Le monete di Cirene (ex "Quiz")

[apollonia]

Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG, Auction 96, lot 1150, 06.10.2016

Greek Coins
Cyrenaica, Cyrene. Tetradrachm circa 390-380 BC, AR 13.47 g.
Description K–V/[P]–A/N/–AI/O–N (retrograde) Silphium plant with three pairs of leaves and seven umbels. Rev. [NIKIOΣ] Laureate, bearded and horned head of Zeus Ammon r. References BMC 79 and pl. X, 3-4 B (these reverse dies)
SNG Spencer Churchill 170 (this coin)
Gillet 1213 (this coin)
SNG Lockett 3469 (this reverse die)
Bendenoun, Splendeur et témoingnage, 110 (this coin) Condition
Very rare and among the finest tetradrachms of Cyrene in existence. An enchanting portrait of late Classical style, work of a very skilled engraver. A wonderful old cabinet tone, slightly off-centre on obverse, otherwise extremely fine. Provenance
Naville sale 4, 17 June 1922, Grand duc Alexandre Michailovitch, 988
Leu sale 45, 1988, 295
Tradart sale December 2014, 200 (illustrated on the front cover page)
The E. G. Spencer Churchill collection
The Charles Gillet collection
The silphium plant, which was perhaps a type of giant fennel, was both indigenous to and limited to Cyrenaica, and its by-products were the principal export of the entire region. Its uses were said to be numerous and varied: it served as feed for cattle; it was sought as a cure-all for many physical ailments, from alleviating toothache to treating epilepsy, and as a form of birth control; it was used as a spice; and it even served cosmetic purposes as a perfume. Because the plant resisted cultivation but was so important to the local economy, its harvesting appears to have been tightly regulated. Even so, by about the first century A.D. it had become extinct. As important as the silphium plant was to the people of Cyrenaica, it is no wonder that it became the badge used on the coinage of all of the region’s cities. The plant is usually depicted in full, as on the coin of Cyrene offered here, complete with leaves, flowers, and fruits (on the earliest issues only the fruit is shown). The reverse portrays a remarkable bust of Zeus Ammon, the region’s most important deity, which by the time this coin was struck in the early part of the fourth century B.C. had become a common feature of Cyrene’s coinage.

Base d’asta: 40.000 CHF. Valutazione: 50.000 CHF. Risultato: 45.000 CHF

apollonia

[King John]

Riprendo questa discussione per dare una notizia comunque collegata al suo oggetto: le monete di Cirene e la pianta su di esse sempre raffigurata, il silfio. Che sia stato ritrovato???

https://www.ilpost.it/2022/10/03/silfio-pianta-estinta-antica-roma/

Modificato 3 Ottobre, 2022 da King John

[coinzh]

sarebbe fantastico se non fosse estinto

[apollonia]

Tetradramma di Cirene con taglio di saggio al dritto.

Video

266. KYRENAICA. Kyrene. Circa 480-435 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 25 mm, 14.45 g, 1 h), c. 460s. Silphium plant with two pairs of leaves and five umbels. Rev. KVRA Head of Zeus Ammon to right, with short hair and with ram’s horn over his ear; all within border of short rays within shallow circular incuse. BMC p. xxxvii, 43c, and pl. V, 20 = Jameson 1350 (this coin). Weber 8425. Extremely rare, and with a remarkably fine head of Zeus in early Classical style. The obverse surfaces corroded, test cut on the reverse, otherwise, extremely fine.

From the collection of R. Maly, LHS Numismatik 100, 23 April 2007, 351, ex Hess-Leu 15, 7 April 1960, 270, and from the collection of R. Jameson, ex J. Hirsch XVI, 6 December 1906, 705.

 

Ma c’è anche la possibilità di osservarlo rigirato tra le dita di un esperto al link

NOMOS 25 

Inserire 266 in Go to lot in basso a sinistra e cliccare sul triangolino dopo Video e poi sulla moneta.

apollonia

[apollonia]

Base d’asta: 11.200 CHF. Risultato: 16.000 CHF.

apollonia

[apollonia]

Elettrotipo di Cirene della CNG ELECTRONIC AUCTION 553, 3 gen 2024.

Base d’asta: 60 USD. Valutazione: 100 USD. Risultato: 250 USD.

Lotto 951. ELECTROTYPES, KYRENAICA. Kyrene. Circa 435-331 BC (27mm, 15.02 g, 6h). British Museum electrotype ([MB] on reverse). Head of Zeus-Ammon facing slightly left within laurel wreath / Large silphion plant. Head, Guide, Period III.C.44; cf. GPCG pl. 20, 61 (for prototype). Toned. As made.
From the Cabinet of Dr. Arnold R. Saslow.

apollonia

[apollonia]

Tetradramma battuto alla Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG, Auction 133, lot 151, 21.11.2022.

Greek Coins. Cyrenaica, Barce.
Tetradrachm, magistrate Akesios circa 360, AR 13.16 g. B – A / P – K / A – I Silphium plant. Rev. AKE – ΣIOΣ Facing head of Zeus Ammon, with his eyes wide-open and his hair flowing behind him on each side. BMC 32 and pl. 36, 8 (this obverse die) and p. clxxvii, 32 and pl. 47, 8 (this reverse die). Traité 270. Jameson 2137 (these dies). ACGC 1076. cf. NAC sale 116, 2019, 218 (this obverse die).
Very rare. An interesting and appealing type with an impressive and unusual facing portrait. Perfectly centred on a large flan and with a pleasant old cabinet tone.
Good very fine
Ex SKA 1, 1983, 167 and New York XXVII, 2012, Prospero, 629 sales. Privately purchased from Spink on 20th February1984.
Estimate: 25 000 CHF. Price realized: 55 000 CHF.

I tipi di questo tetradramma celebrano le due esportazioni più famose della Cirenaica: il culto di Zeus Ammone e la pianta del silphium. Si pensa che quest'ultima fosse una varietà estinta di finocchio gigante e che fosse usata nell'antichità per condire gli alimenti e per la medicina. Il silphium cresceva solo in una stretta fascia costiera della Cirenaica e veniva usato come cura per una serie di disturbi, tra cui tosse, mal di gola, febbre, indigestione, dolori generali e persino pazzia. Tuttavia, è stato suggerito che la pianta fosse più desiderata per il suo uso come contraccettivo. L'eccessiva raccolta e la domanda eccessiva portarono all'estinzione della pianta nel I secolo d. C.: l'ultimo stelo di silphium sarebbe stato inviato a Nerone (54-68 d. C.). Zeus Ammon aveva un importante santuario oracolare nell'oasi di Siwah, che fu portato in auge quando Alessandro Magno vi fece visita e fu acclamato come figlio del dio. Zeus Ammon era essenzialmente una divinità nativa della Libia, sincretizzata con il dio egizio della fertilità Amon e con lo Zeus greco. Si distingue regolarmente dalle altre forme di Zeus per le sue corna di ariete, una caratteristica presa in prestito dall'iconografia dell'egiziano Amon. La raffigurazione di Zeus Ammon sul tetradramma in esame è brillante nella sua esecuzione e meravigliosamente conservata. I profondi occhi fissi di Zeus Ammone sembrano invitare lo spettatore ad avvicinarsi e a porre una domanda a cui il dio oracolare possa rispondere.

apollonia

[apollonia]

Esemplare in miglior grado di conservazione del precedente battuto alla Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG, Auction 116, lt 218, 01.10.2019.

Greek Coins
Cyrenaica, Barce
Tetradrachm, magistrate Akesios circa 360, AR 12.64 g. B – A / P – K / A – I Silphium plant. Rev. AKE – ΣIOΣ Facing head of Zeus Ammon, with his eyes wide-open and his hair flowing behind him on each side. BMC 32 and pl. 36, 8 (this obverse die) and p. clxxvii, 32 and pl. 47, 8 (this reverse die). Traité 270. Jameson 2137. ACGC 1076. cf. New York sale XXVII, 2012, Prospero, 629 (this obverse die).
Very rare and possibly the finest coin of Cyrenaica in existence. A portrait of enchanting
beauty, the work of a very talented master engraver, perfectly struck and centred on a full
flan. Lovely old cabinet tone. Weakly struck on obverse, otherwise extremely fine
Ex Leu 22, 1979, 180 (illustrated on the cover page) and DNW A11, 2011, 2017 sales.
Estimate: 250 000 CHF. Price realized: 290 000 CHF.

The types of this tetradrachm celebrate the two most famous exports of Cyrenaica: the cult of Zeus Ammon and the silphium plant. The latter is thought to have been an extinct variety of giant fennel and was used in antiquity for seasoning and medicine. Silphium grew only on a narrow coastal strip of the Cyrenaica and was used as a cure for a variety of ailments including cough, sore throat, fever, indigestion, general aches and pains, and even insanity. However, it has been suggested that the plant may have been most desired for its use as a contraceptive. Overharvesting and excessive demand led to the extinction of the plant in the first century AD-the last stalk of silphium was reportedly sent to Nero (AD 54-68). Zeus Ammon had an important oracular shrine at the Oasis of Siwah that was catapulted to fame when Alexander the Great made a visit and was hailed as son of the god. Zeus Ammon was essentially a native Libyan deity syncretized with both the Egyptian fertility god Amun and Greek Zeus. He is regularly distinguished from other forms of Zeus by his ram's horns-a feature borrowed from the iconography of Egyptian Amun. The facing depiction of Zeus Ammon on the present tetradrachm is brilliant in its execution and wonderfully preserved. The deep staring eyes of Zeus Ammon seem to beckon the viewer to come closer and ask a question for the oracular god to answer.

apollonia

[apollonia]

NAC, AUCTION 140, LOTTO 191

Base d’asta: 28'000 CHF. Valutazione: 35'000 CHF. Risultato: 70'000 CHF.

Lotto 191. Tetradrachm circa 400, AR 23 mm, 13.16 g. Head of Zeus Ammon, facing three-quarters r., wearing a laurel-wreath and a ram’s horn. Rev. K – [Y] / P – [A] / N – [A] Silphium plant. BMC p. xlix, 77b, pl. IX, 10 (this coin) = NC 1915, p. 99, 48. Gillet 1211 (this coin). Jameson 2528 (these dies). Of the highest rarity, two specimens known of which this is the only one in private hands. A very interesting and innovative portrait of masterly Classical style, the work of a very skilled master engraver. Wonderful old cabinet tone, obverse from a worn die, otherwise about extremely fine / good very fine

Ex Leu 28, 1981, 226 and New York XXVII, 2012, Prospero, 634 sales. From the W. Giesecke and Charles Gillet collections.

Cyrene was founded in North Africa by Greek colonists from Thera in 631 BC. These were driven to leave their original island home by a famine that had gripped Thera for seven years and the advice of the Delphic Oracle, which promised that their fortunes would improve if they founded a city in Libya. The colonists were led by a certain Battus and made an initial attempt to settle on the island of Platea off the coast of Libya, but after two years and further direction from Delphi, they moved to the mainland and settled at Aziris. After six more years at this settlement, the native Libyans showed Battus a site further inland that was thought to be more suitable for Greek agriculture as it was said to be located beneath a “hole in the sky.” This peculiar remark recorded by Herodotus is thought to refer to greater rainfall in the region than elsewhere in Libya. The new site proved to be surrounded by rich farmland and was settled as the city of Cyrene. Battus became the first in a line of Cyrenean kings that survived until the mid-fifth century BC, when the city adopted a republican constitution.Cyrene grew wealthy from involvement in the Mediterranean grain exprt trade and trade with neighboring Egypt. Riches also accrued to the city through its export of silphium (possibly an extinct giant fennel), a plant widely used in antiquity for seasoning and medicinal purposes. Silphium, which grew only on a narrow coastal strip of the Cyrenaica was supposed to be a good cure for a cough, sore throat, fever, indigestion, general aches and pains, and even madness. However, it has been suggested that the plant may have been most desired for its use as a contraceptive. Excessive demand, overharvesting, and the encroachment of grazing animals appears to have resulted in the extinction of silphium in the first century AD. Pliny the Elder claims that the last known stalk of silphium was sent to Nero (AD 54-68) as a curiosity. The rarity and value of silphium, together with its uniqueness to Cyrene made it a popular emblem for the city’s coins as early as the sixth century BC.In addition to silphium, Cyrene was famous for its connection to the oracular shrine of Zeus Ammon at the Oasis of Siwah. This god was really a local Libyan deity identified with the important Egyptian fertility god Amun, whom the Greeks in turn re-imagined as a form of Zeus. He is easily distinguished from other depictions of the supreme Greek god by the addition of ram’s horns. This attribute was carried over from Egyptian Amun, who was regularly associated with the ram as a symbol of fecundity. The oracular responses of Zeus Ammon were much desired and were sought out by a number of ancient rulers, most notably the Lydian king, Croesus (560-546 BC) and Alexander the Great (336-323 BC). Croesus reportedly consulted the oracle in order to decide whether he should go to war against the Persians, while Alexander visited in person in 331 BC. It is unknown what the Macedonian conqueror asked, but after he was greeted as “son of Amun” in accord with his status as Pharaoh of Egypt, he began to style himself as a son of Zeus among his Macedonian and Greek troops.

apollonia

[apollonia]

Emistatere o dramma di Cirene, primo regno del governatore tolemaico Ophellas, con il simbolo della cicala ai piedi della pianta di silfio al rovescio (CNG Auction 100).

KYRENAICA, Kyrene. temp. Ophellas. Ptolemaic governor, first reign, circa 322-313 BC. AV Drachm (15mm, 4.28 g, 11h). Chairios, magistrate. Horseman, petasos hanging from neck, riding right; XAIPIOΣ above / Silphion plant; K-Y/P-A in two lines across field, cicada to lower left. Naville 106; SNG Copenhagen –; BMC 131; Boston MFA 1328; McClean 9943; Pozzi 3275; Weber 8438 (all from the same dies). VF, light deposits and a few tiny marks on reverse. Rare.
From the collection of Dr. Lawrence A. Adams. Ex Goldberg 26 (6 September 2004), lot 2140.

Estimate: 3000 USD. Price realized: 2750 USD.

apollonia

[apollonia]

Gorny & Mosch AUKTION 302

Base d’asta: 2'400 EUR

Valutazione: 3'000 EUR

Risultato: 6'000 EUR

Lotto 304. KYRENAIKA. KYRENE.  
AV-Tetrobol ø 13mm (2,83g). ca. 305 - 300 v. Chr. Vs.: Reiter n. l., auf dem Rücken Kausia, dahinter achtstrahliger Stern. Rs.: ΚΥΡΑ, Silphionpflanze, r. im Feld Monogramm des Magistraten Sosis. Naville 160 ff.; BMC 211 (Vs. stgl.); SNG Cop. 1232 (Vs. stgl.); Boston MFA 1340 (Vs. stgl.).
Gold! Scharf ausgeprägt, vz

Die wichtigste Grundlage für Kyrenes wirtschaftliche Prosperität war die Silphionpflanze, die nur in der Kyrenaika wuchs und sich anderswo nicht kultivieren ließ. Der aus ihr gewonnene Lasersaft war als Arzneimittel so begehrt, dass er mit Silber aufgewogen wurde. Im 1. Jh. n. Chr. war der Silphion größtenteils ausgerottet - laut Plinius n. h. 19, 39 wurde der letzte noch auffindbare Stengel Kaiser Nero zum Geschenk gemacht.

• befindet sich in der Vorübergehenden Verwendung.

apollonia