Branching out - Alexandria

[ambr0zie]

Since I started collecting ancient coins, it was clear that I do not intend to deeply specialize in a ruler, city, period, whatever. Of course, having a specialized collection has its advantages (and I admire the specialists who picked this route) but, for me, the ancient coin world is too vast and I would lose too much by walking on a single street. 

Of course I have my favorite themes and I tried to develop them (small fractions, coins with animals, coins with mythologic scenes, Trajan coins...) but nothing extremely detailed. 

A theme I like a lot and needs a little developing - Alexandrian provincial coins. 

There are two main reasons I like these coins: 1. distinct style/artistry. My favorite are 1st and 2nd century coins, where I find the portraits and reverse themes very elegant and specific for Alexandria mint. I don't know if we can create a top of best styles for provincials mints (I also like Syrian Antioch and Caesarea, for example) but Alexandrian engravers were skilled. 
2. Reverses - again, I can't say if this is "the best mint" for provincial reverses, as this is subjecive, but Alexandria didn't lack imagination and there are a lot of reverses with pure Egyptian motifs. I don't have many but in the last period I managed to grab 2 I wanted. 

Here is what I'm talking about:

24 mm, 12,17 g.

Egypt, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius 138-161 AD. Billon tetradrachm. RY 22 – 158-159 AD.

ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟϹ ϹΕΒ ΕΥϹΕ, laureate and draped bust right, seen from behind / L ΚΒ (year), Nilus reclining left, holding reed and cornucopia; crocodile to right below.

Köln 1817/1818; Dattari 2309; Milne 2379; Emmett 1413; RPC IV.4, 2035.

-----

I admit, the reverse is not extremely spectacular, as it is a generic river god depiction, but what can be more "Egyptian" than Nile itself. 

And now a reverse type I hunted for a long time - not a very rare type of reverse, but I simply haven't seen one since the last time I foolishly lost an example. 

25 mm, 12,87 g.

Egypt, Alexandria. Trajan 98-117 AD. Billon tetradrachm. Dated RY 15 – 111-112 AD.

ΑΥΤ ΤΡΑΙΑΝ ϹΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ ΔΑΚΙΚ, laureate head of Trajan, right / L ΙΕ (date), canopus of Osiris, right, on base.

Köln 574; Dattari (Savio) 648; RPC III, 4576; K&G 27.372; Emmett 371.15.

 

The curious depiction of the reverse is nothing else than the canopus of Osiris. You can read about the meaning of this cult object here. Priests carried these during processions - these were vessels having the head of Osiris and containing water from the Nile, symbol of fertility. Well, this is something that can't be seen in other mints. 

Usually I don't regret too much losing a coin in an auction (what I lost was a Pius tetradrachm with this reverse - but it was much better). The reason I don't is that I would never know how much was the winner willing to bid. Or perhaps another bidder. So why bother. And even if I would have preferred more details on the reverse, I like this coin. 

Let's see Alexandrian coins. The more, the merrier. And I would personally prefer this type of coins, strictly linked, from a symbolical point of view, with Egyptian symbols - pharaohs, mummies, Pharos of Alexandria, canopic jars, you name it. 

Edited February 17 by ambr0zie

[expat]

Wonderful provincial coins. It is a direction I find myself appreciating more and more. Below is my latest acquisition with an Egyptian connection.

Serapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian god. A syncretic deity derived from the worship of the Egyptian Osiris and Apis, Serapis was extensively popularized in the third century BC on the orders of Greek Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter, as a means to unify the Greek and Egyptian subjects of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

RPC Volume: VI №: 10032 (temporary)
Reign: Elagabalus Persons: Elagabalus (Augustus)
City: Alexandria  Region: Egypt Province: Egypt
Denomination: Tetradrachm Average weight: 12.63 g. Issue: L B = 2 (218/9)
Obverse: Α ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΜΑ ΑΥΡ ΑΝΤωΝΙΝΟϹ ΕΥϹΕΒ; laureate head of Elagabalus, right
Reverse: L Β; Sarapis bust right, draped and wearing kalathos. 23mm, 11.64g.
Reference: D 4137, Ο 2757, Geissen 2313, E 2952 (2) Specimens: 27

Edited February 16 by expat

[Ryro]

Two excellent coins! I'm green with envy over the canopic Osiris ☺️

Here are some of mine from Alexander Town:

 

Edited February 17 by Ryro

[ambr0zie]

5 minutes ago, Ryro said:

 

 

This coin is very ugly and uninteresting.  Since we're friends, instead of throwing it away (like you should) I can take it. Of course, not in my collection (because like I said it is ugly and uninteresting) but as a friendly gesture. 

Of course this was a joke, I find this type one of the most iconic and beautiful from Alexandrian coinage. And yes, bronzes from this city are interesting. I only have one but also a cool one. 

25,5 mm, 11,22 g.
Egypt, Alexandria. Claudius 41-54. Æ diobol. Year 3 - 42-43.
ΤΙ ΚΛΑV ΚΑΙ ϹƐΒΑϹ ΓƐΡΜΑ, laureate head r.; star before / ΑVΤΟΚΡΑ, hippopotamus standing r.; L Γ (date) in exergue.
Köln 79; Dattari 166; Milne 90; Emmett 82; RPC I 5140.

[Orange Julius]

I absolutely LOVE Alexandrian coins. However, since kids and 1st/2nd century Alexandrian coins can be expensive, I focus on later empire. Don’t sleep on the mid-third century in A-town, there were some talented engravers (see my Gallienus), interesting reverses and beautiful coins!

Trebonianus Gallus

Gallienus

Salonina

Claudius II

Aurelian

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

I'll share this Nerva tet again. It is a grey color representing some (minor) silver content. The reverse Agathadaemon is from Greek Mythology but has been "Egyptianized" with the addition of the Skent crown (upper and lower Egypt) traditionally worn by pharaohs. In the tail is a cadeucus and a stem of wheat. Worshipping Agathadaemon was supposed to lead to plentiful harvest and the snake was a protector of the grain supply, as well as general good tidings and a special protector of Alexandria as well. 

 

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Another one is this drachm of Alexandria, time of Hadrianus. In this example, the personification of Alexandria welcomes Hadrian to the city (he visited) by kissing his hand, She wears an elephant skin on her head. 

 

[DonnaML]

@ambr0zie, I think it's great that you're pursuing this theme. I have almost 50 Roman Alexandrian coins -- probably one of my two favorite kinds of ancient coins to collect, along with Roman Republican coins -- and obviously can't post all of them here. But here are some of the ones that perhaps most reflect traditional Egyptian religion and culture, as opposed to the more typical syncretism with Greco-Roman religion. In that sense, they fit in well with my modest collection of small ancient Egyptian amulets and other artifacts.

This one is perhaps the most "Egyptian" of all of them. And, to the best of my knowledge, depicts the earliest known historical figure to be portrayed on an ancient coin.

Hadrian, AE Nome Obol, Year 11 (126/127 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint (for Arsinoite Nome). Obv. Laureate bust right, slight drapery on left shoulder, AΥΤ ΚΑΙ - ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ ϹΕΒ / Rev. Head of Egyptian Pharaoh right, no beard [identified with Amenemhat III, under Greco-Roman name of Pramarres], wearing nemes [royal striped headdress] with uraeus [sacred cobra, worn by deities and pharaohs] at forehead; APCI (= Arsi[noites]) to left, date L IA (Year 11) to right. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 6296 (2015); RPC III Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/6296 ; Emmett 1211.11 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; BMC 16 Alexandria, Nomes 72-73 at p. 357 [Poole, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London, 1892)]; Sear RCV II 3831 (ill.); Köln 3381/82 [Geissen, A., Katalog alexandrinischer Kaisermünzen, Köln, Band II (Hadrian-Antoninus Pius) (Cologne, 1978, corrected reprint 1987)]; K&G N6.6; Milne 1229 at p. 30 (var. with beard; see p. 139 col. 2 bottom) [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)]. 19.4 mm., 5.32 g. (Purchased from Zuzim Inc., Brooklyn, NY Jan 2021; ex. Fontanille Coins, Auction 96, July 2017, Lot 7, sold as “the finest example [that dealer] ha[d] seen.”)*

[Dealer's photo with obv. on right & rev. on left.]

*The Nomes (from Greek: Νομός, "district") were the 60-70 administrative divisions of Egypt under the Ptolemies and Romans; the Egyptian term for a nome was “sepat.” See https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Nomes. The Arsinoite Nome (known as “Arsinoites”), the capital of which was the city of Arsinoe, corresponded to the area of the Fayum Oasis or Basin, Lake Moeris, etc., west of the Nile and southwest of Cairo. See https://www.trismegistos.org/fayum/fayum2/gen_intro.php. It encompassed, among other things, the pyramid of Amenemhet III near the town of Hawara, north of the lake (the site of the famous necropolis where the Fayum mummy portraits were discovered). See id., see also the discussion, with photos including one of the Hawara pyramid, by “@jochen1” at https://www.cointalk.com/threads/amenemhet-iii.370249/#post-5138482. 

The Nomes coins were small bronze issues minted in Alexandria, each with the head of the reigning emperor on the obverse, and the name (in full or abbreviated, as with this coin) of a different Nome written in Greek on the reverse, together with an image ostensibly bearing some relationship to a deity or to cult worship associated with that Nome. They were issued under Domitian, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius Caesar. See Numiswiki, supra. See also Emmett at p. xv for a discussion of the Nomes coinage, noting that Hadrian issued “the most nome coins in terms of numbers of coins issued, numbers of different reverse types and numbers of nomes.” Indeed, Emmett specifically singles out this type from among Hadrian’s extensive series of bronze Nome obols and dichalkons issued in Year 11, as one of “only two interesting reverse types that appear on Hadrian’s obols: that of a bust of an Egyptian King on his Arsinoite nome obol”; it is the only Nomes type bearing such an image. Id. Emmett makes no attempt to identify which “King.” However, RPC III 1749 expressly identifies the reverse image as “head of Premarres (Amenemhet III),” who reigned in the 12^th Dynasty, from 1842-1797 BC. (The more common spellings seem to be “Pramarres” and “Amenenhat.”).  The evidence available online appears to support that identification.

Thus, Emmett states that “[t]hese coins depict the local cult-worship of each nome,” with “Horus and Isis . . . the god and goddess most often represented in their various forms on the reverses of the nome coins.” Id. But the entry for Nomes in Numiswiki, supra, argues that the fact that the Nomes coins were minted in Alexandria “robs them of the interest they would otherwise have possessed as calculated to throw light on local cults,” and that the purpose of the Nomes coinage should be regarded as “primarily commemorative.” See also BMC Alexandria 16 at pp. xcviii-c, discussing the issue at length, citing various examples, and concluding that it seems “certain that the Nome types were not only selected at Alexandria, but that the selection was independent of local worship unconnected with Alexandria. Thus the series loses much of its interest as its mythological value is small and uncertain,” except for Nomes near Alexandria. (Id. at p. c.)

But regardless of the significance of the reverse image on other Nome coins, a strong argument can be made that the image on the reverse of this type of the Nome coinage of Hadrian, bearing the name of the Arsinoite Nome -- unquestionably the image of a pharaoh, given the presence of the nemes and uraeus -- was, in fact, directly connected to cult worship in that Nome, which was the center of the cult of the deified Amenemhat III.

It would seem farfetched to conclude that it could be purely a coincidence that the Arsinoite Nome was the only one for which a Nome coin was issued depicting a pharaoh, and that the very same Nome was the center of the cult of Amenemhat III, as the site of his pyramid, up to and into the Greco-Roman period, until the rise of Christianity. The available evidence strongly suggests that it was not a coincidence. See Uytterhoeven, Inge, and Ingrid Blom-Böer. “New Light on the Egyptian Labyrinth: Evidence from a Survey at Hawara.” The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 88, 2002, pp. 111–120, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3822339 . [Remainder of footnote omitted.]

Some others:

 

Claudius I AE Diobol, Year 2 (AD 41/42), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, ΤΙ ΚΛΑV ΚΑΙ - CЄΒ[ΑϹ ΓЄΡΜA], star in right field / Rev. Hippopotamus standing to right, ΑVΤΟΚΡΑ above, LB (Year 2) in exergue. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. I  5124 (1992); RPC I Online at  https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/5124; Emmett 82.2 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; Milne 71-72 at p. 3 [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)]; BMC 16 Alexandria 96 at p. 12 [Poole, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London 1892)], K&G 12.10 (ill. p. 50) [Kampmann, Ursula & Ganschow, Thomas, Die Münzen der römischen Münzstätte Alexandria  (2008)]; Dattari (Savio) 162 [Savio, A. ed., Catalogo completo della collezione Dattari Numi Augg. Alexandrini (Trieste, 2007)]; SNG France 4, Alexandrie I 150-153 (ill. Pl. 11) [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, France Vol. 4, Alexandrie I, Auguste-Trajan (Zurich 1998)]. 25 mm., 7.65 g. 12 h. Purchased from Roma Numismatics, Ltd., E-Sale 102, 3 Nov. 2022, Lot 681.

Hadrian, Billon Tetradrachm, Year 12 (127/128 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear, ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ - ΤΡΑΙ  ΑΔΡΙΑ ϹƐΒ / Rev. Mummiform Ptah-Sokar-Osiris* standing right, wearing solar disk as headdress, holding was scepter tipped with jackal head, L ΔWΔƐ-ΚΑΤΟΥ [= Year 12 spelled out].  RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 5713 (2015); RPC III Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/5713,  Emmett 883.12 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; BMC 16 Alexandria 637 & Pl. XXIII [Poole, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London, 1892)]; Sear RCV II 3732; Köln 982 [Geissen, A., Katalog alexandrinischer Kaisermünzen, Köln, Band II (Hadrian-Antoninus Pius) (Cologne, 1978, corrected reprint 1987)]; Dattari (Savio) 1445 [Savio, A. ed., Catalogo completo della collezione Dattari Numi Augg. Alexandrini (Trieste, 2007)]; Milne 1262 at p. 31 (scepter with jackal-head top) [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)]. 24 mm., 13.85 g., 11 h.

*From the description in the CNG Triton XXI Catalog (Staffieri Collection, Jan 9. 2018 ) of the example from the Dattari Collection (No. 1445), sold in the Triton XXI auction as Lot 61: “The image of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris divinity belongs to Egyptian theology, and in particular to funeral worship. It brings together three famous members of the Pharaonic Pantheon through their respective symbols: the headdress and scepter for Ptah, the solar disk for Osiris, and the mummiform wrappings for Sokar – the ‘Lord of the Necropolis.’ These three associated divinities call upon the concepts of ‘mourning’ and ‘life’, evoking at the same time the pain associated with death and the hope of resurrection. The main sanctuaries of Ptah, Sokar, and Osiris were at Memphis and Abydos.”

Hadrian, Billon Tetradrachm, Year 11 (126/127 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear, ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ - ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ ϹƐΒ / Rev. Canopic Jar of Osiris (a/k/a Osiris-Canopus Jar and Osiris-Hydreios)* facing right, surmounted by Atef crown above ram[?] horns; body of jar with decorations including disk and horns below right, walking male figure to left; L ΕΝΔ - EKATΟΥ [= Year 11 spelled out]. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 5640 (2015); RPC III Online 5640  at  https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/5640; Köln 939 [Geissen, A., Katalog alexandrinischer Kaisermünzen, Köln, Band II (Hadrian-Antoninus Pius) (Cologne, 1978, corrected reprint 1987)]; Milne 1205 at p. 30 [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)]; Emmett 827.11 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; Dattari (Savio) 1327 [Savio, A. ed., Catalogo completo della collezione Dattari Numi Augg. Alexandrini (Trieste, 2007)].  25 mm., 13.41 g. (Purchased from Harlan J. Berk, Ltd., 212^th Buy or Bid Sale, August 2020, Lot 497.)

 

*See https://egypt-museum.com/post/189683370661/osiris-canopus-jar#gsc.tab=0, with photos of the Osiris-Canopus Jar from Hadrian’s Villa, now at the Vatican Museum, describing it as “A Canopic jar with the head of Osiris emerging from it. In the cult of Isis and Serapis, during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Osiris-Canopus jars (also known as Osiris-Hydreios) were carried by priests during processions. As they are solid, each symbolically carried water from the Nile, fertility that originated from the god Osiris, one of Egypt’s earliest fertility gods. Osiris-Canopus was named after the ancient Egyptian town of Canopus, on the western bank at the mouth of the westernmost branch of the Delta known as the Canopic or Heracleotic branch – not far from Alexandria. Roman Period, ca. 131-138 AD. Grey basalt, from Hadrian’s Villa. Now in the Vatican Museums (Gregoriano Egizio). 22852.”

Antoninus Pius, Billon Tetradrachm, Year 2 (138-139 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint.  Obv. Bare head right with traces of drapery, ΑVΤ Κ Τ ΑΙΛ ΑΔΡ ΑΝΤѠNΙΝΟϹ ƐVϹƐΒ / Rev. Canopic Jar of Osiris (a/k/a Osiris-Canopus Jar), bearded, right, standing on cushion, crowned with horns, disk, plumes, and uraei; body of jar with decorations including diagonal lines beginning in upper left, and, in upper right, horizontal lines enclosed with border of dots in shape of shield [see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coin/120672 for specimen (No. 26 of RPC IV.4 13409) with virtually identical decorations on body of jar], ƐΤΟ-VϹ around from 8:00, Β (Year 2) in right field beneath end of legend. RPC IV.4 Online 13409 (temp.) (see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/13409); Emmett 1373.2, BMC 16 Alexandria 992 at p. 115; Milne 1591 at p. 40 (ill. at Pl. I) [body described as “entirely draped,” differentiated at p. 136 from other specimens]; K&G 35.6 (ill. p. 158); Sear RCV II 4339 (ill. p. 241). 22 mm., 9.84 g. Purchased on Jan. 14, 2022 from Keith Candiotti (Miami, FL) at NYINC 2022. 

 

Hadrian, AE Diobol, Year 16 (131/132 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear, ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ - ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ ϹƐΒ / Rev. Isis as mother, crowned with disk and horns, seated right on throne, offering left breast to infant Harpocrates (Horus-as-child) sitting on her knee crowned with skhent and holding lotus stalk in left hand; on corners of back of throne, two hawks/falcons (representing Horus), facing each other, each wearing skhent, L - IϚ [= Year 16] across fields. Emmett 1138.16 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 5813 (2015); RPC III Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/5813;  BMC 16 Alexandria 762 at p. 90 & PL. XVI [Poole, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London, 1892)]; Dattari (Savio) 1749 [Savio, A. ed., Catalogo completo della collezione Dattari Numi Augg. Alexandrini (Trieste, 2007)]; Köln 1046 [Geissen, A., Katalog alexandrinischer Kaisermünzen, Köln, Band II (Hadrian-Antoninus Pius) (Cologne, 1978, corrected reprint 1987)]; K&G 32.530 [Kampmann, Ursula & Ganschow, Thomas, Die Münzen der römischen Münzstätte Alexandria  (2008)]; cf. Milne 1345-1346 at p. 33 [Isis seated left*] [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)]. Purchased from Shick Coins, Ashdod, Israel, Dec. 2020; Israel Antiquities Authority Export License No. 42927, 02/02/2021. 23 mm., 8.6 g.

 

*The description in Milne may be erroneous, since neither Emmett nor BMC 16 lists any diobols for Hadrian with Isis seated left holding Harpocrates, whether in Year 16 or any other year.

Hadrian, AE Diobol, Year 17 (AD 132/133), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from front, ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹ ΤΡΑΙΑΝ – ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟϹ ϹƐΒ / Rev. Harpocrates (Horus-the-Child), nude, standing facing, head left, crowned with skhent (double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, with Uraeus [sacred cobra] at left), raising forefinger of right hand to lips*, holding cornucopiae with left hand and chlamys over left arm; L – IZ (Year 17) across left and right fields. K&G 32.564 (rev. ill. p. 142; this coin) [Kampmann, Ursula & Ganschow, Thomas, Die Münzen der römischen Münzstätte Alexandria (2008)]; RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 5863 (2015); RPC III Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/5863**; Milne 1386 at p. 33 (date placement var.  LI – Z) [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)]; Förschner 479 (ill. p. 161) (date placement var.  LI – Z) [Förschner, Gisela, Die Münzen der Römischen Kaiser in Alexandrien, Historisches Museum Frankfurt (1987)]; Dattari (1901 ed.) 1722 at p. 109 (date placement var.  LI – Z) [Dattari, Giovanni, Monete imperiali greche, Numi Augg. Alexandrini, Catalogo della collezione (Cairo 1901)]. [Not in Emmett or in SNG France, which list only the Year 17 type with a ram’s head in reverse left field; not in BMC 16 Alexandria.] 26.57 mm., 10.63 g. Purchased from Astarte S.A., Lugano, Switzerland, Web Auction 2, 9 Dec. 2023, Lot 253, from the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection (purchased by Staffieri at Lanz München Auction 92, 5 June 1999, lot 609).***

 

* “Harpocrates (Ancient Greek: Ἁρποκράτης, . . . ) was the god of silence, secrets and confidentiality in the Hellenistic religion developed in Ptolemaic Alexandria (and also an embodiment of hope, according to Plutarch). Harpocrates was adapted by the Greeks from the Egyptian child god Horus, who represented the newborn Sun, rising each day at dawn. Harpocrates's name was a Hellenization of the Egyptian Har-pa-khered or Heru-pa-khered, meaning ‘Horus the Child’. Horus is represented as a naked boy with his finger to his mouth, a realisation of the hieroglyph for ‘child’ (𓀔). Misunderstanding this gesture, the later Greeks and Roman poets made Harpocrates the god of silence and secrecy. . . .

Egyptian statues represent the child Horus, pictured as a naked boy with his finger on his chin with the fingertip just below the lips of his mouth, a realization of the hieroglyph for "child" that is unrelated to the Greco-Roman and modern gesture for "silence". Misunderstanding this sign, the later Greeks and Roman poets made Harpocrates the god of silence and secrecy, taking their cue from Marcus Terentius Varro, who asserted in De lingua Latina of Caelum (Sky) and Terra (Earth).

‘These gods are the same as those who in Egypt are called Serapis and Isis, though Harpocrates with his finger makes a sign to me to be quiet. The same first gods were in Latium called Saturn and Ops.’” Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpocrates.

**https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coin/79367 is this coin, erroneously categorized as Specimen 15 under RPC III Online 5862, a similar Year 17 type with a ram’s head in the reverse left field in front of Harpocrates. I submitted a correction to RPC via the online form, but although they added a photo of my coin, they failed to change its identification from RPC III 5862 to the proper RPC III 5863.

*** Lanz auction description & photo:

Antoninus Pius Billon Tetradrachm, Year 23 (159-160 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate and draped bust right, ΑΝΤѠΝΙΝΟϹ - ϹƐΒ ƐVϹƐΒ (beginning on upper right) / Rev. Isis crowned with disk, horns, and plumes, seated right offering her right breast to crowned Harpocrates [“Horus-as-Child”] seated on her lap; Harpocrates extends his right hand towards her and holds lotus flower in left hand; crowned falcon [Horus] perched right on left end of back of throne, L -  Γ [G] /K [= Year 23] across field.  Emmett 1402.23; Milne 2405 at p. 57 [Milne, J.G., Catalogue of Alexandrian Coins (Oxford 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay, 1971)]; Dattari (Savio) 2257; RPC IV.4 Online, 13938 (temporary) (see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/13938); Köln (Geissen) 1842 [same dies, see RPC Online 13938 at the link provided, Example 3]; Sear RCV II 4377; K&G 35.810.  21x28 mm., 11.67 g. Ex. Harlan J. Berk, Ltd., 168^th Buy or Bid Sale, March 16, 2010, Lot 475.

Anonymous, unpublished, AE[?] Tessera, 2^nd Century AD[?], Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Crowned Bust of Nilus left, with cornucopiae behind and, in front, bust of Harpocrates [infant Horus], seen in profile, facing left, wearing skhent crown, with left arm and forefinger held up to mouth / Rev.  On left, Serpent Uraeus [sacred cobra, worn by deities and pharaohs] with female breasts and human head of Isis (as Isis-Thermouthis), crowned with solar disk and horns, standing facing, with coils enfolding sistrum upright to left*; on right, Osiris (mummiform) wearing Atef crown above horns, standing facing with arms crossed over chest holding crook and flail.** 15.60 mm., 2.52 g. Purchased from Naville Numismatics Auction 72 (27 Mar 2022), Lot 305; ex. “private British collection.”

*See https://rhakotis.com/2017/10/24/isis-thermouthis-snake-goddess/: 

“For the Egyptians the cobra signified fecundity, protection and blessing. The cobra goddess was Renenutet. Such associations may be due to the fact that cobras were more visible during the inundation period because their normal habitations would be flooded. They would also kill the rats, who become more common during these months, and who spread disease and eat seeds which had been sown. The cobra goddess’ protective power was probably a result of the fearsome killing power of the snake. Most intriguingly, from an early period Renenutet was associated with control over fortune. During the late period, Isis became associated with Renenutet forming the composite goddess Isis-Thermouthis. . . . Often found in terracotta, Isis-Thermouthis is portrayed as a half woman, half snake. She often wears the attributes of Isis: the cow horns and moon disk (taken from Hathor), the tyet (or Isis knot), the lit torch (taken from Demeter). The most notable thing about this goddess is her body shape. Different statuettes will show her in three broad groups of body shape which are woman from the waist up and snake below, a snake with a woman’s head and a complete snake bearing only the attributes of Isis.” (Emphasis added.) 

See also https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/X__2195: “During the Roman Period, Isis and Serapis were revered as deities of prosperity. Representations of Isis, with or without Serapis, represented as cobras or with a cobra body, were popular in Roman Egypt (attested for example in Alexandria, Canopus and Oxyrhynchus) and are usually dated to the 2nd century AD.”  [Insert two photos.] 

Note also that Isis is often depicted holding a sistrum; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistrum. 

**The crook and flail “were originally the attributes of the deity Osiris that became insignia of pharaonic authority. The shepherd's crook stood for kingship and the flail for the fertility of the land.” (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crook_and_flail.)

Edited February 17 by DonnaML

[robinjojo]

Alexandrian coinage, whether Ptolemaic or Roman provincial is a wonderful field to specialize in, and I wish that I had the discipline to concentrate on that city alone, but my generalist collecting inclinations divert me in myriad directions.   

Alexandrian Roman provincial coinage maintained a generally high level of artistry, especially over the first and second centuries AD.  I think this is due to the city's large Greek population.  It is these Greek die cutters that we have to thank for the wonderful provincial Alexandrian coins that grace our collections.  

Here are a few, which I have posted before:

Claudius and Messilina, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, 41 AD.

14.1 grams

 

Nero, Bi tetradrachm, with Tiberius on the reverse, Alexandria, RY 13 (66/7 AD).

Köln 187-9

12.54 grams

 

Hadrian, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, RY 20 (135/6AD).

Emmett 879.

24mm, 12.86 grams

 

Sabina, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, RY 15 (130/1 AD).

Cologne-1262; Dattari-2063; BM-918; RPC-5774 (9 specimens).

12.84 grams

 

Antoninus Pius, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, RY 3, (139/40 AD). Eirene on reverse.

Milne 1638

25 mm,13.42 grams

 

Gallienus, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, RY 14 (266/67 AD).

10.22 grams

[DonnaML]

1 hour ago, robinjojo said:

Alexandrian coinage, whether Ptolemaic or Roman provincial is a wonderful field to specialize in, and I wish that I had the discipline to concentrate on that city alone, but my generalist collecting inclinations divert me in myriad directions.   

Alexandrian Roman provincial coinage maintained a generally high level of artistry, especially over the first and second centuries AD.  I think this is due to the city's large Greek population.  It is these Greek die cutters that we have to thank for the wonderful provincial Alexandrian coins that grace our collections.  

Here are a few, which I have posted before:

Sabina, BI tetradrachm, Alexandria, RY 15 (130/1 AD).

Cologne-1262; Dattari-2063; BM-918; RPC-5774 (9 specimens).

12.84 grams

 

Some great coins. I especially love your portrait of Sabina. I don't recall seeing it before.

[seth77]

Alexander as Caesar dated to the fifth year of Elagabal, c. September 221 to mid March 222:

[Al Kowsky]

My 4 favorite Alexandrian coins ☺️.

[Roman Collector]

Very cool coins, @ambr0zie! I do enjoy Alexandrian tetradrachms. Most of mine, however, have dual portraits or Greek dieties or allegorical figures on them. This one is my most Egyptian in its iconography.

 

Faustina II, 147-175 CE.
Roman provincial billon tetradrachm, 13.70 g, 21.4 mm, 11 h.
Egypt, Alexandria, 153/4 CE.
Obv: ΦΑVϹΤΙΝΑ ϹЄΒΑϹϹΤΗ, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: Isis Pharia right, wearing horned disk crown and plumes, chiton, and peplos which flies behind her, holding an inflated sail with both hands and left foot; in right hand, a sistrum. L I-Z (=regnal year 17) in fields.
Refs: RPC IV.4, 13787 (temporary); BMCG xv.162,1326; Dattari 3250; RIC 4743; Emmett 1949.17; Milne 2213.

[Qcumbor]

Alexandrian coinage has been a focus of mine for decades (out of too many I believe)

Alexandria provincials

 

 

 

 

 

Alexandria imperials :

 

 

 

Q

[seth77]

19 minutes ago, Qcumbor said:

Alexandrian coinage has been a focus of mine for decades (out of too many I believe)

Alexandria provincials

 

 

 

 

 

Excellent Mamea 😘😘

[Sulla80]

My first ancient more than 40 years ago was a Valerian sestertius...this led to Gallienus (post-Shapur humiliation of his father) which led to a fascination with Roman Egypt and the coins of Gallienus (usurpers, and family...) - here's a favorite plate coin from the Dattari collection:

Edited February 18 by Sulla80