Tyche Tetradrachm, Arados, 87-86Bc - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,215
PNWType Pillar of the Community United States 561 Posts	Posted 12/08/2021 10:52 pm Hello, today I picked up my first piece of ancient coinage, and I am trying to decipher what the legends on it mean. The obverse shows the goddess Tyche, the reverse shows Nike within a wreath. The reverse appears to read: APAΔIΩN - Arados (The location) ΓOP - The date Γ=3, O=70, P=100 (year 173, Gregorian Date 87-86BC) #67840; - Phoenician character aleph which stands for ' unsure of reason for inclusion ΘC (Could also be OC)- Not sure what this is It's those last three characters that have me stumped. I suspect they could be referring to mint officials of the era, more information would be much appreciated Report this Post to the Staff

january1may Pillar of the Community Russian Federation 5172 Posts	Posted 12/09/2021 08:26 am I actually read the date as ςΟΡ = 176. No comment on the rest though. Report this Post to the Staff
PNWType Pillar of the Community United States 561 Posts	Posted 12/09/2021 2:43 pm Ah I definitely agree with you on that reading of the date, thank you! Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16817 Posts	Posted 12/09/2021 6:49 pm I think it's a case of "we know what the markings are, but we don't know why they're there". We know for sure that the top line is a Greek-numeral date, the second line is a Phoenician letter, and the bottom line is Greek lettering, but we don't know what those last two lines are for. The reason dates were put on coins is as part of the quality control system, so logically, the mystery symbols are part of the quality control system also. One would assume they are the symbols/initials of people responsible for the coinage, so that if "problem coins" are detected (low weight/fineness) then they can be traced back to the source. If I had to guess, my guess would be the Phoenician letter is the emblem of the die engraver - or perhaps a mark to indicate the source of the silver - and the Greek letters the initials of the responsible magistrate. But since we don't have a surviving list of magistrates from Arados to compare it with, these are just guesses. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
Kamnaskires Pillar of the Community United States 7066 Posts	Posted 12/09/2021 6:55 pm I must be alone in this, but the reverse gives me some pause. Perhaps it's fine... Report this Post to the Staff
PNWType Pillar of the Community United States 561 Posts	Posted 12/10/2021 04:36 am I hear you Sap, that all sounds reasonable and aligns with what I was thinking too. Quote: the reverse gives me some pause Hmm :/ The mass is coming in at 14.86 and the diameter is 27mm at its widest point. Checking against images of the same coin from the same production range (86-75BC) it seems to check out but as mentioned, I'm newer to this. Anything specific that is making you question? Edited by PNWType 12/10/2021 04:37 am Report this Post to the Staff
Kamnaskires Pillar of the Community United States 7066 Posts	Posted 12/10/2021 10:45 am Quote: Anything specific that is making you question? There's no one red flag that prompts my hesitation but, essentially, it's the softness of the reverse iconography that makes me hesitant. As I said, perhaps all is fine here. However, the devices seem to have good relief (they are quite elevated from the fields) but, at the same time, they are all "soft", completely lacking details I expect to see remaining for such high relief. Nike's gown is completely devoid of details here, and yet almost every other well-worn tet I've seen of this type still shows a bit more detailing in that area. Some of the lettering bothers me as well, particularly the P in ΑΡΑΔΙΩΝ, as well as the P in the date (I've seen cast letters that had a similar fragmented appearance in some parts). There are some real experts who frequent this forum, of course. You should take the fact that no one else has expressed suspicions as a good sign. I defer to them here. Edited by Kamnaskires 12/10/2021 10:47 am Report this Post to the Staff
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