Benefactor kirispupis Posted April 17 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted April 17 Recently, I was lucky to obtain this rare bronze from an island I wasn't even aware minted coins. Islands off Caria, Telos circa 350 BCE Æ 11mm, 1,37g Helmeted head of Athena (?) right / Crab cf. Imhoof-Blumer, Griechische Münzen (1890), 679 Telos is a member of the Dodekanese Island group, and several other islands in that group minted coins - notably Rhodes, Kos, Astypalaia, Halki, and Nisyros. When I started researching the island, I immediately wanted to go there. Considered the most progressive of the Aegean Islands, the first gay marriages in Greece were performed there, the entire island is now designated a protected marine sanctuary. This allows perhaps the best bird watching in the Aegean and is one of several things that draw me. The island is also well-known for a number of caves providing amazing paleontology findings. Six million years ago, it broke off from the rest of Anatolia, stranding a number of elephants. At first it must have seemed like party town, headed on their own private island off into the seas, but over time they became cute little dwarf elephants and their skeletons have been found throughout the island. Telos was named for the son of Alia and Helios - the sun god. There are a number of springs on the island, and when his mother became sick he traveled there, put together a nice basket of herbs and ointments, and healed her. To say thanks, he returned and built a temple and became its priest. It's rumored that the first souvenirs from Telos were sold there. In the 7th century BCE, it was a thriving state and, together with Lindos, colonized the Italian city of Gela. Pliny mentioned it as the source of a wonderful perfume made of marjoram. In the 4th century BCE, it was the home of the poetess Erinna, whose works were often compared with Sappho but are now sadly lost. My coin may have existed during her life. Eventually in the 3rd century BCE Telos was annexed to Rhodes and lost its independence. Today, the island offers a number of beaches - two known for their goats and peacocks, a stunning monastery, an abandoned town, and the remains of seven fortresses. Feel free to share your own Dodekanese coins or just coins from places you'd like to visit! 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deinomenid Posted April 18 · Supporter Share Posted April 18 I spent a good 15 minutes tying to persuade and then telling off Claude AI for refusing to acknowledge the existence of Telos. I was trying to find out more about the Gela connection you mention (the Rhodes part is ~ well-known but I had missed that part). It turns out some of the databases are so dogmatic they refuse to link Tilos and Telos. "Unfortunately, I do not have any definitive information about an ancient island called "Telos" that I can confidently provide details about. This name does not ring a bell in terms of my knowledge of ancient Greek geography, history or mythology." That was only the start of it! I wish I had something from Astypalaia, Halki, or Nisyros. (If they are allowed to exist by our AI overlords.) Here's from from Kos though, with a disconcertingly giant-eyed Demeter. Circa 345-340/30 BC. AR Didrachm (18.49mm, 6.57 g, 12h). Ma–, magistrate. Bearded head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Veiled head of Demeter left. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor kirispupis Posted April 18 · Benefactor Author Benefactor Share Posted April 18 58 minutes ago, Deinomenid said: I spent a good 15 minutes tying to persuade and then telling off Claude AI for refusing to acknowledge the existence of Telos. I was trying to find out more about the Gela connection you mention (the Rhodes part is ~ well-known but I had missed that part). It turns out some of the databases are so dogmatic they refuse to link Tilos and Telos. Yeah, I haven't used Claude, but ChatGPT is sometimes impressive, and sometimes far less so. The Gela connection is from Herodotus. That which concerns the Argives has now been said: and meanwhile envoys had come to Sicily from the allies, to confer with Gelon, among whom was also Syagros from the Lacedemonians. Now the ancestor of this Gelon, he who was at Gela as a settler, was a native of the island of Telos, which lies off Triopion; and when Gela was founded by the Lindians of Rhodes and by Antiphemos, he was not left behind. Here are my other Dodecanese coins: Caria. Dodekanese Islands. Astypalaia 13.22mm, 2.05g 4th Century BCE Obverse: Head of Helios facing three-quarter right Reverse: [ΑΣ]ΤΥ, Amphora, oinochoe to right BMC 8 Islands off Caria. Kos circa 400-300 BC. Æ 13 mm, 1,68 g Head of Herakles left, wearing lion's skin. Rev. K Crab. shton, Beginning, n. 34 and pl. 4, 40. HGC 6, 1336 var. Caria, Chalke 4th century BCE Æ 8mm, 0.51g, 6h Head of Artemis r., wearing stephane R/ Spearhead SNG von Aulock 8736-7; BMC 1-4; HGC 6, 1282 Nisyros, Islands off Caria mid 4th-late 3rd centuries BCE AE Chalkous 11mm 1.1g Head of Aphrodite to right, wearing stephane. Rev. NI Dolphin right; above, grape bunch; below, trident left. Ashton, Nisyros, Issue 2.ii. HGC 6, 1349. SNG Copenhagen 706 Rhodes Caria ca. 350-300 BCE Ae 12mm, 1.2gms Obv: Head of the nymph Rhodos right Rev: Rose with bud to right, P - O to either side; monogram in left field BMC 108 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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