Le più belle rappresentazioni di guerrieri

[King John]

Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG > Auction 402	Auction date: 14 March 2024
Lot number: 267 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -
Lot description: LYCIA. Prägungen lykischer Städte. PHASELIS AR-Stater, 167/130 v. Chr., Magistrat Agyiarchos; 11,16 g. Apollokopf r. mit Lorbeerkranz//Prora r., darauf Athena r. mit Blitz und Aegis. Heipp-Tamer -; Müseler IX, 23 (dies Exemplar). Feine Tönung, fast vorzüglich Exemplar der Auktion NAC 10, Zürich 1997, Nr. 248. Die bedeutende Hafenstadt Phaselis, malerisch auf einer Halbinsel mit drei Häfen an der Ostküste Lykiens gelegen, gehörte kulturell und sprachlich nicht zu Lykien, wurde später aber zeitweise Mitglied des Lykischen Bundes. Phaselis trug massiv zur Hellenisierung Lykiens bei. Mythisch – vielleicht eine Rückerinnerung an griechische Siedlungsaktionen am Ende der Bronzezeit – soll die Stadt von Mopsos gegründet worden sein (Heropythos von Kolophon in Athenaios VII 297f-298a; Pomponius Mela I 14 [79]), der wahrscheinlich wie in Aspendos vor der Stadtgründung dort einen die Landwirtschaft schädigenden Eber erlegt haben soll. So können die Wildschweine auf den frühen Münzen von Phaselis am besten erklärt werden. Historisch fassbar ist die Gründung der Stadt durch einen gewissen Lakios aus dem rhodischen Lindos. Die Hafenstädte der Insel Rhodos brauchten für den Schiffsbau das Holz Lykiens und gründeten deshalb um die Südostspitze Lykiens mehrere Kolonien. Auf jenen Stateren von Phaselis, die zwischen 167 und 130 v. Chr. geprägt wurden, ist auf der Vorderseite ein lorbeerbekränzter Apollonkopf dargestellt, auf der Rückseite eine blitzeschleudernde Athena, die auf einem Schiffsbug steht. Athena war die Hauptgöttin der Gründerstadt Lindos. Vor Athena ringelt sich drohend eine Schlange. Hinter ihr steht der griechische Buchstabe Φ als Abkürzung für Ph(aseliten)/Φ(ασηλιτ?ν). Athena (Lindia) ist die Hauptgöttin von Phaselis, deren Kult die lindischen Kolonisten einst in die Stadt übertragen hatten. Das Schiff evoziert den Stadtnamen: Phaselis bezeichnet ein schlankes bohnenförmiges Schiff. Athena soll dem Mythos nach von ihrem Vater Zeus beim Kampf gegen die Giganten die Donnerkeile erhalten haben und damit zur Vorkämpferin (Promachos) geworden sein. Das Münzbild ist eine selbstbewusste Machtdemonstration der damals freigewordenen Hafenstadt Phaselis. Dieses Exemplar der Sayar Collection ist, was den Namen des Münzaufsehers angeht, bisher ein Unikum geblieben. Der Name Agyíarchos, d.h. ,Straßenbeherrscher', ist von einem Beinamen des Apollon, Agyieús, abgeleitet und anscheinend nur auf dieser Münze bezeugt (Fehrentz 1993, 148 f.; Köves-Zulauf 1999; Lolos 2005, 163). [JN] The important harbour town of Phaselis, picturesquely situated on a peninsula with three harbours on the east coast of Lycia, did not belong to Lycia culturally or linguistically, but later became a member of the Lycian League for a time. Phaselis contributed massively to the Hellenisation of Lycia. Mythically - perhaps a reminiscence of Greek settlement campaigns at the end of the Bronze Age - the city is said to have been founded by Mopsos (Heropythos of Colophon in Athenaios VII 297f-298a; Pomponius Mela I 14 [79]), who, as in Aspendos before the city was founded, is believed to have killed a boar that was damaging agriculture. This is the best way to explain the wild boars on the early coins of Phaselis. The foundation of the city by a certain Lakios from Rhodian Lindos is historically verifiable. The harbour towns on the island of Rhodes needed Lycian timber for shipbuilding and therefore founded several colonies around the south-eastern tip of Lycia. The staters of Phaselis, which were minted between 167 and 130 BC, depict a laurel-wreathed head of Apollo on the obverse and a lightning-throwing Athena standing on the bow of a ship on the reverse. Athena was the main goddess of the mother city of Lindos. A snake entwines threateningly in front of Athena. Behind her appears the Greek letter Φ as an abbreviation for Ph(aselites)/Φ(ασηλιτ?ν). Athena (Lindia) is the main goddess of Phaselis, whose cult the Lindian colonists had once transferred to the city. The ship evokes the city's name: The word Phaselis refers to a slender bean-shaped ship. According to myth, Athena received the thunderbolts from her father Zeus during the battle against the giants and thus became a champion of the attacked gods (promachos). The coin is a self-confident demonstration of the power of the harbour city of Phaselis, which had become free at that time. This specimen from the Sayar Collection is unique as far as the name of the coin magistrate is concerned. The name Agyíarchos, i.e. 'ruler of the streets', is derived from an epithet of Apollo, Agyieús, and is apparently only attested on this coin (Fehrentz 1993, 148 f.; Köves-Zulauf 1999; Lolos 2005, 163). [JN] Estimate: 1250 EUR

[King John]

The Coin Cabinet Ltd. > The Euclidean Collection	Auction date: 28 March 2024
Lot number: 371 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: About Extremely Fine; a truly superb example - clear and crisp, with a lovely glossy patina | ROMAN EMPIRE. Diadumenian (Caesar). Bronze as, AD 217-218. Rome. Obv: M OPEL ANTONINVS DIADVMENIANVS CAES, bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: PRINC IVVENTVTIS, Prince standing facing, head right, holding standard and sceptre, two standards to right; SC in exergue. About Extremely Fine; a truly superb example - clear and crisp, with a lovely glossy patina. Reference: RIC IV-212; BMCRE-159. Provenance: from the Euclidean Collection; acquired from David Miller, December 2013; ex Naumann, Auction 9 (3/11/2013), lot 607 (with note "ex Auctiones A.G. 25/897"). Die Axis: 6h. Diameter: 24 mm. Weight: 13.57 g. Composition: Bronze. PLEASE NOTE: 20% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order. Estimate: 1000 GBP Starting price: 500 GBP

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 14	Auction date: 14 October 2023
Lot number: 40 Price realized: 5,500 CHF   (Approx. 6,069 USD / 5,749 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: SICILY. Syracuse. Second Democracy, 466-405 BC. Litra (Silver, 11 mm, 0.83 g, 1 h), circa 466-460. ΣVR-A Head of Arethousa to right, her hair tied up in a krobylos that is bound up, wearing pearl diadem, single pendant earring and pearl necklace. Rev. Octopus within shallow round incuse. Boehringer Series XIIIa, - (-/R299). HGC 2, 1375. Very sharply struck and with beautiful iridescent toning, a magnificent little coin and undoubtedly among the finest known examples. Very minor deposits on the reverse, otherwise, good extremely fine. From the collection of Prof. Dr. D. Mannsperger, ex Numismatica Ars Classica 21, 17 May 2001, 117. Estimate: 2500 CHF

[King John]

Æ 31, 1 h, 14.97 g. Obv. AYT K M AYP CEYH ANTΩNEINOC. Laureate bust of Caracalla r. Rev. OYΛΠIAC CEPΔIKHC, Eros and Psyche,  (Photos courtesy of Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., www.cngcoins.com).

ILLUSTRAZIONE: EROS E PSICHE, Altes Museum, Berlin

Modificato 19 Marzo, 2024 da King John

[King John]

Æ 18, 12 h, 3.45 g. Obv. AV • K • Λ • C • CEVHPOC. Laureate, cuirassed bust of Septimius Severus r. Rev. ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ. Eros standing l., head facing, stringing his bow; quiver upright on the ground in front of him (Private collection, by permission).

ILLUSTRAZIONE: EROS CHE INCORDA L'ARCO, COPIA ROMANA IN MARMO DEL II SECOLO D.C. DA UN ORIGINALE IN BRONZO DEL IV SECOLO A.C. OPERA DI LISIPPO, MUSEI CAPITOLINI, ROMA

The types of Eros stringing his bow are probably based on different statues by Lysippus—one (marble copy in the Capitoline Museum in Rome) 

Modificato 19 Marzo, 2024 da King John

[santone]

Belle le monete e belle le sculture 

[King John]

 Aphrodisias in Caria, Æ 21, 4 h, 4.06 g. Obv. IEPA BOYΛH.,  the third century A.D. with veiled and draped bust of Boulé on the obverse, while the reverse shows Aphrodite leaning on a low column r., holding a mirror and adjusting her sandal with the aid of a small Eros l. in front of her;  AΦPOΔICIEΩN. 

References: MacDonald, The Coinage of Aphrodisias, type 208; Bernhart, Aphrodite, 313; BMC 35 f.; SNG von Aulock 2448; SNG Copenhagen 84; SNG Lewis 1642
Rarity: Common (at least in major collections, though seldom encountered in trade)

 

ILLUSTRAZIONE: STATUA ELLENISTICA DI AFRODITE CHE SI AGGIUSTA IL SANDALO CON EROS AI SUOI PIEDI

Modificato 20 Marzo, 2024 da King John

[King John]

Æ 21, 5 h, 4.91 g. Obv. KOPH CΩTEIPA. Draped bust of Kore Soteira r., wearing a wreath of corn-ears. Rev. KYZIKHNΩN. Eros standing l., holding up a hare by the hind-feet in his r. (Photos courtesy of Lübke & Wiedemann KG).

ILLUSTRAZIONE: EROTI CHE GIOCANO CON UNA LEPRE AL GUINZAGLIO RAFFIGURATI SU UNA VASO CUSTODITO AL WORCESTER ART MUSEUM

[King John]

Haynault Ventes Publiques > October 2023 Coin Auction	Auction date: 17 October 2022
Lot number: 210 Price realized: 300 EUR   (Approx. 294 USD)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: ROME, REPUBLIC Manius Cordius Rufus (46 BC) Denarius, 3.82g, Rome, diademed head of Venus right, RVFVS. S.C, rev. cupid on a dolphin right, MN. CORDIVS in exergue (RSC Cordia 3). Nice toning, about extremely fine. Starting price: 200 EUR

 

 

Modificato 22 Marzo, 2024 da King John

[King John]

Æ 17, 2.21 g. Obv. ΑΥT K M AYP CEV [ANTΩNEINOC]. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Caracalla r. Rev. AΔPIANOΠOΛEITΩN. Eros standing r., reading from a scroll or writing-tablet, his bow and quiver on the ground behind him (Photos courtesy of Titiana & Slavey ART NUMIS).

[santone]

Bella la moneta e il vaso 

[King John]

Æ, 21.86 g. Obv. ΑΥ Κ Μ ΑΝ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC CE. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian III r. Rev. AΦPOΔEICIEΩΝ. Cult-statue of Aphrodite r. on plinth between small figure of priestess (?) and low altar with conical cover (?); on either side, cippus surmounted by Eros, poised on one leg, holding torch toward cult-statue (Photos courtesy of Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., www.cngcoins.com).

ILLUSTRAZIONE: ‎Supporto a specchio del VI secolo a.C.. Afrodite ed Eroti. Afrodite si trova su una base rotonda; indossando stivali, chitone ionico e peplos. La mano sinistra regge i pepli; mano destra allungata con fiore. Erotes indossa stivali. Il retro del supporto immediato dello specchio assume la forma di una palmetta.‎ Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

[santone]

Bella statuetta

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 118	Auction date: 8 April 2024
Lot number: 521 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: Phrygia, Bruzus Æ 19mm. Pseudo-autonomous issue, time of Septimius Severus to Macrinus, circa AD 193-218. Rufinus, magistrate. BPOYZOC, turreted and draped bust of city-goddess to left, with cornucopia at her shoulder, holding sceptre / POYΦINOC ΒΡΟΥΖΗΝΩΝ ΑΝΕΘΗΚ, Apollo standing facing, head to right, drawing bow. BMC -; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG Leypold 1474; SNG von Aulock -. 4.50g, 19mm, 7h. Near Extremely Fine. Estimate: 75 GBP

[santone]

Bella scena 

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 116	Auction date: 18 January 2024
Lot number: 40 Price realized: 420 GBP   (Approx. 532 USD / 490 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Sicily, Himera AR Litra. Circa 470-450 BC. Forepart of a winged and horned man-headed monster to left / Nude youth riding goat prancing to left, holding goat's horn with left hand, and holding whip with right; IMEPAION around. SNG ANS 173; HGC 2, 451. 0.76g, 12mm, 12h. Very Fine. Rare. Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 73, 23 July 2020, lot 204. Estimate: 400 GBP

[King John]

Morton & Eden > Auction 124	Auction date: 26 September 2023
Lot number: 77 Price realized: 15,000 GBP   (Approx. 18,253 USD / 17,243 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: ‡ Sicily, Akragas, hemidrachm, c. 420-410 BC, eagle with spread wings standing right on dead hare held in talons; behind, ear of corn, rev., Α-Κ-Ρ, crab; below, sea-monster left devouring fish, 2.17g, die axis 5.00 (Westermark 580.1, pl. 37, this piece; SNG Lloyd 825, same dies; SNG ANS 1010; Rizzo pl. 1, 19), finely toned, extremely fine and very rare Provenance: Charles Gillet collection; 'Kunstfreund', Bank Leu & Münzen und Medaillen, 28 May 1974, lot 79; S. Weintraub collection; Nelson Bunker Hunt collection, part II, Sotheby's New York, 21 June 1990, lot 222; European Connoisseur collection (formed before 2002). Note: One of the latest significant Greek settlements in Sicily, Akragas was founded in Sican territory by colonists from Gela in c. 580 BC (Thuc. VI.4). Bounded by the rivers Akragas and Hypsas, it commanded a hill near the south-west coast and, as its ruins attest, became one of the most splendid and wealthiest cities in Sicily. Westermark has broken the coinage into three periods, the last of which coincides with the last brilliance of Sicilian coinage at the end of the fifth century. 'The hemidrachms not only show an interesting renewal of the coin types, but they are also a new denomination in the monetary history of the mint,' and were possibly the earliest appearance of the denomination in Western Sicily. (Westermark, 2018, p. 111-112). The hemidrachm issue with the sea-monster (ketos), as here, is unique to the silver coinage of Akragas; Westermark connects it to the Skylla tetradrachms, and places it as the last issue of the denomination (known from only 5 obverse and reverse dies). Estimate: 5000 - 7000 GBP

[King John]

Nomos AG > Auction 29	Auction date: 5 November 2023
Lot number: 556 Price realized: 850 CHF   (Approx. 946 USD / 882 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: CAMPANIA. Allifae. Circa 325-275 BC. Obol (Silver, 11 mm, 0.65 g, 7 h). Laureate head of Apollo to right; in the field to right, dolphin swimming downwards; below neck, two dolphins swimming upwards, one to left and the other to right. Rev. ΑΛΛΙΒΑΝΟΝ Scylla swimming to right, holding sepia in her right hand and fish in her left; below, mussel. HGC 1, 357. HN III 460. SNG ANS 160. Very rare. Struck on an irregular flan with striking cracks and minor porosity, otherwise, very fine. From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions, ex Vinchon 11 April 1988, 96b. Estimate: 450 CHF ILLUSTRAZIONE: Scylla figurine, late 4th BCE. National Archaeological Museum, Athens

[santone]

Molto bello il bronzetto 

 

[King John]

Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII	Auction date: 9 January 2024
Lot number: 733 Price realized: 4,000 USD   (Approx. 3,664 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Titus. AD 79-81. Æ Dupondius (28.5mm, 17.18 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 80-81 (or a 16th-17th century fantasy). IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P COS VIII, radiate head left / Conical fountain set on plinth (Meta Sudans) with statues set within alternating squared and arched recesses, S C across field; LM in ink (old collector or museum initials) in upper left field. RIC II.1 205; BN III Faux Modernes 28; Asolati, M. Note sulla medaglia all'antica d'età rinascimentale tra invenzioni, rivisitazioni e "ritocchi" (Milano, 2018), pp. 155–6; Heenes and Jansen, Jacopo Strada's Magnum AC Novum Opus, A Sixteenth-Century Corpus Of Ancient Numismatics (Berlin, 2022), pp. 292, no. 5 (this coin illustrated). Yellow-brown surfaces, minor marks and scratches, tooled and smoothed. Good VF. An extreme rarity, the only specimen not in a museum collection. LOT SOLD AS IS, NO RETURNS – Not Suitable For Encapsulation. The Meta Sudans was a tall fountain located in front of the Flavian Amphitheater, it marked the spot where processions would turn from the Via Trumphalis along the Palatine and onto the Roman Forum. It was erected shortly after the completion of the amphitheater, between AD 89-96. This coin is not without controversy. The consignor showed photos of this coin to the late Ted Buttrey, curator at the Fitzwilliam Museum, in the mid 1990s who studied it intently. He concluded that the coin must be genuine and gave the following appraisal: "The two pieces, RIC 205 = L195A and [this] piece, were struck from the same obverse die, while Paris was struck from a very similar die by the same engraver, the way the wreath ends terminate at CO and OS respectively. However, the reverses were struck from three separate dies, distinguished by the nature and placing of the arches below the steeple. It is certainly beyond belief that an evil modern craftsman, attempting to create an un-struck type for Titus, would have - or even could have - stretched out his hand toward the mountains of random asses and dupondii still surviving, and come up with three pieces to work on which had been produced virtually at the same moment at the Rome mint amid the abundant bronze coinages of 80-81 AD. I think we have to accept it as genuinely ancient." More recently, the coin was studied in-hand by the current curator of the Coins and Medals department at the British Museum who commented that he had seen genuine Titus dupondii with similar surfaces and concave flans and since Ted Buttrey had said it was authentic, he had no reason to disagree. He did confirm that it had been tooled and smoothed in similar fashion as the BM and BN specimens. In the years since Professor Buttrey's comments, further research has been done on this coin as well as others of its type. New evidence supports this being a Paduan-era medallion of the 16th-17th century schools in Italy. The Asolati and Heenes references cited above, one of which included this very coin, detail the works of Giovanni Cavino, Jacopo Strada, and other 16th century artists. Both authors believe that every extant specimen, including the BM coin, are Paduan-era medallions and that no genuine ancient coins of the type exist. It is interesting to note that the sestertius of this type has a laureate base instead of the statues seen here. Had an ancient celator carved the dies, we would expect to see a similar scene on both denominations. This lends credence to the belief that the Renaissance engravers had not actually seen the fountain they were engraving. A note from the consignor: "Dr. Heenes did not study my coin in hand when preparing his book, he only worked from a photo." Cataloger note: Since cataloging this coin for Triton, a new Paduan-era sestertius of Vitellius has been found, CNG E-551, lot 770. The reverses share unmistakable similarities; the alternating squared and arched recesses, the beaded edges around the enclosures, and the base style lead me to believe that both coins are the work of the same Renaissance engraver. There are only five of this type known: one each in the British Museum, Bibliothèque National, Nationale di Venezia, Banca Regionale del Veneto, and the one offered here from a private collection. This coin is the only specimen available in the public market and has been in the consignor's collection for over 50 years. Estimate: 1000 USD

ILLUSTRAZIONE: LA META SUDANS (META SUDANTE), FONTANA DI ETA' FLAVIA CHE SI TROVAVA VICINO AL COLOSSEO E ALL'ARCO DI COSTANTINO. La sua costruzione iniziò quindi a partire da quell'anno.^] Veniva chiamata meta per via della sua forma che rappresentava la meta attorno alla quale i carri dovevano svoltare nelle gare nei circhi, e sudans perché sembrava sudare: infatti, la palla di bronzo che la sormontava era crivellata da fori da cui usciva l'acqua.

 

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 29	Auction date: 24 February 2024
Lot number: 1503 Price realized: 2,000 CHF   (Approx. 2,270 USD / 2,098 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: EGYPT. Alexandria. Domitian, 81-96. Obol (Orichalcum, 18 mm, 3.35 g, 12 h), RY 11 = 91/2. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΔΟΜΙΤ ϹЄΒ ΓЄΡΜ Laureate head of Domitian to right. Rev. L IA Sphinx reclining right. Dattari (Savio) 570. Emmett 326.11. K&G 24.181. RPC II online 2645.10 (this coin). An exceptional example, certainly among the finest known of this difficult issue. Patina stripped, otherwise, good very fine. Ex Naville E-Auction 76, 2 October 2022, 185. While many Alexandrian coins adhered to Greco-Roman motives, the coinage was also suffused with typical Egyptian elements, such as local deities, canopi, or temples. One of the most impressive reverse types in this regard is no doubt the sphinx. While the winged sphinx was no novelty due to her role in Greek tragedy, or even as an iconographic element on coins, the sphinx on our coin is decidedly more Egyptian in outlook (and male, unlike the Greek sphinx), immediately bringing to mind the Great Sphinx of Giza. Whether the latter is actually depicted is uncertain - the nearby Great Pyramids were never featured on Alexandrian coins and sphinxes were relatively ubiquitous in Egypt (the dromos connecting the temples of Karnak and Luxor, for instance, was lined with smaller sphinxes). Still, the wonderful appearance of the sphinx on Alexandrian coins shows Rome's appreciation, perhaps even admiration, of Ancient Egypt's monumental art. Starting price: 500 CHF

Modificato 5 Aprile, 2024 da King John

[santone]

Sempre affascinante la  sfinge

[King John]

Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115	Auction date: 8 May 2024
Lot number: 31001 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -
Lot description: Ancients BRUTTIUM. Croton. Ca. 425-350 BC. AR stater (22mm, 7.93 gm, 8h). NGC Choice XF★ 4/5 - 5/5, Fine Style. Eagle standing right, head raised, with wings displayed / ϘPO, tripod lebes with three handles, legs terminating in lion's feet; vertical bay leaf to left, all in shallow incuse circle. Gulbenkian I 128 (same obverse die). HN Italy 2148. SNG ANS 345. Stunning and artistic piece with a prestigious collection history. This coin features lovely charcoal cabinet toning and subtle luster that shines from within. Ex Long Valley River Collection (Roma Numismatics, Auction XX, 29 October 2020), lot 34; Heritage Auctions, Auction 3071 (7 January 2019), lot 34002; Johns Hopkins University Collection (Bank Leu-Numismatic Fine Arts, 16-18 October 1984), lot 112; John Work Garrett (1872-1942) Collection, privately purchased from Spink in June 1926; Frank Sherman Benson (1854-1907) Collection (Sotheby's, 3 February 1909), lot 112; Sir Edward Herbert Bunbury (1811-1895) Collection (Sotheby's, 15 June 1896), lot 204. Croton, an ancient Greek city situated in the southern part of the Italian peninsula in the region of Bruttium (now Calabria), boasts a rich and storied past dating back to around the 8th century BCE. Founded by Achaean Greek settlers, the city emerged as part of the broader wave of Greek colonization across the Mediterranean. Its foundation is steeped in legend, but as with most myths and stories of ole, there are multiple versions or explanations that often contradict one another. While Croton has multiple founding stories, they converge around a single founder, Myscellus, and his influences from the god Apollo and/or the mythic hero, Heracles. This divine connection not only lent Croton a sacred status but also deeply influenced its cultural and religious identity. After its establishment at the bottom of Italy's boot, Croton quickly flourished due to its advantageous geographical position, nestled on the coast of the Ionian Sea. This prime location facilitated trade, fishing, and agriculture, contributing to the city's rapid economic growth and prosperity. Moreover, the city gained a reputation for its remarkable achievements in athletics, philosophy, and medicine. This reputation attracted famous figures such as athlete Milo of Croton and the philosopher Pythagoras, who founded his renowned school there. According to ancient lore, the founder, Myscellus, was directed by the god Apollo, known for his oracular powers, to find and establish Croton. In Strabo (Geography, VI, 2), it is said that Myscellus traveled to the Delphi to consult with the oracle at the same time as a man named Archais. The oracle relayed to the two men that Apollo could give them either wealth or health. While Achais chose wealth and went on to found the wealthy colony Syracuse. Myscellus chose health and would land and prosper in the fertile land of Croton, a center for famous athletes and medicinal doctors. Also, this close connection to Apollo explains the inclusion of his emblematic tripod to hold a prominent placement of their earliest coinage. In ancient times, tripods were used as altars to sacrifice to the gods (including Apollo), and it was also the highest prize given to the victor of athletic games.

[santone]

Belle le aquile 

[King John]

The Geoffrey Cope Collection of Ancient Greek and Roman Bronzes. The Roman Empire. Hadrian augustus, 117 – 138.
Description:
Sestertius, Roma 130-133, Æ 32 mm, 26.50 g. HADRIANVS – AVG COS III P P Bare head r. Rev. [EX]ERC BRITANNI/[CV]S Hadrian standing r. on low platform, holding scroll and raising hand; before him, three soldiers with standards. In field, S – C.
Reference: 
C 555 var. (bare head and cuirassed)
BMC 1673
RIC 1918
L. D'Orazi, La collezione Numismatica di Prospero Sarti e il Mistero del Ripostiglio di Bolsena, in Quaderni di Studio XV, 2020, p. 146 (this coin illustrated) SCBC 637 (this coin illustrated)
Condition: 
Extremely rare and by far the finest of very few specimens known. An issue of tremendous fascination and historical importance with a portrait of enchanting beauty, the workof a very talented engraver, and a finely engraved reverse composition with a miniature portrait of the Emperor of great craftsmanship. Undoubtedly one of the most desirable sestertii to have survived from antiquity. Wonderful brown tone and good extremely fine
Provenance:
Sangiorgi sale 7th May 1906, Sarti, 428
Leu sale 25, 1980, 305.
Text & Provenance: 
Numismatica Ars Classica AG Auction 144 with CNG & NGSA of 8 May 2024, lot: 1064.
Source & Live bidding: 👇
https://www.biddr.com/auctions/nac/browse?a=4515&l=5378754

Note:
This coin has been on loan and on display in the British Museum for several years. The coin is published in Coin Week.Although Hadrian is only known for certain to have personally visited the province of Britannia in 122, this remarkable sestertius and other related issues suggest a second visit at some time between 130 and 137. The reverse type appears to celebrate an appearance made by Hadrian before the military forces present in Britannia since the exergue legend identifies the EXERCITVS BRITANNICVS. The scene is of the typical adlocutio type, in which the emperor is shown on a podium addressing the troops. In this particular case, the listeners are legionary standard bearers wearing their full armour. The two closest to Hadrian even wear animal skins on their heads-a means of increasing their visibility to the soldiers who followed them into battle-but it is unclear whether they are intended as lion, panther, or bear skins. All three are known to have been worn by Roman standard bearers. The standard bearer closest to Hadrian is an aquilifer, the soldier responsible for carrying the aquila, or eagle, standard of the legion while the soldier behind him is the signifer, who carries the signum standard of a Roman cohort. It is easily distinguished by its composition of ornamental disks topped by an open hand emblematic of the oath of loyalty sworn by the legionary to the emperor. Holding a transverse standard behind the signifer is the vexillarius, the soldier responsible for carrying the vexillum banner of a Roman maniple. Together the movements of these men and their standards combined with shouted orders allowed the legion and its parts to fight with great skill and overcome great enemies. As an issue of the 130s, the coin most likely depicts the emperor congratulating the men of legio II Augusta, legio VI Victrix, and legio XX Valeria Victrix for their completion of the great fortification network known as Hadrian's Wall. In 122, during Hadrian's first visit to Britannia, he had ordered the construction of the wall in order to increase the security of the province. From the initial invasions of Julius Caesar and Claudius up to the reign of Hadrian, the Roman conquest had primarily focused on the regions that are now modern England and Wales and was generally successful. With the exception of revolts by some local Celtic rulers in the mid-first century AD, by 100, England and Wales were fully connected by Roman roads and controlled by permanent military camps. However, northern England and Scotland remained an area of concern. The Caledonians of the north remained a threat that could not be easily crushed. Even the great military emperor Trajan decided to avoid becoming bogged down in an extended war with the Caledonians and fixed the northern border of Britannia between what is now Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Carlisle. Hadrian's Wall served to strengthen Trajan's border with the extended network of forts and wall as a means of preventing Caledonian incursions and of discouraging potential revolt in the northern part of the province. It took about 15,000 men six years to construct the entire fortification system over some 80 Roman miles. Although it was originally envisioned as a long stone curtain wall punctuated by gates, towers and forts in order to fully cut off the Celtic lands of the north from the Roman province of Britannia, at some point Hadrian changed his plans and the eastern 30-mile section of Hadrian's Wall was only constructed from turf. Perhaps the cost of the stone fortification was deemed excessive or it was considered a waste of military manpower that was needed elsewhere. Whatever the case, the entire system was complete by 128 and the legionaries who had worked on its construction were deserving of a rest and reward. One can almost imagine Hadrian praising the troops for a job well done before ordering the distribution of sestertii as a donative. This coin is not only spectacular for its succinct encapsulation of a specific important moment in both Roman military history and British national history, but also for its pedigree to the hallowed collection of the British Museum.