Sulla80 : 2023 Top 10

[Sulla80]

Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to reflect on the last year with gratitude. It was a year marked by joyful moments & unexpected challenges. To contributors to this ancient forum: a thanks for shared interests, ideas, history and coins. I enjoy the tradition of Top 10 lists, which always brings a wide variety of interesting coin types and an opportunity to celebrate a wide range of collecting styles.  You can vote for your favorites from my 2023 top 10 using the poll (admittedly I stretched the definition of Top 10 to include 14 coins).

Romans loved a good feast and they constantly offered sacrifices to the gods. This RR denarius recalls a scene before the Battle of Lake Regillus (circa 496 BC), where the moneyer's ancestor A. Postumius Albinus, in command of the Roman army, defeated the Latin League, led by Tarquin the Proud, former king of Rome. Before the battle, the Romans sacrificed to Diana.

Marcius Porcius Cato described a Spring ritual of gratitude to Jupiter before the planting of millet, panic grass, garlic, and lentils. The Romans also valued taking time to express gratitude:

"CXXXII. The offering is to be made in this way: Offer to Jupiter Dapalis a cup of wine of any size you wish, observing the day as a holiday for the oxen, the teamsters, and those who make the offering. In making the offering use this formula: “Jupiter Dapalis, inasmuch as it is fitting that a cup of wine be offered thee, in my house and in the midst of my people, for thy sacred feast; and to that end, be thou honored by the offering of this food.”
-Cato the Elder, On Agriculture, CXXXII

Closer to our Thanksgiving celebration as a harvest festival, the Romans celebrated the new vintage with Meditrinalia on October 11th.

"In the month of October, the Meditrinaliae ‘Festival of Meditrina’ was named from mederi ‘to be healed,’ because Flaccus the special priest of Mars used to say that on this day it was the practice to pour an offering of new and old wine to the god, and to taste of the same, for the purpose of being healed; which many are accustomed to do even now, when they say: Wine new and old I drink, of illness new and old I’m cured."
-Varro, On the Latin Language

My Top 10 for 2023 are posted here for your entertainment: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/2023-top-10-ancients

Post a favorite coin from 2023, an ancient source on gratitude or anything else you find interesting or entertaining.

Best Wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Edited November 20, 2023 by Sulla80

[Prieure de Sion]

I vote 🙂 … but 2023 is not finished. What happens if you see next week one of the best coins you ever seen?! 😄 

[Sulla80]

4 minutes ago, Prieure de Sion said:

I vote 🙂 … but 2023 is not finished. What happens if you see next week one of the best coins you ever seen?! 😄 

I will bid ☺️ - and perhaps I will include in 2024.  I find Thanksgiving a convenient time to assess the year.

[DonnaML]

How many of your wonderful coins are we allowed to vote for?

Edited to add that I decided to vote for two: the Massalia Artemis & lion, and the Q. Crepereius with the pair of hippocamps -- which is a type I would love to have myself!

Edited November 19, 2023 by DonnaML

[kirispupis]

I have to go with the Iasos, Karia coin. Very few coins AFAIK have the conjoined busts of the twins (or even both portraits on the same coin). Combine that with the great example of Hermias on the dolphin, most are so worn that major imagination is necessary, and this is a great reverse.

I've been interested in one myself for sometime, though I'm after an earlier (4th century) example. Still, just for the conjoined busts I may look for one of these down the line, but I'm not sure I'll be able to find one as nice as yours.

[ambr0zie]

I voted for #1 - great historical importance of the C. Cassius Longinus denarius;  #2 : Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus, Amphitrite & Neptune - a coin that has a top position of my wish list; #5 the Hadrian tetradrachm (I admit that I wasn't aware this type was issued in Aegae; and also #2 for a beautiful design. 

Overall a great list. Congratulations. 

 

[Sulla80]

1 hour ago, DonnaML said:

How many of your wonderful coins are we allowed to vote for?

Edited to add that I decided to vote for two: the Massalia Artemis & lion, and the Q. Crepereius with the pair of hippocamps -- which is a type I would love to have myself!

Hi Donna - I was thinking 3 -  the tool doesn't enforce, and I didn't think to put in a suggestion.  One now added - (3) 🙂 Thanks for asking!

[JayAg47]

I voted for the Agathodaemon, I got couple of them issues this year, and it's one of my favorite representation of a mix of Graeco-Egypto-Roman imagery. 

Edited November 19, 2023 by JayAg47

[Qcumbor]

A beautiful selection : my votes went to #1, #2 and honorable mention #3. The dual portrait of Pompey is fabulous

Q

[Sulla80]

On 11/19/2023 at 3:23 PM, kirispupis said:

I have to go with the Iasos, Karia coin. Very few coins AFAIK have the conjoined busts of the twins (or even both portraits on the same coin). Combine that with the great example of Hermias on the dolphin, most are so worn that major imagination is necessary, and this is a great reverse.

I've been interested in one myself for sometime, though I'm after an earlier (4th century) example. Still, just for the conjoined busts I may look for one of these down the line, but I'm not sure I'll be able to find one as nice as yours.

Thanks, @kirispupis, I am glad to see the bronzes getting some votes - the modern choral composition based on the story of Hermias also added to my enjoyment of this coin.

On 11/19/2023 at 6:45 PM, JayAg47 said:

I voted for the Agathodaemon, I got couple of them issues this year, and it's one of my favorite representation of a mix of Graeco-Egypto-Roman imagery. 

This Roman - Egyptian mix of culture & history & art keeps pulling me in too. 

5 hours ago, Qcumbor said:

A beautiful selection : my votes went to #1, #2 and honorable mention #3. The dual portrait of Pompey is fabulous

Q

Merci, @Qcumbor, the Pompey was an nice upgrade from this coin:

 

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

@Sulla80 I'm not seeing the coins you have asked us to vote for. Are they in this thread?

[robinjojo]

That's a wonderful lineup for 2023!  I had to actually think, a painful process for me, but I did select three: Honorable Mention #2: "Hermias, Boy on a Dolphin"; #5 : Aegeai, A Haymann Plate Coin and #2 : Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus, Amphitrite & Neptune.

Congrats!

[Sulla80]

7 hours ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said:

@Sulla80 I'm not seeing the coins you have asked us to vote for. Are they in this thread?

Hi @Ancient Coin Hunter They are linked here: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/2023-top-10-ancients

Best, S

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by Sulla80

[Sulla80]

37 minutes ago, robinjojo said:

That's a wonderful lineup for 2023!  I had to actually think, a painful process for me, but I did select three: Honorable Mention #2: "Hermias, Boy on a Dolphin"; #5 : Aegeai, A Haymann Plate Coin and #2 : Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus, Amphitrite & Neptune.

Congrats!

Thanks, @robinjojo, always fun to see the variety of individual picks. Best wishes, S

[ChrisB]

Beautiful selection and very difficult to select 3. 

[Limes]

I took my time to go through your write up on your site, i enjoyed it. Thanks for writing. It was quite difficult to pick favorites, but I, in the end, went for no. 3 and 4 and the fantastic issue of Pompey. I really like the obverse and reverse of no. 4. The border on the reverse is something different and interesting. Is it perhaps a rendering of a city wall? The reverse of no. 3 is really nice too. Really cool coin. 

have a great 2024! 

[Sulla80]

Thank you, @Limes - #3 especially a coin that I found unusual and well executed for these coins.  Regarding the meander pattern on #4 I don't have a great explanation for the pattern - I can also see a city wall in the frame.  Strabo tells of one origin of the name for it (the River Meander):

"the Maeander flows for a time through Phrygia and then forms the boundary between Caria and Lydia at the Plain of Maeander, as it is called, where its course is so exceedingly winding that everything winding is called "meandering." "

-Strabo, Geography, 12.8.15

A symbol of infinity, unity, strength or continuity that is seen in varied forms in decoration of Greek buildings, vases, art...or perhaps just a framing that is traditional.  I would need the point of view someone with deeper expertise in Greek art 🙂

Image Source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25582545

 

Edited December 2, 2023 by Sulla80

[Xeno]

I just adore the Amphirite but I have to say the Hermias is my personal favorite, thank you for introducing me to this coin and story. The story is so touching it helps me relate to these ancient peoples.

[singig]

Nice website , congratulations !  , I voted for 4 coins :

#2 - Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus
Mention #1: Hadrian
#6 - Philip I Philadelphos
#3 - Massalia, Artemis & Lion 
 

Edited December 7, 2023 by singig

[Sulla80]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:17 AM, Xeno said:

I just adore the Amphirite but I have to say the Hermias is my personal favorite, thank you for introducing me to this coin and story. The story is so touching it helps me relate to these ancient peoples.

If you didn't see the modern choral piece based on this story it is worth a visit to youtube: Link: https://youtu.be/ZvatsOA65ys : Hermias - The Boy on Dolphin's Back (Hermias - Yunus Sırtındaki Çocuk)

7 minutes ago, singig said:

Nice website , congratulations !  , I voted for 4 coins :

#2 - Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus
Mention #1: Hadrian
#6 - Philip I Philadelphos
#3 - Massalia, Artemis & Lion 
 

Thanks Singig - always interesting with a top 10 list to see which coins do and don't get votes - you are teh first to vote for #6 (which I might have even ranked higher in my list, as an unusually nice example).   Another one that I think is unusally nice : Caria, Myndos, A Beautiful Hemidrachm,  hasn't received any votes yet 🙂

[happy_collector]

Great additions, @Sulla80. My favorites are the Abydos Tetradrachm, the hippocamp biga denarius, and the "Boy on Dolphin" bronze. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

[Al Kowsky]

Sulla80, You added some great coins this year 🤩! I voted for 0, 4, & 7, with the Abydos Tet being the gem of the group 😍.

[savitale]

Wonderful coins and a very educational experience! I voted for H.M #2, #3, and #2, basically because I really liked the designs. 

[lordmarcovan]

I voted for H.M. #1, #3, and #2.  Especially #2.  Congrats on a fine year!

Edited December 26, 2023 by lordmarcovan