My First Animal On A Coin.

This Roman provincial coin from Teos in Ionia caught my eye as it has a griffin on the reverse. It is only tiny but it is a griffin, located on the left at Dionysus' feet. The province is Asia, and the subprovince the Conventus of Smyrna. The reign is uncertain, but possibly from the Flavian period. It is in very good condition for this unusual type, so worth sharing.

A brief description and map of Ionia with Teos is on page 21 of this thread.

Ionia, Teos. c 2nd to 3rd Century AD.
Obverse: Laureate draped youthful bust of the Senate, right. Obverse legend: ΘEON CYNKΛHTON. Reverse: Dinoysus, wearing long robe, standing left, holding cantharus and leaning on thyrsus, griffin sitting left at feet. Reverse legend: THIΩN. Bronze. Diameter: 20 mm. Weight: 4.64 gr.
Reference: RPC II 1042.

https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/2/1042

It has been a while since I picked up an animal coin, so was tempted by this one with Neptune/Poseidon holding a dolphin from Berytus (Beirut). The obverse portrait of Antoninus Pius is not great, though the reverse still retains reasonable detail. On checking the RPC page there were 26 coins listed but only 5 with images. It appeared that this one compared favourably with some of the others, so the coin images were uploaded and have been added as number 27. https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coin/481751

The son of Cronus and Rhea, Poseidon had two brothers Zeus and Hades, and three sisters, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. His wife, Amphitrite, being the goddess of the sea.

It brings back memories of my "Crossing the Line" ceremony many many years ago, where I was taken before King Neptune (actually the ship's Chief Engineer dressed as Neptune) and his court (other officers dressed for the part). After asking King Neptune for permission to cross the Equator and asking for his protection, there followed the actual ceremony. A list of my "crimes" was read out and various penalties (humiliations) were imposed to atone for said "crimes". The ceremony ended with me being thrown unceremoniously into the swimming pool. It would never happen again as I was now a "shellback" and had the certificate to prove it.

These ceremonies in various forms are carried out on navy and merchant navy ships, and as passenger entertainment on cruise ships. This is where the link to Phoenicia comes in, as it is thought that the practice goes back as far as 700 BC.

From the Canadian navalandmilitarymuseum org site:

"The custom of marking a sailor's first passage across important geographical parallels with a special ceremony is ancient. So ancient, in fact, that the origins of these early line crossing rites are hard to trace.

As early as 700 BC, those master mariners the Phoenicians celebrated such crossings. Human sacrifice may have formed part of their ritual, to please the sea god and ensure a safe voyage.

The ducking of initiates in water, now such an important feature of Crossing the Line festivities, may have roots in the practice of tossing a sacrificial victim overboard at moments of danger.

It is not known whether sailors who took part in these early crossing the line ceremonies received any kind of symbolic token. What is certain is that as the custom evolved over time, a tradition developed of providing participants with a keepsake to mark the event. These keepsakes not only commemorated an important occasion, but also served as proof that the recipient was tough enough to endure the hardships and hazards of life at sea.

In the Canadian Navy, one of the most tangible symbols of this rite of passage is the Crossing the Line certificate. Sons and daughters of Neptune (or shellbacks, as the initiated are known) prize these certificates since they document success in completing an important career milestone.

Modern Crossing the Line certificates are computer-generated and are not especially attractive, or memorable.

In the past, they were often beautifully illustrated and individually coloured by hand. The result was a souvenir that could later be framed and displayed with pride."

Antoninus Pius (138-161 CE). Berytus Phoenicia.
Obverse: Laureate bust of Antoninus Pius right, wearing cuirass and paludementum. Obverse Inscription: [ANT]ONINVS AVG [PIVS P P] T P. Reverse: Naked Neptune/Poseidon standing left, with foot on prow, holding dolphin and trident. Reverse Inscription: COL / BER. Bronze. Diameter: 24 mm. Weight: 11.92 gr.

Nice example!

Again it has been a while since I posted an animal coin, and this camel (dromedary) reverse from Bostra/Bosra recently caught my eye. It does not appear to be in great shape, but in comparison to others of the type it is quite acceptible. https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/3983 Though the portrait is of Commodus, the reverse refers to the new Bostra of Trajan. (In 105/106 AD it was given the designation Nova Trajana Bostra.)

A brief extract from the UNESCO World Heritage Convention site - Ancient City of Bosra:
Bosra, once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia, was an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to Mecca. A magnificent 2nd-century Roman theatre, early Christian ruins and several mosques are found within its great walls.

The name of Bosra occurs in the precious Tell el-Amarna tablets in Egypt, which date from the 14th century B.C. and represent royal correspondence between the Pharaohs and the Phoenician and Amorite kings. It became the northern capital of the Nabataean kingdom. In the year of 106 A.D, a new era began for Bosra when it was incorporated into the Roman Empire.

Alexander Severus gave it the title Colonian Bostra and Philip the Arab minted currency especially for it. During Byzantine times, Bosra was a major frontier market where Arab caravans came to stock up and its bishops took part in the Council of Antioch. Bosra was the first Byzantine city which the Arabs entered in 634 in the phase of Islamic expansion.

Today, Bosra is a major archaeological site, containing ruins from Roman, Byzantine, and Muslim times. Further, Nabataean and Roman monuments, Christian churches, mosques and Madrasas are present within the city.

Its main feature is the second century Roman Theatre, constructed probably under Trajan, which has been integrally preserved. It was fortified between 481 and 1251 AD. Al-Omari Mosque is one of the oldest surviving mosques in Islamic history, and the Madrasah Mabrak al-Naqua is one of the oldest and most celebrated of Islam. The Cathedral of Bosra is also a building of considerable importance in the annals of early Christian architecture.

Bosra survived about 2500 years inhabited and almost intact. The Nabataeans, Romans, Byzantines and Umayyad, all left traces in the city, which is an open museum associated with significant episodes in the history of ideas and beliefs.

Bostra, Arabia. Commodus. 177-192 AD.
Obverse: Laureate head of Commodus right. Obverse Inscription: AV KOMMO[Δ] ANTUN[INO]. Reverse: Camel standing right. Reverse Inscription: N TPA BOCTPA. Bronze. Diameter: 15 mm. Weight: 2.82 gr.
Reference: RPC IV.3, 3983 (temporary).

Thanks, @chrsmat71. The only other camel I have is an AE Pentachalkon of Kujula Kadphises (circa 30 - 80 AD), on page 4 of this thread - http://goccf.com/t/363454&whichpage=4


Bostra is a place that I would really love to visit.

Very nice!

Great coin, Jim.

Another eagle to add to the convocation - from Ancyra (Ankyra) in Galatia (the modern day Ankara), plus the bonus of Geta as a warrior with spear and shield.

A brief description of the city from The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites:
Ancyra (Ankara) Galatia, Turkey.
The chief city of the Roman province of Galatia, in central Asia Minor. Its legendary founder was King Midas, but it does not appear in the historical record until the time of Alexander the Great. Until Galatia became a Roman province in 25 B.C., Ancyra remained comparatively insignificant although its commercial importance increased as that of the old Phrygian capital, Gordion, diminished. Throughout the period of the Roman Empire the city flourished, and its importance continued during the Byzantine era when the city was strongly fortified against invasions from the East.

Most of the Roman city has been destroyed by modern Ankara, but some monuments have survived, notably the Temple of Rome and Augustus, the Roman baths and palaestra, and the "Column of Julian."

Regarding the coinage - from Numismatica Hellenica:
Ancyra Galatiae.
Ancyra, the chief town of the Galatae Tectosages, preserves its ancient name, and is still one of the largest and most commercial towns in Asia Minor. Its coins may be distinguished from those of the homonymous city in Phrygia by its name being in the second case singular, while those of the Phrygian city are inscribed ANKYPANON. Its coins are generally imperial, and with the title of Metropolis.

SEBASTE Trocmorum (Tavium).
Note.
Tavium was the chief town of the Trocmi (Strabo). From the coins of Galatia in Mioiinet, it is evident that Ancyra was called Sebaste of the Tectosages, Pessinus was Sebaste of the Tolistobogii, and Tavium, Sebaste of the Trocmi.

Obverse: Laureate draped bust of Geta left, holding spear and shield. Obverse inscription: ΓETAC A(V)ΓO (Geta Augustus). Reverse: Eagle standing left, wings spread, looking back with wreath in its beak. Reverse inscription: MHTPO ANKVPAC (of the metropolis of Ancyra). Bronze. Diameter: 18 mm. Weight: 3.54 gr.
Reference: RPC V.3, — (unassigned; ID 72126)
https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/72126

The "dimples" on this coin raised the old chestnut of what was their purpose? As the other coins in the collection were larger bronzes I had assumed (wrongly) that the dimples only appeared on them, but this Geta coin is fairly small and light and has dimples on both sides. Why do some of the coins have dimples on both sides, while others appear to have a dimple on one side only?

"Centering dimples" does not seem to be an accurate term, as very few are actually in the centre of the flan. It make it highly unlikely that they were made in a turning or lathe type device, and how would the flans have been held? None of the coins in my collection have rotary machining marks evident - anywhere.

The idea of the dimples being made by tongs seems unlikely with many coins having the dimple on one side only. If the blank had to be struck hard with a hammer to impart the die impressions onto the flans, how could the dimples have been made by the tongs? Immense pressure would have to be applied (by hand?) to have the dimples as deep as they are on some examples. As seen on this Geta coin the dimples are not even on the same "centres", so imparting the dimples with tongs would not be possible as the flan would surely flip over.

Another explanation was that a drill type device was used to smooth the surface of the flan prior to striking, but how would such a small flan as this Geta coin have been held in position?

Yet another theory was that the dimples were created after the coin was struck. What would be the point of that?

So many questions, but no apparent correct answer.