Helmets on Ancient Greek Coins

[Roman Collector]

Steve Benner has published an interesting article at CoinWeek about helmets on ancient Greek coins. @Ryro is going to go APE when he sees this article!

Here are some photos from Steve's article - see the complete article online. It's very educational to see images of actual helmets alongside coins picturing them.
 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Roman Collector
To clarify the source of the photos

[Alegandron]

Nice Greeks @Roman Collector...

umm, ugh, I just cannot unsee the gorillas... omg

Makedon Amphipolis Philip V - Perseus - lost empire to Romans - helmet Tetrobol

[NewStyleKing]

Once again Macedonian HELMET surmounted by a star c 140,s BC, when things were really happening in Macedonia. The NewStyle should be viewed as a total Roman proxy coin, see my latest spec on academia.edu under John Arnold Nisbet called "the NewStyle problem"

Edited May 30, 2022 by NewStyleKing
errer

[NewStyleKing]

An old coin of mine waiting to be sold by Roma soon

Edited May 30, 2022 by NewStyleKing
errer

[Spaniard]

Mysia, Pergamon . Circa 2nd Century BC. AE 18mm (5.31 gm).
Obv.: Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian Egret helmet.
Rev.: ΑΘΗΝΑΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ (Athénas Nicéphore), trophy, consisting of crested helmet and cuirass with arms below; monogram to the right.
SNG von Aulock 1374; SNG France 1884. VF.

[Roman Collector]

Some of my favorite Greek helmets:


Mysia, Pergamon, 200-133 BC.
Bronze Æ 15.7 mm, 3.55 g, 12 h.
Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing crested helmet ornamented with star.
Rev: AΘΗ-ΝΑΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ, owl standing facing on palm, with wings spread,TK monogram left and ΠΛ right.
Refs: SNG Copenhagen 388 (same); c.f. SNG von Aulock 1375-6, BMC 197-199, SNG France 1920-2, SNG BN 1913-6 (various monograms).


Phrygia, Apameia, ca. 88-40 BC.
Greek Æ 23 mm, 7.71 g.
Magistrate Philokratos son of Aristos.
Obv: Bust of Athena to right, wearing aegis and crested Corinthian helmet decorated with griffin.
Rev: AΠAMEΩN / ΦIΛOKPATOY APIΣΤΕOY, Eagle alighting right above Maeander pattern; to l. and r., eight-pointed star above piloi of the Dioskouroi.
Refs: BMC 25.87, 105-108; SNG Cop 168-69.

Troas, Sigeion, c. 335 BC.
Greek Æ 12.2 mm, 2.37 g, 5 h.
Obv: Head of Athena facing slightly right, wearing triple crested helmet and necklace.
Rev: ΣΙΓΕ, owl standing right, head facing; crescent to left.
Refs: BMC 17.86,7-10; SNG von Aulock 7637; SNG Ashmolean 1214–6; SNG Copenhagen 496–8; Sear 4145.

[ominus1]

30 minutes ago, Roman Collector said:

Troas, Sigeion, c. 335 BC.

..i believe @Kentuckywas just asking about a coin he has much like this...i thought the obverse was Helios..:P 9_9...great coins RC! 🙂

[ominus1]

...when it comes to shields & helmets....:D

[Alegandron]

9 minutes ago, ominus1 said:

...when it comes to shields & helmets....:D

Awesome! I was wondering when you were going to unleash the head warmers!

[Marsyas Mike]

Here's a helmet countermark, on Antigonas Gonatas AE, Pan with trophy reverse.  A very common countermark, as ancient countermarks go:

Helmet detail - Macedonian cavalry helmet is the usual description: 

I've been waiting for an excuse to post this - here's my most recent helmet is this little green job from Mesembria.  It was hard to photograph, but it has a really nice glossy green patina (laid on a bit thick on the reverse, however): 

Mesembria, Thrace  Æ 16 (c. 375-175 B.C.) Crested Corinthian helmet facing / M-E-T-A (T = archaic Greek letter sampi = ΣΣ) in four quarters of a spoked wheel SNG BM Black Sea 272; BMC 6.  (3.82 grams / 16 x 15 mm) eBay April 2022 

 

 

[Ryro]

Ummm, I thought this was an exercise for ladies...

And some helmets:

[ambr0zie]

Triple crested Attic helmet

Archaic style Attic helmet

An Attic helmet decorated with Pegasus

 

 

Corinthian:

 

 

Attic on RR

[Alegandron]

I always liked this helmet version... kinda cool.

Carthage Empire Helmet


Carthage Iberia

218-208 BCE

AE 13 1/4 Calco

Barcid Military Mint

2nd Punic War

Tanit

Helmet

Edited May 30, 2022 by Alegandron

[AncientNumis]

Here's my favourite helmet of my coins - Attic helmet decorated with a mythical sea monster - SKYLLA! 

 

[Alegandron]

Cool Phrygian Helmet on Mithradates:

PONTOS Amisos
85-65 BCE
Æ24 12.2g
Mithradates VI as Perseus r Phrygian helmet
Pegasos grazing l
Malloy 33b HGC 7 239

[Roman Collector]

4 hours ago, Ryro said:

Ummm, I thought this was an exercise for ladies...

And some helmets:

I told y'all he'd go ape!!!

[Troyden]

Helmets, you say? Then you can't forget about the coinage of Mesembria, which used helmets as it's distinctive symbol. Yes, I am aware that the distinctive shape of the Corinthian helmet on Mesembrian coinage led some to believe there was some double entendre in play here.

Diobol, Mesembria. Circa 400-350 BCE, weight 1.26 g., diameter circa 11 mm. Catalogue: SNG Cop. 652.

 

[filolif]

Here's a Corinthian Helmet on a Leukas stater.

[Ryro]

Double dippin'

 

And Mr helmet head makes an appearance:

[Edessa]

Kings of Macedon. Perdikkas II, 451-413 BC. AR Tetrobol (14mm, 2.03g, 3h). Light Macedonian standard. Aigai mint, struck circa 420-413 BC. Obv: Horse stepping right. Rev: Crested helmet right in double linear border within shallow incuse square. Ref: HGC 3, 783. About Very Fine, slight toning. Ex Ponterio.

[NewStyleKing]

 

 

This IMITATION NEWSTYLE is said by Margaret Thompson  to have an obverse with elements of the ( late) old style  helmet. Yes, I can see that. She did not mean the Mass classic types  but the type YOU NEVER SEE OR GET MENTIONED EXCEPT BY ME of the old styles just before the NewStyles!

 

[Di Nomos]

I've always loved the helmeted image of Athena.

This is the most elaborate helmet design in my collection. 

Thurium Dinomos c. 400 BC. Athena's crested helmet decorated with Skylla and a small Griffin on the neck guard.

The reverse is notable for the artists signature on the exergue line.

[Steve]

Man, it took me quite a while to thumb-through my coins ... geesh, hopefully a few of these are allowed to grace your cool helmet-thread??

 

 

 

=> Helmets are awesome!!

... thanks for letting me participate 

Cheers, coiners

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2022 by Steve

[Ryro]

 

44 minutes ago, Steve said:

Man, it took me quite a while to thumb-through my coins ... geesh, hopefully a few of these are allowed to grace your cool helmet-thread??

 

 

 

=> Helmets are awesome!!

... thanks for letting me participate 

Cheers, coiners

 

 

 

How in the hades do you expect ANYONE to follow up that dazzling display of dome defenders???

However, if I'm gonna triple dip this awesome post I might as well give it a try...

A couple of the hero Hektor (obv in first coin and rev on second) with his dome doned with a massive helmet:

Athena wears the quintessential Greek helmet:

Perseus the original hero/stud:

More a Tryphon:

A natural helmet/ weapon;

Silly hatsmets:

MSC

[kapphnwn]

Seleukos I Ar Tetradrachm Susa 305/4-295 BC Obv Head right wearing Attic style helmet  and knotted panther skin. Rv Nike standing right erecting a military trophy. Marest-Caffey Group 1.11 16.97 grms 25 mm Phot by W Hansen

 The individual featured on this coin has been described as Alexander III, Dionysos and Seleukos I. I believe the current consensus favors Seleukos and even though at one time I had advocated on behalf of Alexander I now concur. I believe that the bull horns and ear featured so prominently on the helmet are adjunct symbols of Seleukos as they are not associated with Alexander. The panther skin appears to decorate the helmet as well. The rather grim visage of Seleukos is in keeping with his other known portraits. The reverse is interesting as well. A similar  image of Nike and a trophy can be found on tetradrachms struck by Agathokles of Syracuse circa 310-308 BC. Interesting coincidence or somebody from Syracuse made it to Susa in about 5 years. 

Edited July 7, 2022 by kapphnwn
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