Wars of Alexander's Successors

[Spargrodan]

Here's my latest addition to my Wars of the Diadochi Collection.

Demetrios I Poliorketes. was a very important character for keeping the Antigonid Dynasty alive so his son Antigonus II Gonatas later could establish the Antigonids on the Macedonian throne until they succumbed to the Roman conquest.

He is probably most famous for the siege of Rhodes which later gave him the nickname Poliorketes (The Besieger). Although he never succeeded to capture Rhodes, the huge siege equipment he left on the island was later melted down and used to construct the Colossus of Rhodes to celebrate the city's resistance.

Demetrios also fought at the battle of Ipsus 301 BCE where his father Antigonos I Monopthalmus met his demise and their dream of a united Macedonian empire was totaly crushed.

Here are the 3 coins I've collected so far together. The father and the son plus the prick Kassander (upper right).

And here is the new addition Demetrios I Poliorketes.

AR Tetradrachm, Amphipolis, 289-288 BCE, 16.7 g, 29,5 mm, 6h

Obverse: Diademed head of Demetrios to right.

Reverse: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ. Poseidon, nude, standing left, his right foot set on a rock, holding trident in his left hand and resting his right on his right thigh; to inner left and right, monograms.

Newell 115

 

 

Feel free to post anything related to the wars of Alexander's successors and the Hellenistic era.

Edited April 26 by Spargrodan

[kirispupis]

Wow! That's an amazing addition! 

Here are my coins from Demetrios.

Kings of Macedon. Pella. Demetrios I Poliorketes 306-283 BC.
Tetradrachm AR 30 mm, 17,12 g
Diademed and horned head of young Demetrios right / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ, poseidon standing left resting foot on rock, monograms at either side.
Newell 90

 

Demetrios I Poliorketes
AE 18 mm, 5.20 g, 6 h
uncertain mint in Macedon or Greece (?)
circa 300 BCE
Prow to left. Rev. ΔΗΜ / ΒΑΣΙ Demetrios on horseback galloping left, hurling spear; to left, forepart of a lion right.
HGC 3, 1024. Newell 179 and pl. XVII, 18. SNG Alpha Bank -. SNG München -. 

[Spargrodan]

Your coins are also very cool! Your tet is of the more rare type mine is the most common according to HGC. I really like your webbpage it has helped me a lot looking up different characters from this period. The story around Demetrios is very interesting,

[Ryro]

Another stunner @Spargrodan! Very nice toning as well. 

Here are a few shield coins of the besieger (look to the left bushel of the helmet for the hidden iconography, crescent swords, lagobolon, stars, grapes, axes, etc):

 

[kirispupis]

42 minutes ago, Spargrodan said:

Your coins are also very cool! Your tet is of the more rare type mine is the most common according to HGC. I really like your webbpage it has helped me a lot looking up different characters from this period. The story around Demetrios is very interesting,

Thanks! Though for some reason the page on Demetrios is not correct. It's showing the page for the Antigonid line. Will need to debug it this weekend...

[Spargrodan]

14 minutes ago, Ryro said:

Another stunner @Spargrodan! Very nice toning as well. 

Here are a few shield coins of the besieger (look to the left bushel of the helmet for the hidden iconography, crescent swords, lagobolon, stars, grapes, axes, etc):

 

Thanks @Ryro you have enough to form a little shield wall and phalanx. Is there any good place to read more about the iconography of these coins and what it means?

[NewStyleKing]

Once in my posession, Antigonus ll Gonatas a "Pan Head"  tetradrachm

Antigonas ll Gonatas Tetradrachm c 270 / 239 BC

Obv: Head of horned Pan left, wearing goat skin, lagobolon over shoulder, within double solid circle on Macedonian shield decorated with 7 stars with 8 rays within double crescents. Rev: Ins: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΓΟΝΟΥ Athena Alkidemos advancing left, holding shield with Gorgoneion head and hurling thunderbolt. Helmet inner left, Rare MTY monogram inner right Amphipolis Mint 17.10gm 30.5 mm

 

[Ryro]

1 hour ago, Spargrodan said:

Thanks @Ryro you have enough to form a little shield wall and phalanx. Is there any good place to read more about the iconography of these coins and what it means?

Thanks! I would love to read it if anyone has it. I would be very interested to read about the one with a Seleucid anchor and the reasoning behind that? I have one with a mouse somewhere. I'll add it if I can find pics.

[Spargrodan]

1 hour ago, NewStyleKing said:

Once in my posession, Antigonus ll Gonatas a "Pan Head"  tetradrachm

Antigonas ll Gonatas Tetradrachm c 270 / 239 BC

Obv: Head of horned Pan left, wearing goat skin, lagobolon over shoulder, within double solid circle on Macedonian shield decorated with 7 stars with 8 rays within double crescents. Rev: Ins: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΓΟΝΟΥ Athena Alkidemos advancing left, holding shield with Gorgoneion head and hurling thunderbolt. Helmet inner left, Rare MTY monogram inner right Amphipolis Mint 17.10gm 30.5 mm

 

Very nice coin @NewStyleKing. The shield is a very nice design like the bronzes @Ryro posted.

[Spargrodan]

36 minutes ago, Ryro said:

Thanks! I would love to read it if anyone has it. I would be very interested to read about the one with a Seleucid anchor and the reasoning behind that? I have one with a mouse somewhere. I'll add it if I can find pics.

Yeah let’s keep our eyes up for it if we can find any info.

[Anaximander]

Of all the Hellenistic dynasties that followed Alexander the Great, the Antigonid is a favorite of mine.  Edward Newell writes engagingly on Demetrios Poliorketes (The Coinages of Demetrius Poliorcetes, Obol Int'l reprint, 1978).  Here's my three of Demetrios I Poliorketes, plus one of his father, Antigonos Monopthalmus. 

[Anaximander]

Adding coinage of Antigonos Gonatas & Antigonos Doson.  

[NewStyleKing]

ANTIGONOS GONATAS: COINAGE, MONEYAND THE ECONOMY    Submitted by Panagopoulou Ekaterini for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy  HISTORY DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON JANUARY 2000

[Anaximander]

AKA Katerina Panagopoulou. 
At https://www.academia.edu/ The work is not available for viewing, but it IS available for download. 402pp. 👍

Link: https://www.academia.edu/63890141/Antigonos_Gonatas_coinage_money_and_the_economy 

Also published by the ANS
Katerina Panagopoulou. The Early Antigonids: Coinage, Money and the Economy. ANSNS 37 (ANS, Nov. 2020). 388 pp.

 

 

Edited April 28 by Anaximander
Added cover photo.

[NewStyleKing]

as far as I can remember , the study was not without its critics , (BUT what isn't,The late Miss Thompson would know!), but I cannot remember any details! Sorry!      I love the Poseidon heads, I always wanted one but the NewStyles got in the way and I sold my other coins to buy more NewStyles! But I do love the later coinage of Macedon  The TauroPoulos type coins, Leg Makedonon, First & 2nd Meris, Perseus, Philip V, Aesillas, Sura,  Pro Makedon etc... They are all lovely

Edited April 28 by NewStyleKing

[NewStyleKing]

THE TAUROPOLOS TETRADRACHMS OF THE FIRST MACEDONIAN MERIS: PROVENANCE, ICONOGRAPHY AND DATING* * Many thanks are due to Michel Amandry for providing references to auctions and photos and also to Melih Arslan for the photo of the coin in the Sinope Museum. Sophia KREMYDI-SICILIANOU  on academia

[Spargrodan]

@Anaximander That’s a very impressive collection of Antigonids coinages. Also a very creative way to present them!

@NewStyleKing and @Anaximander Thanks for pointing out some good reading as well.

[kirispupis]

Besides One-Eye and his son the Besieger, the only other Antigonid I have is this one.

Kings of Macedon, Antigonos II Gonatas (277/6-239 BC)
AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 16.85g, 3h)
Amphipolis, c. 274/1-260/55.
Horned head of Pan l., lagobolon over shoulder, in the centre of a Macedonian shield. R/ Athena Alkidemos advancing l., preparing to cast thunderbolt; crested Macedonian helmet to inner l., monogram to inner r. HGC 3, 1042.

 

A Doson example is one of my dream coins. The one thing that confuses me a bit is the belief that Demetrios II didn't mint anything different. He reigned for ten eventful years, so I find it difficult to believe there were no changes at the mint during that time. 

[Anaximander]

@kirispupis That is an admirable coin of Antigonos II Gonatas, beautifully photographed and presented.  According to Panagopoulou, the work we chatted about in this discussion, this type appears to be her Pan series Period I, Group I, #7 (O3/R7), with monogram 6. If you look closely at her example, I think you may see your coin on the plate!  What do you think? If so, you have a new pedigree from 1974.

 

Edited April 29 by Anaximander
Added obv. & rev. die references

[kirispupis]

3 hours ago, Anaximander said:

@kirispupis That is an admirable coin of Antigonos II Gonatas, beautifully photographed and presented.  According to Panagopoulou, the work we chatted about in this discussion, this type appears to be her Pan series Period I, Group I, #7 (O3/R7), with monogram 6. If you look closely at her example, I think you may see your coin on the plate!  What do you think? If so, you have a new pedigree from 1974.

Wow! Thank you for the find! After comparing the two, I do believe this is my coin.

This is a great find and I definitely appreciate the research! I've updated the attribution on my site.

[Anaximander]

@KenDorney just posted a couple Becker forgeries, and while perusing George Hill's work (Becker the Counterfeiter) I saw this Antigonid fake. 

[Anaximander]

Rounding out the highlights of the Antigonid Royal House: Philip V, son of Demetrios II, and Perseus.
Philip's alliance with Carthage -then at war with Rome- sparked the First Macedonian War (214-205 BC), in which Philip prevailed. His unending campaigns far and wide brought him enmity and opposition and eventual defeat in the Second Macedonian War (200-197 BC).  The Macedonians then became vassals of the Romans, fighting their corner. Philip's sons Perseus and Demetrios became deadly rivals, leading to the execution of Demetrios for treason. Philip died just a year later, in 179 BC. Though Perseus was a nominal ally of Rome, his machinations as king brought invariable opposition -notably by Eumenes II of the Pergamon Kingdom- and led to the Third Macedonian War (171-168). Rome triumphed, and Perseus marched as a prisoner in the Roman triumph and perished at their hands.

Edited May 1 by Anaximander
Added a spot of history on the later Antigonid kings.

[NewStyleKing]

 

This , if you may be interested, is a  Tauropollos type coin . Obverse Zeus, reverse Bull and rider.    This example is from what used to be called the LARISSA HOARD, now called (I think)  the SITICHORO hoard. This fascinating hoard had 2 example of this very rare coin, Pan heads and a Poseidon head Perseus,Phillips, well a mixture. YOU EXPLAIN THE CHRONOLOGY!

have a look. No NewStyles but 2 INTERMEDIATE owls with devices. Just prior to the NEWSTYLE .

Edited May 1 by NewStyleKing

[NewStyleKing]

[NathanB]

On 4/26/2024 at 12:30 PM, Ryro said:

Thanks! I would love to read it if anyone has it. I would be very interested to read about the one with a Seleucid anchor and the reasoning behind that? I have one with a mouse somewhere. I'll add it if I can find pics.

Hi Ryro! I'm not sure if I understood you correctly, but were you asking why Seleucus chose an anchor as a symbol? I don't know that either, but he did serve as Ptolemy I's admiral for a while.