Iconography of ancient coins Research Papers (original) (raw)

Se expone la evolución y desarrollo de las emisiones monetarias chinas más antiguas, trazando un paralelismo con la escritura dentro de esa civilización, ya que ambas creaciones humanas transitaron un mismo camino: nacieron como fieles... more

Se expone la evolución y desarrollo de las emisiones monetarias chinas más antiguas, trazando un paralelismo con la escritura dentro de esa civilización, ya que ambas creaciones humanas transitaron un mismo camino: nacieron como fieles representaciones de objetos, pero con el devenir del tiempo, las mismas se fueron simplificando y se tornaron cada vez más abstractas.

Il ressort de cette étude que l'apport des monnaies à une meilleure compréhension de la diffusion isiaque dans le sud du Levant à l'époque gréco-romaine échappe à toute doctrine généralisatrice. Les situations sont très contrastées selon... more

Il ressort de cette étude que l'apport des monnaies à une meilleure compréhension de la diffusion isiaque dans le sud du Levant à l'époque gréco-romaine échappe à toute doctrine généralisatrice. Les situations sont très contrastées selon les époques, les zones géographiques, et même d'une ville à l'autre. Il apparaît toutefois que dans plusieurs cas (Aelia Capitolina, Ascalon, Césarée, Ptolémais), la présence de types isiaques dans les monnayages locaux est l'indice d'un culte, très probablement public, qui doit s'accorder aux dévotions d'une partie de la population, fut-elle numériquement faible.

A methodical search for the likely prototype of an extremely barbarous ancient coin is described. The coin's obverse shows parallel line segments projecting from an approximately rectangular solid shape. Several different obverse... more

A methodical search for the likely prototype of an extremely barbarous ancient coin is described. The coin's obverse shows parallel line segments projecting from an approximately rectangular solid shape. Several different obverse orientations are considered. The reverse appears to show a stick figure facing frontally, standing on a ground line or low platform, and holding a staff upright at the left side. Likely prototypes are sought by considering coins of relevant metal, fabric, diameter, shape, weight, and thickness, and with an emphasis on their designs. These factors combined with overall frequencies of occurrence seem to point primarily to Eastern coins as likely prototypes. However, indirect consideration of provenance based on source and context information alters the result. A Western prototype of the area from Sicily to North Africa, more specifically a so-called Lopadusan coin type, is deemed more likely though still uncertain.

Art is one of the most interesting topics in ancient numismatics, a topic to discredit a lot of stereotypical assertions by the medieval and modern art historians. It is important to understand that ancient numismatics is a discipline... more

Art is one of the most interesting topics in ancient numismatics, a topic to discredit a lot of stereotypical assertions by the medieval and modern art historians.
It is important to understand that ancient numismatics is a discipline with a vast area of study and it requires specialization.

The Panchala kingdom in northern India produced a long series of copper coinage for several centuries. Two new kings have now been discovered through their coins: Rajnyah Bhanumitra and Rajnyah Vijayamitra. The presence of these... more

The Panchala kingdom in northern India produced a long series of copper coinage for several centuries. Two new kings have now been discovered through their coins: Rajnyah Bhanumitra and Rajnyah Vijayamitra. The presence of these independent kings - with their royal titles and complex iconography - indicates that Panchala coinage continued well into the Kushan era and there was no long interlude during Kushan rule in northern India. This paper presents the coins of these two Panchala kings and discusses the importance of this discovery.

A new solution is offered to a difficulty posed by Homer’s Iliad: Hippothoos, the leader of Troy’s Pelasgian allies, fought against the Greeks and died far from his home in Larissa. However, soldiers from the distant Larissas familiar to... more

A new solution is offered to a difficulty posed by Homer’s Iliad: Hippothoos, the leader of Troy’s Pelasgian allies, fought against the Greeks and died far from his home in Larissa. However, soldiers from the distant Larissas familiar to us fought not for the Trojans but for the Greeks, if they fought at all. The approach herein is a thorough survey of 18 known and likely Larissa locations, considering Homeric, mythological, archaeological, and numismatic evidence. This survey is followed by a systematic evaluation with regard to seven criteria. It appears likely that there may be two widely-separated Larissas of Hippothoos and his Pelasgians. The Larissa of Iliad 17 is probably in the Greek homeland, most likely on the river Peneios in Thessaly. The Larissa of Iliad 2 may well be in the eastern Balkans. The Balkan location is probably on Thrake’s coast of the Sea of Marmara, perhaps at the west of Mygdonia. An alternative location is the west coast of the Black Sea, somewhere around Naulochos, Moisia where a little-known Larissa was mentioned by Strabo.

The subject of this study are gold coins, formerly attributed to the coinage of the Menapii, which in the seventies of the 20th century Karel Castelin referred to as staters of the Cracovian type, struck by Celts near Kraków. When the... more

The subject of this study are gold coins, formerly attributed to the coinage of the Menapii, which in the seventies of the 20th century Karel Castelin referred to as staters of the Cracovian type, struck by Celts near Kraków. When the latest publications connected with them appeared, the number of known specimens of the type amounted to seven, and currently it has increased to seventeen. The aim of this study is to use the new possibilities of modification of the former findings concerning staters of the Cracovian type. The present study has discussed the problems concerning the definition of this type, its origin and changes it has undergone with the passage of time — both in respect of iconography and metrology. This is connected with a suggestion as to a new typological division of the discussed coins. Also the issues concerning their circulation and data were not omitted, as the finds from recent years throw a new light on them. The summary includes reflection of historical nature, including an attempt to connect the Cracovian type with Lugii.

The establishment of Augustus’ monarchy sees the development of a whole set of new means aimed at visualizing the princeps’s position, a position notoriously hard to frame in legal terms and the more so relying on what has been... more

The establishment of Augustus’ monarchy sees the development of a whole set of new means aimed at visualizing the princeps’s position, a position notoriously hard to frame in legal terms and the more so relying on what has been felicitously dubbed ‘the power of images’. As the principate settles, evolves and adapts, what becomes of those quintessential signs of Augustus’ public persona? This study attempts to trace the post-Augustan uses three of them are put to over especially the first two centuries AD: the civic crown; Augustus’ ‘lucky’ sign, the Capricorn; and the shield of virtue dedicated by SPQR. While acting as powerful and established signifiers of specific qualities of the emperor, at the same time these images conceptualize him in a way increasingly at odds with new political realities. The differing ways in which varying agents in subsequent generations (particularly in the timeframe of 69-98 AD) reuse, overwrite and process these symbolic expressions in various visual media shed a light on strategies both of legitimization and of relating oneself to the emperor.

Очередной выпуск «Херсонесского сборника» посвящён памяти известного археолога-полевика и краеведа-энциклопедиста Олега Яковлевича Савели, более полувека плодотворно трудившегося в коллективе музея-заповедника «Херсонес Таврический».... more

Очередной выпуск «Херсонесского сборника» посвящён памяти известного археолога-полевика и краеведа-энциклопедиста Олега Яковлевича Савели, более полувека плодотворно трудившегося в коллективе музея-заповедника «Херсонес Таврический». Основу сборника составляют статьи и публикации друзей и коллег О.Я. Савели по актуальным проблемам античной и византийской археологии и культуре, а также крымскому краеведению. Издание адресуется историкам, археологам, краеведам, студентам и преподавателям, а также всем тем, кто интересуется археологией, историей и культурой Крыма/

Much research since ancient times has sought to locate Odysseus’ Ithaca, described by Homer as being west of an island group. Numismatic evidence seems to have been largely neglected, even though it preserves mythology and traditions from... more

Much research since ancient times has sought to locate Odysseus’ Ithaca, described by Homer as being west of an island group. Numismatic evidence seems to have been largely neglected, even though it preserves mythology and traditions from the distant past. This paper surveys the coins of the most commonly accepted region of Ithaca, the islands of the Ionian Sea west of Greece. Minting began there in about 500 BC, less than three centuries after Homer’s composition of the Odyssey as we know it. Coins that illustrate gods, characters, and symbols are selected and ranked by the significance of their associations with Ithaca as described in the Odyssey. The results seem to support the location of Ithaca in the area of western Kephalonia.

Chapter 8 discusses the different currencies used during the Gupta Era - 3rd - 6th Century AD.... more

Διεθνής και Ευρωπαϊκή Πολιτική 24, Νοέμβριος 2011-Φεβρουάριος 2012,71-86

This paper reconsiders the ‘pseudo-autonomous’ coins of the types Athena/Telesphorus and Heracles/lion, which were most commonly issued in Lydian and Mysian cities during the Roman period. Stylistic considerations on coins of Elaea... more

This paper reconsiders the ‘pseudo-autonomous’ coins of the types Athena/Telesphorus and Heracles/lion, which were most commonly issued in Lydian and Mysian cities during the Roman period. Stylistic considerations on coins of Elaea (Aeolis) and Apollonis (Lydia) provide new arguments for dating the bulk of these series in the reign of Septimius Severus. This leads to consideration of the reasons for the diffusion of the Athena and Heracles coin types on pseudo- autonomous coins from Aeolis, Mysia, Lydia and Phrygia in the early 3rd century.

This fifth installment of the SCP project catalogue includes coins of two Wei dynasties in China; the Mahakshatrapa, the Gupta Empire and some successors, the Kidarites, two different Alchon Hun states, and the Pallava, in India, Nepal,... more

This fifth installment of the SCP project catalogue includes coins of two Wei dynasties in China; the Mahakshatrapa, the Gupta Empire and some successors, the Kidarites, two different Alchon Hun states, and the Pallava, in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan; the Aksumite Empire centered on northern Ethiopia and Eritrea; and the Ostrogoths in Italy and the Vandals in Tunisia. Most of all, there are late Roman and early Romaion (Byzantine) coins, a few billon but mostly bronze or copper: from Egypt, perhaps, and from Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, and France; unofficial imitation probably from Israel; and uncertain mint, unknown provenance—all too many coins.

This fourth installment of the catalogue includes coins of post-Satavahana, Kushana, and post-Kushana states and empires in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; Chach in Uzbekistan; and the Iranian Empire of the Sasanians in Iraq and a... more

This fourth installment of the catalogue includes coins of post-Satavahana, Kushana, and post-Kushana states and empires in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; Chach in Uzbekistan; and the Iranian Empire of the Sasanians in Iraq and a vassal state in Pakistan and either Afghanistan or less likely, Turkmenistan. Most of all, there are Roman coins from the last century of the Principate and the beginning of the Dominate: provincial and civic issues from Egypt, West Bank, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Greece; imperial strikes from Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Italy, and Germany; and unofficial issues, one of which was probably from Italy, some from northwestern provinces, and others of unknown provenance.

PDF of the he entire volume, made available under open access.

Dieses Buch erschließt eine der größten Quellensammlungen zur fast achthundertjährigen Geschichte der antiken Münzprägung in Thrakien und Moesien. Es vereint die Münzen aus den Museen von Ankara, Edirne, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ und Troja... more

Dieses Buch erschließt eine der größten Quellensammlungen zur fast achthundertjährigen Geschichte der antiken Münzprägung in Thrakien und Moesien. Es vereint die Münzen aus den Museen von Ankara, Edirne, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ und Troja (Çanakkale) sowie ausgewählter türkischer Privatsammlungen und präsentiert sie nach dem Prinzip der Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum.

Various motifs displayed on the series of four coins minted in the name of King Herod and bearing the date-mark ‘year 3’ and a tau-rho monogram are re-examined for what they can tell us about their specific date of production. Their... more

Various motifs displayed on the series of four coins minted in the name of King Herod and bearing the date-mark ‘year 3’ and a tau-rho monogram are re-examined for what they can tell us about their specific date of production. Their themes certainly belong to an iconographic programme reflecting Augustan ideology post-Actium, i.e. after 31 BCE. This strongly suggests that an earlier chronology, including one based on Herod’s regnal era beginning either in late 40 BCE or 38/37 BCE should be ruled out. Possible alternative dates for these coins are discussed.

Details of attribution were provided for coins first produced prior to 375 BCE: copper and bronze from China, Turkey, Ukraine, Greece, and Italy; and silver fractions from Pakistan, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. Al marco production of silver... more

Details of attribution were provided for coins first produced prior to 375 BCE: copper and bronze from China, Turkey, Ukraine, Greece, and Italy; and silver fractions from Pakistan, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. Al marco production of silver fractions seems to have been more common than previously thought, which may have been a factor in the initial acceptance of al marco, fiduciary bronze coinage in the Greek and Hindu worlds. For Greek bronze, size and weight in proportion to denomination—dichalkon is about twice as heavy as chalkous—has been advanced by several numismatists as a key to attributing denomination, though exceptions exist and type (obverse and reverse design) must be considered as well.

The famous "Seal of Nero, a Roman intaglio depicting Apollo, Marsyas and Olympus, was once in the collection of Lorenzo il Magnifico and is now in the National Museum of Naples. Two gems related to that "Seal of Nero" are published here... more

The famous "Seal of Nero, a Roman intaglio depicting Apollo, Marsyas and Olympus, was once in the collection of Lorenzo il Magnifico and is now in the National Museum of Naples. Two gems related to that "Seal of Nero" are published here for the first time: one, a severely damaged intaglio kept in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, is supposed to date from the third quarter of the first century BC. Another gem with a similar motif, a refined Renaissance cameo, recentlya ppeared in Oxfordshire and is now in a private collection in London. It is presumed that this perfectly preserved piece originally was in the possession of the Medici. The author considers a possible attribution of this work to the young Michelangelo Buonarroti and discusses a copy shown in a portrait painting by Botticelli now in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt on the Main. (summary by Matthias Barth)

Part 2 of the Small Change for the Poor project includes about 100 mostly base-metal coins. The catalogue format is a color scan of the coin, a description that is a nod to a standard of SNG-like brevity, an attempt at attribution of... more

Part 2 of the Small Change for the Poor project includes about 100 mostly base-metal coins. The catalogue format is a color scan of the coin, a description that is a nod to a standard of SNG-like brevity, an attempt at attribution of denomination for most coins, and an essay with details about the type and some commentary on the attributions; plus the provenance, which is always “in trade;” and references available to me as of July 2016. Represented are coins of Han China, the Mauryan Empire of India and some of its successor states, the Yavana Greeks of Baktria and India, the Arsakids of Parthia, Lagids of Egypt, Seleukids and a few of the successor states, Mithradates the Great of Pontos, Antigonids of Makedon, several Greek cities, Celts from Bulgaria, Hungary, and France, and the Roman Republic.

Ce travail porte sur de minuscules monnaies, présentant au revers un trépied entouré par une légende, proches des très petits bronzes massaliètes « au taureau ». Longtemps assimilés à des petits bronzes tardifs « au trépied » dont... more

Ce travail porte sur de minuscules monnaies, présentant au revers un trépied entouré par une légende, proches des très petits bronzes massaliètes « au taureau ». Longtemps assimilés à des petits bronzes tardifs « au trépied » dont l'existence, pour Massalia, a été définitivement remise en cause, nous confirmons le repositionnement de ces rares spécimens parmi les très petits bronzes, en les scindant en deux groupes. La production de ces infimes fractions, qualifiées par L. Chabot de kollyboi , au sein du monnayage hellénistique massaliète, paraît correspondre à une volonté, pour la cité, de mettre à disposition un numéraire de très faible valeur.

In this paper is presented the presence of Apollo in Macedonia and its meaning for the population. With the chause Macedonia is specified the Department of Greece, in it's modern boundaries, except from the island of Thasos. In the... more

In this paper is presented the presence of Apollo in Macedonia and its meaning for the population. With the chause Macedonia is specified the Department of Greece, in it's modern boundaries, except from the island of Thasos. In the beginning we exam the references of the ancient sources about the worship of Apollo in Macedonia and also the sanctuaries of god, that were discovered by the archaeological research. Further more, we speak about the presence of Apollo at the coins of the cities and the Kings of Macedonia and are being examed the informations that we take, ritual or political. Finally, are presented the statues, the reliefs, the terracotta figurines, the inscriptions and all the objects that were found in region of Macedonia and represent the god, except from the imported pottery.

Small Change for the Poor (SCP) is a catalogue of a collection of several hundred mostly inexpensive coins acquired in trade over the course of several decades. These coins are mostly struck rather than cast coins, mostly copper or one of... more

Small Change for the Poor (SCP) is a catalogue of a collection of several hundred mostly inexpensive coins acquired in trade over the course of several decades. These coins are mostly struck rather than cast coins, mostly copper or one of its alloys. This paper covers the " Ancient Indian " coins already published in the first two installments of the SCP catalogue, but with many revisions thereto, plus a draft for coins from 25 BCE to 200 CE. Though some silver coins of mostly high value are included, the focus is on possible attributions of denomination for the base-metal coins; the last two centuries of period analyzed are remarkable for the proliferation of copper coins of putatively large denomination. Your comments are welcome.

Coins, Artists, and Tyrants contains the first fully translated and revised text of Lauri Tudeer, Die Tetradrachmenprägung von Syrakus in der Periode der signierenden Künstler, as well as a biography of Tudeer, plus a completely new... more

Coins, Artists, and Tyrants contains the first fully translated and revised text of Lauri Tudeer, Die Tetradrachmenprägung von Syrakus in der Periode der signierenden Künstler, as well as a biography of Tudeer, plus a completely new evaluation of signed coin dies and the artists who produced them. Over 100 years after its first publication, the author completely updates the scholarship and bibliography on signed Syracusan tetradrachms, making this book the single most important source on the subject. The book includes plates, a full-color die-link chart, and three pull-outs featuring Syracusan tetradrachms and hoards.

Thrace, with its heterogeneous population; proximity to the Greek civilisation; and the long-lasting dominance of the Persians, Macedonians, and Romans that has impacted culture, language, and political institutions of this historical... more

Thrace, with its heterogeneous population; proximity to the Greek civilisation; and the long-lasting dominance of the Persians, Macedonians, and Romans that has impacted culture, language, and political institutions of this historical landscape, is a unique testing ground for studying regionalism and identity in antiquity. This book explores these topics through the lens of coinage, numismatic iconography, and coin circulation. Including a series of case studies and theoretical chapters, this volume does not offer a conclusive solution to all of the questions that emerge. Yet the articles presented here, both in their entirety and individually, show the intricacy and manifoldness of the problem and outline prospects for further research.

Skeletal, draft listing of half the coins in the project will be replaced by Volumes 1 and 2. Pages 1 to 7, coins first produced from 550 to 376, have been superseded by Volume 1 Part 1; and pages 31 to 55, by Volume 2 Part 1, which... more

Skeletal, draft listing of half the coins in the project will be replaced by Volumes 1 and 2. Pages 1 to 7, coins first produced from 550 to 376, have been superseded by Volume 1 Part 1; and pages 31 to 55, by Volume 2 Part 1, which includes some clarifications as well as new essays.

Μανόλης Ι. Στεφανάκης και Ευαγγελία Δημητρίου, Αθήνα: Καρδαμίτσα 2015 (224 σελίδες) ISBN13: 9789603543893 "...Το βιβλίο έχει ως κύριο αντικείμενο τη συνολική νομισματική παραγωγή του νησιού στην αρχαιότητα και πιο συγκεκριμένα από την... more

Μανόλης Ι. Στεφανάκης και Ευαγγελία Δημητρίου, Αθήνα: Καρδαμίτσα 2015 (224 σελίδες) ISBN13: 9789603543893
"...Το βιβλίο έχει ως κύριο αντικείμενο τη συνολική νομισματική παραγωγή του νησιού στην αρχαιότητα και πιο συγκεκριμένα από την αρχή της έως τον 1ο αιώνα μ.Χ.
Όπως τονίζεται στην εισαγωγή, ενώ η έως τώρα μελέτη σε διεθνές επίπεδο για τα νομισματοκοπεία των τριών παλαιών πόλεων δεν είναι ακόμη ολοκληρωμένη, το νομισματοκοπείο της νέας πρωτεύουσας της ενιαίας ροδιακής πολιτείας μετά τον συνοικισμό έχει αρκετά καλά μελετηθεί. Η παρούσα έκδοση συνθέτει τις δύο κύριες φάσεις σε ένα ενιαίο σύνολο και παρέχει μία ολοκληρωμένη εικόνα της νομισματικής ιστορίας της αρχαίας Ρόδου.
Παράλληλα, θεωρήθηκε σκόπιμο, της ιστορίας των νομισμάτων να προηγηθεί μία συνοπτική παρουσίαση της ιστορίας και αρχαιολογίας του νησιού, τόσο στην περίοδο πριν από τον συνοικισμό συνολικά και για κάθε μία από τις τρεις παλαιές πόλεις, την Ιαλυσό, τη Λίνδο και την Κάμιρο, όσο και στην περίοδο της ενιαίας ροδιακής πολιτείας μετά την ίδρυση της νέας πόλης της Ρόδου το 408 - 407 π.Χ. Πρόκειται, μαζί με τη λεπτομερή και έως πρόσφατα ενημερωμένη βιβλιογραφία στο τέλος του βιβλίου, για μία απαραίτητη εισαγωγή στο κύριο μέρος της, το νομισματικό, και μία συνοπτική ενημέρωση του αναγνώστη για την ιστορία και τον πολιτισμό της Ρόδου στην αρχαιότητα.
Πιστεύουμε ότι η νέα έκδοση θα είναι ένα χρήσιμο εγχειρίδιο και εργαλείο, τόσο για τους φοιτητές, στους οποίους είναι φυσικό να απευθύνονται οι συγγραφείς της, όσο και για τους νομισματολόγους και λοιπούς ειδικούς επιστήμονες και το ευρύτερο μορφωμένο κοινό και έτσι χαιρετίζουμε την παρουσία της ανάμεσα στην πλούσια ροδιακή βιβλιογραφία.
Οι συγγραφείς στοχεύουν το σύγγραμμά τους να αποτελέσει και τη βάση για ένα μελλοντικό σύνταγμα (corpus) ροδιακών νομισμάτων... (Από τον πρόλογο του Δρ. Ιωάννη Χρ. Παπαχριστοδούλου)