Pegasus, the Winged Horse of the Gods
SmEagle1795
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Despite the Kennedy gold fiasco, I had a very productive and successful ANA show, adding several new coins and having a great time meeting with friends and dealers. I'll be writing up my new purchases soon but in the meantime, here is a coin which has been in my collection for a while but never posted with historical detail.
Post your pegasi!
Among the most recognizable of ancient coins are those of Corinth and its colonies. They feature Pegasus, the mythological winged horse which was born from Poseidon and Medusa.
The legendary founder of Corinth, Bellerophon, was given a golden bridle from the goddess Athena that allowed him to tame Pegasus. He then rode Pegasus which helped him defeat the monstrous Chimera, making him the greatest hero before the days of Hercules.
Thinking this battle made him worthy to live among the gods, Bellerophon tried to use Pegasus to fly to Mt. Olympus, but Zeus wouldn’t allow it, stopping the horse and causing it to throw Bellerophon off. Pegasus then remained at Mt. Olympus where he was used to carry Zeus’ thunderbolts and continued to play a role in other Greek stories.
Paying homage to their mythological founder, the staters of Corinth depict Pegasus on the obverse and a helmeted Athena on the reverse.
The Corinthians founded many colonies and these cities copied the coinage of their mother city, differentiated with symbols and inscriptions to denote their origin. Because of the popularity of the coinage, even some cities outside of Corinthian control copied the design in hopes of improving their trade.
This particular coin was minted in the colony of Argos Amphilochicum, near the modern town of Loutron on the Ambracian Gulf. It was founded by the mythological figure Amphilochus, a famous seer, who fought against Thebes in the Trojan War. Upon returning to Argos, he was dissatisfied with the state of the city, and he left for Acarnania where he founded Amphilochian Argos.
The relationship between Argos Amphilochicum and their Corinthian control was not without conflict. The Ambraciots colonized the area and Hellenized the Amphilochians, adopting them into more formalized Greek culture. However, they later drove out the native inhabitants who then retaliated by siding with the Acarnanians and Athenians, successfully reclaiming their land.
Akarnania, Argos Amphilochikon AR Stater. Circa 340-300 BC. Pegasos flying left, A below / Head of Athena left wearing Corinthian helmet; AMFI above, ABP and spear behind. BMC 15; Pegasi 33; Imhoof-Blumer 31. 8.42g, 22mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Pleasing old tone. Ex M&M Auction 23, 18 October 2007, lot 138; Ex Negrini Auction 3, 1996, lot 13.
Post your pegasi!
Among the most recognizable of ancient coins are those of Corinth and its colonies. They feature Pegasus, the mythological winged horse which was born from Poseidon and Medusa.
The legendary founder of Corinth, Bellerophon, was given a golden bridle from the goddess Athena that allowed him to tame Pegasus. He then rode Pegasus which helped him defeat the monstrous Chimera, making him the greatest hero before the days of Hercules.
Thinking this battle made him worthy to live among the gods, Bellerophon tried to use Pegasus to fly to Mt. Olympus, but Zeus wouldn’t allow it, stopping the horse and causing it to throw Bellerophon off. Pegasus then remained at Mt. Olympus where he was used to carry Zeus’ thunderbolts and continued to play a role in other Greek stories.
Paying homage to their mythological founder, the staters of Corinth depict Pegasus on the obverse and a helmeted Athena on the reverse.
The Corinthians founded many colonies and these cities copied the coinage of their mother city, differentiated with symbols and inscriptions to denote their origin. Because of the popularity of the coinage, even some cities outside of Corinthian control copied the design in hopes of improving their trade.
This particular coin was minted in the colony of Argos Amphilochicum, near the modern town of Loutron on the Ambracian Gulf. It was founded by the mythological figure Amphilochus, a famous seer, who fought against Thebes in the Trojan War. Upon returning to Argos, he was dissatisfied with the state of the city, and he left for Acarnania where he founded Amphilochian Argos.
The relationship between Argos Amphilochicum and their Corinthian control was not without conflict. The Ambraciots colonized the area and Hellenized the Amphilochians, adopting them into more formalized Greek culture. However, they later drove out the native inhabitants who then retaliated by siding with the Acarnanians and Athenians, successfully reclaiming their land.
Akarnania, Argos Amphilochikon AR Stater. Circa 340-300 BC. Pegasos flying left, A below / Head of Athena left wearing Corinthian helmet; AMFI above, ABP and spear behind. BMC 15; Pegasi 33; Imhoof-Blumer 31. 8.42g, 22mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Pleasing old tone. Ex M&M Auction 23, 18 October 2007, lot 138; Ex Negrini Auction 3, 1996, lot 13.
Learn about our world's shared history told through the first millennium of coinage: Colosseo Collection
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World Collection
British Collection
German States Collection
We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
<< <i>I wonder if I can get college credits for history from reading your threads? Another great coin and history lesson. >>
+++1
Tom
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
<< <i>I wonder if I can get college credits for history from reading your threads? Another great coin and history lesson. >>
Thanks
WNC Coins, LLC
1987-C Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
wnccoins.com
Mine has flaws but remains one of my favorites. It was the first "major" ancient coin I purchased.
CORINTHIA, Corinth.
345-307 BC
AR stater, 8.65 gm
Obv Pegasus flying left, qoppa below
Rev: helmeted head of Athena left wearing necklace; head of Silenus behind, doing an ancient photobomb
Ref: Ravel 1046. Calciati 408. Scarce variety.
from Heritage Auctions, June 2013
This scarce variety was chosen to represent Corinth staters, #23 in Harlan J. Berk's book, "100 Greatest Ancient Coins".
This coin is listed in Wildwinds
<< <i>head of Silenus behind, doing an ancient photobomb >>
Any idea on why Σειληνός is on the coin with Athena? Are they commonly paired?
<< <i>Any idea on why Σειληνός is on the coin with Athena? Are they commonly paired? >>
I'm not sure why that particular control mark appears on this coin. It is not one of the more common control marks.
The best site I've found for Corinth staters appears to be down right now (www.corinthstaters.com). Their landing page indicates they have become part of Wildwinds and the link is dead. Wildwinds has had considerable tech problems lately. Hopefully that link will be functional again at some point.
While researching the coin prior to purchase, I recall browsing that site but I do not remember coming across any specific explanation of why Silenus appears on this coin.