its Vlasto number. EnodiaAug 25, 2021
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Seleukid Kingdom, Reign of Antiochos IV (Epiphanes)175-173/2 BC
AE16 (16mm, 3.55g)
O: Veiled bust of Laodike IV, within dotted border.
R: Elephant's head left, tripod behind; BAΣIΛEΩΣ - ANTIOXOY above and below, [ΘE]K ex.
Antioch mint
Sear 1691v
ex Marc Breitsprecher Numismatics EnodiaMay 29, 2021
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Seleukid Kingdom, Reign of Antiochos IV (Epiphanes)175-173/2 BC
AE16 (16mm, 3.55g)
O: Veiled bust of Laodike IV, within dotted border.
R: Elephant's head left, tripod behind; BAΣIΛEΩΣ - ANTIOXOY above and below, [ΘE]K ex.
Antioch mint
Sear 1691v
ex Marc Breitsprecher NumismaticsEnodiaMay 26, 2021
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Taras, Calabria380-334 BC
AR Diobol (11.5mm, 0.88g)
O: Head of Athena left, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with wing.
R: Herakles kneeling right, wrestling the Nemean lion; club in right hand.
Scarce
Vlasto 1284; HN Italy 911
ex LAC
EnodiaApr 02, 2021
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Taras, Calabria380-334 BC
AR Diobol (13mm, 1.11g)
O: Head of Athena left, wearing unadorned crested Attic helmet.
R: Herakles kneeling right, wrestling the Nemean lion.
Scarce
Vlasto 1344; Cote 259
ex LAC
EnodiaApr 02, 2021
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Athens, Attica454-431 BC
AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 16.95g)
O: Head of Athena with archaic eye right, wearing Attic helmet decorated with palmette and olive leaves.
R: Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and cresent moon above, AΘE to right, all within incuse square.
SNG Cop 31; Kroll 8; Sear 2526
ex Steven Battelle
With her almond eye and Mona Lisa-like grin, along with her companion owl (Athene Noctua), these classic 5th century tetradrachms from Athens are truly THE iconic ancient coin.EnodiaMar 16, 2021
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Taras, Calabria430-425 BC (Period I - Transitional)
AR Didrachm (22mm, 7.78g)
O: Phalanthos riding dolphin right, right hand leaning on dolphin's back, left arm extended; scallop shell below.
R: Naked boy riding horse standing right.
Vlasto 267; Fischer-Bossert 231f; Evans I, Type C; SNG France 1678; cf Cote 103; HGC I, 761; HN Italy 847
Scarce
ex London Ancient Coins
While the 'Equestrian' types are the most common and readily recognizable didrachms from Taras they were far from the first. The dolphin rider was initially depicted on late 6th century broad flan incuse coins, and later paired with the seated oikist, either as the obverse or the reverse, but the horseman did not make his first appearance until the middle of the 5th century BC, and then as the reverse motif. Sir Arthur Evans (The Horsemen of Tarentum, 1889) declared this era 'Period 1' and called it transitional as the dolphin rider would move to the reverse later in the century and the horseman would claim his rightful place on the front. It would remain this way until the mint closed circa 212 BC.
As an aside it is my belief that the young nude jockey throughout the series is actually Taras, son of Poseidon the God of horses.
EnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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Taras, Calabria302-281 BC (Period VI - From Kleonymos to Pyrrhus)
AR Didrachm (20x24mm, 7.23g, 9h)
Nikottas Magistrate.
O: Helmeted warrior dismounting horse galloping left, holding small round shield; [EY above], NIKΩTTAΣ (magistrate) below.
R: Taras riding dolphin right, holding trident over left shoulder and hurling javelin with right hand; ΛY behind, TAPAΣ to right, small hippocamp right below.
Vlasto 699; Evans VI, Type E; SNG ANS 1075; HGC I, 817; HN Italy 968
ex London Ancient Coins
EnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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Taras, Calabria480-430 BC
AR Hemilitron (7mm, 0.38g)
O: Scallop shell with 7 teeth.
R: Head of Satyra (Taras?) left, hair rolled.
Vlasto 1186; SNG France 1642; Cote 58; McGill II, 146; HN Italy 841
ex London Ancient Coins
EnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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Dionysopolis, Moesia3rd-1sr century BC
Æ 22 (22mm, 5.8g)
O: Veiled and turreted bust of Demeter right; Herakleides, magistrate.
R: Tyche seated left, holding phiale.
Draganov, Bronze 29; SNG BM Black Sea 217 var. (magistrate); SNG Stancomb 121-5 var. (same).
Rare
ex Praefectus CoinsEnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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Dionysoplis, Moesia3rd-1st centuries BC
Æ 22 (22mm, 5.8g)
O: Veiled and turreted bust of Demeter right; Herakleides, magistrate.
R: Tyche seated left, holding phiale.
Draganov, Bronze 29; SNG BM Black Sea 217 var. (magistrate); SNG Stancomb 121-5 var. (same).
Rare
ex Praefectus Coins
EnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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| Random files - Enodia's Gallery |
Pherai, Thessaly302-286 BC
AR Hemidrachm (14-16mm, 2.44g)
O: Head of Hekate left, wearing laurel wreath, triple-pendant earring and plain necklace; torch over shoulder.
R: The nymph Hypereia standing left, placing right hand on lion-headed fountain from which water pours; [A]Σ/TO in two lines in wreath to left; ΦEPAIOYN to right.
SNG Cop 239; BCD Thessaly 714; Sear 2204; BMC 7, 20-21
From the BCD collection. ex Auctiones GmbH
... Hekate whom Zeus the son of Kronos honored above all. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea. She received honor also in starry heaven, and is honored exceedingly by the deathless gods... For as many as were born of Gaia and Ouranos amongst all these she has her due portion. The son of Kronos did her no wrong nor took anything away of all that was her portion among the former Titan gods: but she holds, as the division was at the first from the beginning, privilege both in earth, and in heaven, and in sea. Also, because she is an only child, the goddess receives not less honour, but much more still, for Zeus honors her.
~ Hesiod (Theogony, 404ff)Enodia
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Taras, Calabria281-228 BC
AR Didrachm (20mm, 6.95g)
O: Diademed head of nymph Satyra left, wearing triple-pendant earring.
R: Nude youth on horseback right crowning horse and holding reins; star of eight rays above, dolphin below, TA beneath raised foreleg.
Vlasto 1036-37, Cote 548; McGill II, 131; SNG ANS 1301; HN Italy 1098; Sear 366v
ex Praefectus Coins
These so-called Campano-Tarentine (or sometimes Bruttio-Tarentine) types are something of a numismatic enigma.
The idea of an alliance was originally put forth in the 19th century due to the apparent similarity of the obverse portraits of this series with the coins of Neapolis and other Campanian cities. However the nymph depicted here is more likely to be the local Satyra rather than Campanian Parthenope, and there is no direct historical evidence of any alliance between Taras and the Campanians during this period.
The heavier standard may mean that this series was intended to circulate outside of Taras as a federal issue, or possibly as a trade unit. Further, no coins of this type have been found within the city itself.
It has also been suggested that these coins were struck as tribute to Rome, and the apparent timeframe is in line with such a theory.
Enodia
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Taras, Calabria212-209 BC (Period X - The Punic Occupation)
AR Half-Shekel (Reduced Nomos) (19mm, 3.28g)
Sogenis magistrate.
O: Nude youth on horseback to left, crowning horse with wreath; IΩ behind, ΣΩΓE - NHΣ (magistrate) in two lines below.
R: Taras astride dolphin to left, holding cornucopiae in right arm and Nike who crowns him with wreath in left; TAPA[Σ] below.
Vlasto 975-77; Evans X, B-1; SNG France 2064; McGill II, 119-20; HN Italy 1079
Very Scarce
ex Praefectus Coins
At half the weight of the previous ‘didrachms’ from Taras, this half-shekel coin was minted during the Punic occupation of the city from 212-209 BC.
The story of Hannibal’s capture of Tarentum is fascinating, but of far too great a scope to cover here. Courage and endurance, intrigue and treachery all played a part in the Carthaginians desperate need of a southern naval port to continue Hannibal’s dream of conquering the Italian peninsula. Yet after an occupation of three years he was forced to withdraw from the city, virtually ending the second Punic War. However with a naval command post and a way to access reinforcements and supplies from Carthage, who knows what shape the history of Rome might have taken?
Enodia
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