greek coins acquired by the british museum in 1895 / by warwick wroth

8/12/2019 Greek coins acquired by the British Museum in 1895 / by Warwick Wroth

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THENUMISMATIC CHRONICLE,

ANDJOURNAL

OFTHENUMISMATIC SOCIETY.

EDITEDYSIR JOHNEVANS,K.C.B., D.C.L., LL.D., Sc.D., Treas.R.S.,CORBB8OX> NTB IN8TITUTB ANB,BARCLAYY. HEAD, D.C.L., PH.D.,KBBPBBr OINS,BITI8HUSUM,BMBBBF HBMPERIALBttliAKARCHAEOLOGICALNSTITUTE,ANDHERBERT A. GRUEBER, F.S.A. ASSISTANTKBBPBBF OINS,RITISHUSKUM.

THIRD SERIES.- YOL. XYI.

Factumbiitmonumentaanent.Ov. ast.LONDON

BERNARD QTJARITCH, 15, PICCADILLY.PARIS: MM.HOLLINET FEUARDENT, LACELOUVOIS, o. 4.1896.

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raGREEK COINS ACQUIRED BY THE BRITISH MUSEUMIN 1895.

(See PlateVII.)Dring theyear1895 (January o December)theDepart-ment of Coins and Medals in the British Museumhasacquired 677 coins of the Greek class, 20 of whicharegold and electrum,178 silver, and 479 bronze. Thesecoins have been acquired mainlyby purchase,butsomeare giftsdue to the kindnessofMajor-GeneralMalcolmClerk, Lord Grantley,1Mr. A. J. Lawson, Mr. W. R.Paton,and Dr. Hermann Weber.A description f noteworthypecimenss given n thefollowingpages. Many other specimens of interestacquired duringthe past year will be described n Mr.Head's Catalogue of the Coins of Caria and in othervolumes of the British Museum Catalogue now in pro-gress.2

1 Twenty-tworonzecoinsof variouspartsof the Greekworld.2 Important reek cquisitionst theDepartment Coinsand Medalsfor heyears1887 1894willbefound escribedbyme in theNum.Chron, or 888,p. 1 f. 1889,p. 249f.1890, p. 811 f.; cf. 1891,p. 116; 1891,p. 117f. 1892,p. 1 f. 1893,p. 1 f. 1894,p. 1 f. 1895,p. 89 f. I have,once more had the advantage f consultinghe section nGreek Coins written y Mr. BarclayHead for the Reporton theBritishMuseum nnually resentedo the House ofCommons.VOL. XVI. THIRDSERLES. N



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86 NUMISMATICHRONICLE.Eryx Sicily).1. Obv. Hound dvancing. head owered behind,hreestalks fcorn prightborderfdots.Rev Aphroditef Eryx,wearing hiton nd peplos,seated1. onstool onherr.hand, ove beforeher, Eros standingwithr. hand raised. [Inexergue,races f egend]M. Size 1-05. Wt.256-5grs.

The rarityof the tetradrachmsfEryx (circ b.c. 415)is well known. Mr. Greenwell3publishedone, fromhiscollection,with a reversetype similar to this, and obv.,quadriga. The obverse of our coin (which is found onanothercoin of Eryx Imhoof-Blumer, onn.gr.,p. 17,No. 16, type 1) occurs at Segesta (B M. Cat , Sicilyp. 134,No. 36 f.),wherethedog representsheriver- odCrimisus,the lover of the maiden Segesta. The closeconnection f Eryx and Segestain the periodb.c. 480400 is indicated by the coin-typesthat they have incommon.The present oin was formerlyn thepossession fMr.H. Montagu,fromwhose executors t was purchased ortheMuseum. Another etradrachm iththesametypes,but with the legend EPYKAI [I ?] IB (retrograde) n atableton the reverse, s in the Montagu Sale Catalogue(Greekcoins,March,1896), Lot 95, Pl. II., 95.

Istrus Moesia nferior).2. Obv Two youthfulmaleheads (theDioscuri)side byside thehead ontherightnverted.8 Num. Chron, 1880, p. 2. Mr. Greenwell'specimensinscribedntherev EPVKINON.* Cf.Head,Hist.Nvm., . 120.



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GREEKCOINSACQUIREDY THE BRITISHMUSEUM. 87Rev. ISTPIH Sea-eagle,withclosedwings,tanding1. on dolphin in field, . (abovedolphin),wholen ncuse quare.

M. -7. Wt.107grs. [PL VII. 1.]This drachm purchasedat the Carfrae Sale in 1894,

Lot 134- differs rom hemassofthe coinsof strus bothin havinga well-markedncusesquare5 and in respect othehighrelief nd bold treatmentf the obverse. It canhardlybe later than b.c. 400. Mr. Head {Hist. Num.,p. 235) assigns the coins hitherto ublishedto circ.b.c.300, but it would seem that some must be placed in theinterval between400 and 300 b.c.,especially hose peci-menson whosereverses circulardepressions visible.Colonel Leake 6explained the heads of the obverse sbeing intended probablyfor the Dioscuri, who wereworshippedn many citiesof theEuxine, particularlynthe neighbourhood f Tomi. The positionof the headsmay refer o the myths, ccordingto whichtheydweltalternately n heaven and in the infernalregions.Leake's suggestionhas, I believe,beengenerally doptedby numismatists,nd is accepted by M. Albert in hismonographLe cultede Castoret Pollux Such a repre-sentationof the Dioscuri is quite exceptional,and theabsenceof star and pileus is somewhat trange. At thesame time the Dioscuri, as protectors f seafaringfolk,would naturallybe worshippedby the inhabitants f amaritime nd commercial ownlike Istrus. The reversetype s ofa distinctlymarine haracter.

5 A specimenn theBerlinMuseumhas the ncuse quare,VonSaliet,BeschreibungI. p. 51,No. 1 Pl. II. 23.6 Num.Hell. Europ.Gr., p. 55.



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88 NUMISMATICHRONICLE.AgathopolisThracian Chersonese).8. Obv.-NEPiN KAIC HeadofNeror aur.Bev. AFA0O . . AIT2N Poppy-head n longstalk etween woears of orn.Size#8.

All the coins of Agathopolishithertopublished7areautonomous circ b.c. 300 or later) and relate to thedivinitiesApollo,Athena,and Hermes. The reverse ypeof thisspecimen efers o DemeterorPersephone.8Philippi Macedonia).4. Obv Head ofyoungHerakles ., wearing ion's skintiedunder hin.

Bev.


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GREEKCOINSACQUIRED Y THE BRITISHMUSEUM.89The existence of a similarcoin was firstmade knownby Dr. Weil,9 who recognisedthat the specimenmustbelong to a Thessalian town, Eurea, probably n Pelas-giotis. The name ofthis town s not,however, nown ous from nyother ource.M. Blanchet has sincepublished 0 specimen cquiredby the French Collection,adopting the attribution oE urea. UncertainThessalian.6. Obv. HeadofZeusr., aur. border fdots.

Rev P Vine-branchithbunch fgrapesand eaves abovegrapes, .M. Size -75. [PLVII. 4.]This was purchased ast year,from coin dealer, n alot includingNo. 5 and some miscellaneousGreek coins,two of which were JE of Melitaea and Pharsalus. Itclosely resemblesNo. 5 in style, and is covered, ikethatcoin,witha finegreenpatina. The reverses f bothcoins are nearly identical, and on both the letterAappears. The inscriptions obscure,but I do notthinkit is intendedfor EYPEAI2N. The P is followedbyseveralother etters, . ^1 . . N ? none ofwhich re quite

certain. One ormore ettersmay possiblyhave precededthe P.Both coins belong to the same period,b.c. 400 344,and wereprobably truck t neighbouringowns. Zeit frNum., . (1874),p. 173.10Rev.Num., 895,p. 241 Fi. IV., 15. In thedescriptionoftheFrench oin he xistencef he wreathfgrapes ntheohv.,ndtheA ontherev., avenotbeennoted. I gatherhatthe French pecimens identicalwith hatpublished yBr.

Weil.



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90 NUMISMATICHRONICLE.Pheneus Arcadia).7. Obv. Hermes,naked,seated1. on basis oftwostepspetasos angs ehind eck inr.holds aduceus1.handrestson basis. [On obverse ncertaincharactersngraffito.]Rev E Kamstanding.

M. Size *45. Wt.14*8grs. [PI.VII. 5.]QewvBeTLfiwaivEp/xiji/t>eiearaifiaXiara (Paus,viii.,14, 10). This unpublished oin offersn addition o theHermestypesof Pheneus. The pose and treatment fthe figure re simpler nd more evere hanon the latercoins of the place, b.c. 370 300, which show Hermesseated on a rock (Gardner,Cat. Pelop , pl. xxxvi., 8),and the specimenmustbelong to the earlierpartoftheperiod,b.c. 431 370. The designhas the appearanceof being derived froman original in sculpture, f theschool of Polycleitusthe elder, who is known to havemadea statueof Hermes.11

Cnossus Crete).8. Obv MO 1/1)1Minotaur, ead facing, unning. 1.handraised,holding tone r. hand oweredborder fdots.Rev. Cruciformabyrinthormed f Maeander atternandornamented ith ive tars ineachcorner,small ncuse quare thewholen ncuse quare.JR Size 1-1. Wt.175-5grs. [PL VII. 6.]

An unpublishedvariety purchased t the sale of thecoins of the United Service Institute, 1895, Lot 45)resembling, enerally,hedidrachmn Svoronos,Num.de11 ee Collignon, ist de a Sculpt, recquei.,p. 508f.



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GREEKCOINSACQUIREDY THE BRITISHMUSEUM.91la Crtepl. iv., 24,12the obverseofwhich s uninscribed,and has thetypeto 1. This coin,with tsvigorous epre-sentation ftheMinotaur, s oftheearlypartof the fifthcentury, ut later than the lumpystater,No/ 1, in theBrit Mus. Cat Crete Cnossus. In its flat,spreadfabric t resemblesthe Museum coin with rev head ofTheseus lb. No. 2). Cyzicus Mysia).9. Obv. BeardedHerakles, aked, neeling.,holdingnr.clubrestingn his righthoulder in1.,emptyhorn behind,unny.Rev Incuse quare fmill-sailattern.El. Size -85. Wt.246grs. [Pl. VII. 7.]

Specimensof this interesting tater re in theBiblio-thque Nationale and in the cabinets of Mr. Greenwelland Dr. Hermann Weber (Greenwell,Cyzicus,No. 67).The present oin was offeredor ale in London last year,and Dr. Weber, aware that it was notrepresentedn thenational collection,kindly purchased and presented t.The coinbelongsto the aterportion f thesecondperiodof theCyzicuselectrum oinage,b.c. 450 400. In styleit resembles he Orestes stater.13 On the type,Mr.Greenwell remarksoc.cit.) Herakles,afterhis defeatofAchelus,whenhe tore offone of his horns, s hererepresented ither holding that horn, or receiving inexchange that of Amaltheia, the well-knownhorn ofplenty. It would ratherappearthattheseexplanationswere invented n antiquityto explain the occurrence fthe hornas a Heraklean attribute n not a fewworks f12Cf.Pl. IV. 25,and theSupplement,l. XI., Nos. 13,14.13CrreenweJl,yzicus,so. T.



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92 NUMISMATICHRONICLE.art of the fifth nd fourthcenturiesb.c.14 The hornapparently symbolisesmaterial prosperity,nd is some-times filledwith fruit. It cametoHeraklesthrough isconnectionwithPluto and otherdivinities f the underworld,and on a Theban votiverelief fthe fifthenturyb.c. thehero s representeds receiving t from luto.Herakles holding horn and club occurs on Cypriotecoins (b.c. 411 374).15A bronze coin of Athens,of Imperial times,16howsa terminalfigureof Herakles holding the club and theemptyhorn.

Parium Mysia).10. Obv. Cistamysticawithhalf-openid, fromwhichaserpentssues . thewholenwreath f vy.

Rev. Two coiledserpentswith heads erect betweenthem, bow-caseornamentedith naplustre),containingow; in field1.,Al ; in fieldr.,iAland sheath f word?) 17M. Size 1-05. Wt.187*8 rs.An unpublishedvarietyof the cistophoriof Parium(b.c. 200 133),whichalmost nvariablybear a (varying)14 ee Hartwig, eraklesmit demFllhornLeipzig, 883Furtwngler,nRoscher'sexicon,rt. Herakles, .,pp.2157,2176,2187- 218916Babelon,esPerseschmnides,l.XVI.,No.27 Montagu,Sale Cat.,Greek oins, 896,Lot672.16 mhoof-Blumernd Gardner, um CommionPausaniasp. 148 Pl. DD. XII.17JPinder,utophoren,. 562,No. 74, mentionsspecimen

with ymbol parazonium.



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GREEKCOINSACQUIREDY THE BRITISHMUSEUM.93symbolwithout ettersor monogram ther thanthemintmonogram.18 NeAndri. (Troas).11. Obv Head ofApollo ., aureate;hair hort.Rev NEAN Ram standing . with head lowered,

bitingeavesofbranch whole n ncuse quare.M. Size -5. Wt.30 grs. [PI.VII. 8.]This interestingoinwas purchased t theAshburnhamSale in 1895 (Lot 153), by Dr. Hermann Weber, whokindlypresentedt to theBritishMuseum.The coinsofNeandria,describedn the Brit Mus. Cat,Troas &c., are 1. M. Obv. Head of Apollo. RevHorse feeding. 2. -31.Obv Head ofApollo. Rev. Ram

standing head not lowered). 3, M. Obv Crestedhel-met ?). Rev Corn- rain. 4- 11. Various JE, withhead ofApollo,&c. These were assignedby me in thecatalogueto theperiod b.c. 400 (or earlier) b.c. 310.No. 1 19 nd No. 3 can hardlybe earlierthan b.c. 400.No. 2 mustbe classed withthenewcoin,and bothmightbe placed as earlyas B.c. 430.20The rammustbe regarded s a symbol f thepastoralApollo -Karneios,Nomios &c. The loweredhead oftheanimal (on the new coin) recalls the feedinghorse onNeandrianand otherTroadcoins, nd thefeeding ull atGargara. Here, however, he ram is engaged in bitingtheleaves ofa branch, he natureof which s notclearly

18 ee Pinder,p.cit, p. 562,where ne specimen, o.71,hasthe etter in additionothe ymbolWroth, at.,Mysia,p. 99 ; Bunburyn Num.Chron 1888,p. 184.19Cf.Cat. roas, l. A. 5, Cxargara.20Theobv.ofNo. 2 recalls nApolloheadatMytilene,at.Troas,&c PlateXXXVII.,11,b.c.440-400.VOL.XVI.THIRDSERIES. O



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GREEKCOINSACQUIREDY THE BRITISHMUSEUM.95a resemblance o thosefound n thesilver 4 ndelectrum5money fMytilene,circ b.c. 440 and later. The goat'shead on the reverse s perhapsa symbolof the ApolloMaXoeofMytilene,26god offlocks nd herds.

Ephesus Ionia).14. Obv.-AVTKMAVPCe B AACIANAPOCBust of Severus Alexander ., laur.,wearingpaludamentumndcuirass.Bev.- MONNnPlT 2NACIAC 606CI1NTurreted emalefigurethe Cityof Ephesus)seated1.,wearing hitonnd peplos inr., woears of corn; in 1., long sceptre before er,cultus-statuef heEphesianArtemisacing.M. Size 1*4. [PI. VII. 10 rev.]Phocjea Ionia).Circ.b.c. 500.

15. Obv. Lioncrouching. above, eal 1.Rev. Incuse quare fmill-sailype.El. Size -45. Wt.40 3 grs. [PI.VII. 11.]Hydisus Caria).16. Obv.-BustofAthenar. wearing rested elmet linearborder.Rev. Y ^ ' Beardedmale figureZeus?) standing - facing,ooking . he wearshelmetil N and cuirass nd holds nr.spear,nN 1.shield.M. Size -75. [Pl.VII. 12.]

24Brit.Mus.Cat.Troas &c., Mytilene, os.1,2.2626.,Pl. XXXII., 19.26Welcker, riech.Gtterehre,.,p.4b. A goatoccurs sa type ttheLesbian own yrrha.



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96 NUMISMATICHRONICLE.No coins have hithertobeen attributed o Hydisus,and Mr. Head kindly llowsme to quoteherehis unpub-lishedremarks n thisspecimenHydisus, n Caria, s placed byKiepertabouttwenty-fivemilesS.E. ofAlabanda. It is mentioned yPtolemy(v. 2, 20) and byPliny (v. 29, 29). The firstetters f tsnameoccur n theAthenianTributeLists (C. /.A.tvol i.231, 233), and in an inscription rom agina {Bull. Corr.Sell. ix. 444), it appearsas Hydisos, spellingconfirmedby thenewly-discoveredoin.This coin dates from he first enturyb.c.,probablyfromthe time when,after the end of the MithradaticWar, the Romans,by a Sentus Consultumb.c. 81), con-ferredfreedomupon the towns of Caria which hadremained aithfulo them.I mayadd that anotherspecimen f thiscoin has beenin theBritishMuseum for someyears,butowingto twolettersn the nscription eingindistinct,tscorrectttri-butionwas not till recentlyrecognised. It is notfromthesame die as the new coin, and its reverse howsthedetails of the cuirass and the beard more clearly. Mr.Head suggeststhat a local Carian divinity resemblingZeus is intended ythearmed warrior.

Nysa Lydia).17. Obv. M AVPHAI* OVHPOC KAI* Bust ofyoungAurelius .,bare,wearing aludamentumand cuirass.Rev. niAITTAINIOV (- iepis) AVMBROC NVC A 61N NakedyouthAthym-brus)standing ., extending ateraheld in r.hand over lighted ltar in 1. hand, spearchlamys ound ound .arm.

M. Size 1-15. [Pl.VII. 13.]



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GREEKCOINSACQUIREDY THE BRITISHMUSEUM.97Cp. Mionnet, ii., p. 366, No. 366. The figure n thereverse s the Spartanemigrant,Athymbrus,hereputedfounder fNysa, a townwhichoriginallybore the nameofAthymbra. This figure esemblesCyzicus,theepony-moushero ofthecityofCyzicus,on thecoinsofwhichheis representedsee Babelon in Rev Num., 1891, p. 31f.,pl. iv. 2 ; Brit.Mus Cat.,My ia, p. 47, No. 217, note).

Ceretapa (Phrygia).18. Obv.-M. AVPHAIOC BHPOC ; KAICAP BustofyoungM. Aurelias .wearing aludamentumand cuirass headbare.Rev.-A'0 Ke CAP6N inex., K6P6TAnUN Herakleson 1. wearing ion's skin overheadand 1.arm, tandingacing; nr.,club onr., Zeus wearinghimation,tanding . in r.,eagle in1., ceptre.M. Size 1-5.

The title of Diocaesarea, borne by Ceretapa, wasalreadyknownfrom eoinof Commodus.27 The presentspecimen howsthat it was adopted at least as earlyasthe timeofAurelius. Herakles occurson other coins ofCeretapa, nd theZeus is the Zeus Savazios (or Sabazios)of the district. A pedestal found at the modernKaya-dibi (in all probability he ancientCeretapa) s inscribedAl E I KAILAPI, a dedication in which the reigningEmperor s identified ithZeua.ProfessorW. M. Ramsay28 remarksthat the titleDiocaesarea implies the existence at Ceretapa of acul us oftheEmperor s Zeus and that tsestablishment27Ramsay, ities nd BishopricsfPhrygiaOxford,895),i.,p. 276.28Loc cit.



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98 NUMISMATICHRONICLE.probablytook place underDomitian,whose dentifica-tion with Zeus formed n important oint in thestate-policyof the time.ClBYRA PHRYGIA ).19. Obv.-AVKMAVC AA63EANAPOC BustofSeve-rusAlexander ., laur.,wearing aludamentum

andcuirass.Rev. Kl BV PATN Athena,wearinghelmet,chiton,ndpeplos, eated . inoutstretched.,basket; in 1., spear; her shield restsagainstseat.2Ei. Size 1.On another imilar oin in theBritishMuseumAthenaholds a figureof Nike. The basket here held by thegoddess s nother ownattribute, ut a symbol fthecity.It is the wicker-basketKivais ) that so often ppearsas a type of the Imperial coins of Cibyra, and whichis seen on the head of the principaldivinity fthecity,a goddessusually called Demeteror Kybele, but who sperhaps,as Dr. Imhoof-Blumer as suggested, 9to beidentified ithArtemis rHekte.

Hierapolis (Phrygia).20. Obv.-AVKAieeOVY2NPBATPAIANcerepMA [Yn = Yin] BustofTrajan1., aur.,wearing aludamentum.Rev. 1 PATTO A6IT1N Hermes standing1.holdingn r.purse in1., aduceus ndchlamyspetasos nshoulder.Athena tanding. (facingHermes), earingelmetndchiton, ith iplois;inr.,spear 1.hand nshield.M. Size 1-2. [PI.VII. 14 rev.]An unpublished oin. The Hermes s ofgoodstyle.29Griech.Mnzenp. 674, No. 446. As to other oinsofCibyra ublishedn recent ears,eeBabelon, evNum., 893,pp.836 888.



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GREEKCOINSACQUIRED Y THE BRITISHMUSEUM.99Cesarea (Cappadocia)and SmyrnaIonia).21. Ob*.-AVKAIAC6TTTI C60VHP0C Bust ofSeptimiuseverus ., aur.

Rev. CM VPN 6 (DNKAICAPS . . TheEmperor,ncuirass nd paludamentum,iding . onhorser. handupraised in1.hand ceptre.M. Size 1-1.An unpublished lliance coin. The absence ofa localmagistrate'sname, the style, and the analogy of otheralliance coins of Caesareaand Smyrna (which have theMount Argaeus type, peculiar to Caesarea), show thatthis specimenwas struckat Caesarea. The reverse n-scription ormsn exception o thegeneralrulebywhich,

on alliance coins, the nameof the minting ityprecedesthe name of the cit}' in alliance with it.30 The usualinscriptionf the coinsofSmyrna s CMYPNAIN, andnot as hereCMVPN6UJN.Asia Minor Uncertainlectrum}.22. Obv. Two lions,standingn their ind egs,facingneanother, ut withheads turned ack betweenthem s thecapitalofa column n which achlionrests forepaw,while heother ore-pawfeach s raised.Bev. Rude ncuse quare.El. Size -75. Wt.2161 grs. [PI.VII. 15.]

An unpublished lectrum taterof Phoenicianweight,probably truckat some city (Miletus ) in thesouthernportion f onia.30Otherlliance oins fCsareandSmyrna ave he amepeculiarity.



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100 NUMISMATICHRONICLE.The type s entirely ewin Greek numismatics,nd isof exceptional interest fromits presentinga motive,well knownnthehistoryfsculpture,rom heLion Gateof Mycenae and from the early Phrygian monuments,upon whichProfessorW. M. Ramsay has of late yearsthrown omuch ight.31The old Phrygian monumentsbelong (according toRamsay) to theninth nd eighthcenturies efore urera,and cannot be later than circ.675 b.c. The coinbeforeus can hardly be later than the middle of the seventhcenturyB.c. Mr. Head is even inclined to place it asearlyas 700 b.c. Whatever its exactdate, t shows, s awork of art, a decided advance upon most of the earlyelectrum taters. The engraverhas treatedhis subjectwithdecorativenstinct,ombining igourwithelegance,thoughfailing to attain the massive simplicity f thesculptor's endering. Warwick Wroth.81Cf. Ramsay,Journalof Hellenic Studies ix. (1888),p. 350ff. Perrot ndChipiez,Hist de l'ArtdansVAnt.,v.(1890),p. 109 ff. Collignon,ist,de la Sculpturerecquei.p. 36 f.



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greek coins acquired by the british museum in 1895 / by warwick wroth

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