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Important copyright information:
The data below is presented by permission of the copyright holder(s). Reproduction is allowed only by authorization from Roma Numismatics Ltd.
| Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 105 | Auction date: 19 January 2023 |
| Lot number: 594 | |
| Lot description: Domitian Æ 23mm of Nicomedia, Bithynia. AD 81-96. ΑΥΤ ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑΝΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΣΕ[Β ΓΕΡ], laureate head to right / Η ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΤΗ ΒΙΘΥΝΙ, Astakos standing to right on prow to right, head reverted, gesturing for others to follow with outstretched left arm and holding sceptre in right hand. RPC II, 662. 7.33g, 23mm, 6h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare; no examples on CoinArchives, and only five known to RPC. From a private English collection. It is generally agreed that the figure depicted in this reverse type, and on the coinage of other Emperor's or their families (cf. Caracalla [Rec Gen 230), Julia Mamaea [CNG E-314, lot 248] and Philip II [RPC VIII unassigned ID #20014]), is the hero Astakos, in myth the founder of Nicomedia. Astakos was the son of Poseidon and the nymph Olbia, and the founder and eponym of the city of Astakos in Bithynia. During the reign of Nicomedes I, Nicomedia was founded nearby to replace Astakos, and the cult was moved to the new city. Estimate: 100 GBP |  |
