| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 146 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 2194 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Arcadia, Megalopolis. For the Archadian League. Stater Summer 363 – Spring 362, AR 23 mm, 12.07 g. Laureate head of Zeus Lycaeus l. Rev. Youthful and naked Pan seated l. on rocks, head facing, holding lagobolon in r. hand and resting l. elbow on rock covered by drapery and inscribed, on lower l. part, [ΟΛΥΜ]. At his feet, syrinx and in field l., AR ligate. Traité III 866 and pl. CCXXIV, 2 (this reverse die). Kraay-Hirmer pl. 159, 512 (this reverse die). Gulbenkian 532 (this obverse die). Jameson 1276 (this obverse die). de Sartiges 329 (this coin). Gerin 18 (this coin). BCD Peloponnesos I, 1511. Boston, MFA 1260 (these dies). Extremely rare and in unusually fine condition for this very difficult and fascinating issue. A portrait of enchanting beauty of late Classical style struck in high relief and with a superb old cabinet tone. Minor marks and light porosity on reverse, otherwise about extremely fine Ex Hirsch XIII, 1905, Rhousopoulos, 2775 and Gorny & Mosch 112, 2001, 4120 sales. From the de Sartiges and Käppelli collections. Though the Greeks are generally regarded for how highly they valued independence, on numerous occasions they abandoned their civic pride in the hope that safety or success would result from joining forces. The best examples of this are found in the various leagues that were organised in Greece, including the Archadian League, formed by 370/69 B.C. in the heart of the Peloponnesus. Much like the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes, who in 408/7 B.C. abandoned their ancestral homes to found a metropolis, the Arcadians created a new city, which they appropriately called Megalopolis ('big city'). From this administrative centre, with its concentrated population, the united Arcadians could at last stand up to the Spartans, who had recently been defeated by the Boeotians at Leuktra. The designs of the league's coinage are thoroughly regional in nature: the portrait is that of Zeus Lycaeus, whose sanctuary was on Mount Lycaeum (the Mount Olympus of Arcadia), and the reverse shows the seated figure of Pan, who was especially worshipped in the region, and whose sanctuary was also on Mount Lycaeum. Various theories have been offered to explain the inscription 'Olym' on the mountain rock upon which Pan rests. The other known inscription, 'Chari', is also an abbreviated name. They usually are described as the names of magistrates or die engravers, but a more enticing prospect was supported by Barclay Head, who thought these staters were probably issued for national festivals based upon religious bonds. If so, Head suggested, the two names would allude to the Olympic Games and the agonistic festivals in honour of the Charites. Estimate: 75000 CHF |  |
