My First Animal On A Coin.

Enjoying the additions. Thanks for sharing.

Nice addition Jim!


I make it 7 now.... What's your favourite?

A crocodile to add to the menagerie was on my wish list, but even worn ones seem to command high prices. I paid a bit more than usual for this one from Nemausus (modern day Nimes), but apart from the obvious surface damage which reduced the price, there is still a lot of detail remaining. The back story was interesting, as why did a coin minted in Gaul have a crocodile on it?

According to Greek geographer Strabo, Nemausus was the capital of the Gallic tribe of the Volcae. It was named after the ancient Gallic god, Nemausus, who was venerated in a sacred well in the northwestern part of the city. The Romans gained control of this part of Gaul during the Second Punic War, and later built the Via Domitia connecting Italy to Hispania. The emperor Augustus settled veterans from his Egyptian campaign in the city in 27 BC, gave them parcels of land and gave it the rights of a colonia. In consequence, the coins of Nemausus would show an Egyptian crocodile and sometimes a palm tree or leaf. Was this the first retirement village?

The city of Nimes still has the crocodile and palm tree emblem on its flag.

Gaul, Nemausus. Augustus and Agrippa. A.D. 10-14. AE Dupondius
Obverse: Heads back-to-back of Agrippa, wearing combined laurel and rostral crown to left, and Augustus, oak-wreathed, to right. IMP DIVIF above and below. Reverse: Crocodile standing right chained to palm tree behind it, the top of which bends to the right, palm-branch at base. At the top of the tree a wreath with long ties, COL NEM either side of palm; all within dotted border. Bronze. Diameter: 26.5 mm. Weight: 8.78 gr. (Similar size and weight as Agora Auctions, sale 67, lot 105.)
RIC 158; RPC 524.

That's wonderful detail, they rarely come this sharp. My own for comparison:



Dupondius, 10-14 AD, Nemausus/Nîmes. 13 g, 25 mm. RIC 159, RPC 525.

The design with the palm, wreath and chained crocodile was taken as the coat of arms of Nîmes in 1535. At that time, numerous of these coins had been found in and around the town and by royal decree Nîmes was allowed to change their coat of arms to this one, reminding of its Roman origins.

The menagerie was lacking a panther. I had always been outbid with panther coins till winning this uncommon one from Nesos/Nasos. The panther's head is mostly off flan, but a headless panther is better than none at all. The black panther was the favoured animal of the Greek god Dionysus, the god of the vine, winemaking, and wine. In mythology it symbolized the unleashing of suppressed urges, and breaking through barriers and inhibitions.

There are quite a few images of the coins of Nesos, but very little information on the actual place it's self. The consensus of opinion appears to be that Nesos was the largest of the small islands lying in the strait between Lesbos and Asia Minor called Hekatonessi. It had a temple of Apollo and was known to have struck small bronze coins. There is some doubt to the actual location of the city, but the Barrington Atlas equates Nasos and Pordoselene. (Strabo said that Pordoselene was renamed Poroselene to avoid the dirty allusion, as pordos means fart in Greek.)

From Wikipedia:
The place-name "Nesos Pordoselene" appears in the list of tributes to ancient Athens of the year 422/1 BC but there are different opinions on whether Nesos (or Nasos in the Aeolic dialect) and Pordoselene were a single city or if they are two different cities.

Nesos - Lesbos. 350-300 BC.
Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo right. Reverse: Panther crouching left, head reverted; astragalos below. Reverse Inscription: NAΣI. Bronze. Diameter: 10 mm. Weight: 0.8 gr.
Reference: BMC 3-4

Thanks Paul.

The Barrington Atlas really comes into it's own with places like Nesos.

The next reading material will be Strabo's Geography.

That is a lovely coin!