Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 106 9-10 May 2018
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Amathus, Uncertain king. Stater circa 450-430, AR 11.22 g. Lion lying r.; above, eagle flying r.; in exergue, Cypriot mo. Rev. Forepart of lion r. with open mouth. All within incuse square. Traité II 1262 and pl. CXXXII, 17. BMC 3 and pl. XVIII, 3 (this obverse die). Tziambazis 2 (this obverse die). Amandry, Amathonte, 126, 1 (this coin).
Of the highest rarity, the only specimen in private hands of only four known.
An issue of tremendous importance and fascination and of superb style.
Lovely old cabinet tone, minor die break on reverse,
otherwise extremely fine
Ex Leu 13, 1975, 291 and Leu 30, 1982, 198 sales.
The city of Amathos on Cyprus is counted among the oldest royal centres on the island, with a history of settlement extending back as far as ca. 1100 B.C. It was founded by an indigenous Cypriot people described as "Pelasgians" in the Greek sources, but came to host important communities of Greek and Phoenician traders interested in the nearby copper mines. Politically, Amathos seems to have been aligned more closely with the Semitic cities of the Phoenician coast than with the Greek cities of Cyprus and openly opposed a revolt against Persian authority organized by Onesilos, the Greek king of Salamis, in 499-494 B.C. Onesilos, leading Salamis and the other Greek cities against Amathos, besieged but failed to capture the city. The Amathousians avenged themselves by capturing and beheading Onesilos. According to Herodotos, the head of the Salaminian king was hung up before the gates of Amathos as a warning to potential enemies, but eventually the grisly trophy became the home for a swarm of bees that filled the dead king's skull with honeycomb. Alarmed at this portent, the Amathousians consulted an oracle that advised them to appease the shade of the king by burying the head and offering him sacrifice as a hero. The city was famous for its temple dedicated to a local goddess, whom the Greeks considered a form of Aphrodite. This Aphrodite Amathousia was distinguished from other forms of the goddess by her association with an Aphrodite figure with male genitalia, whom the Greeks called Aphroditos and worshipped in rites that involved the exchange of clothing between men and women. The mix of cultural influences that can be seen in the history and archaeology of Amathos are also visible in the coinage of the city. At the same time that the beautiful archaic lions on this stater are very Greek in their execution and style, the emphasis on the animal's ribs, the extension of the mane onto the belly, and the treatment of the muzzle seem to derive from Persian and Phoenician artistic influence (cf. the lion on the stater of Baalmelek I of Citium in this sale). To this combination of stylistic influences should be added the inscription, which give the initials of the city not in Greek or Phoenician script, but in Cypriot syllabic script - a native writing system derived from the Linear A script of the Minoan Bronze Age. Thus the cultural history of ancient Amathos is summarised in a single coin.
Of the highest rarity, the only specimen in private hands of only four known.
An issue of tremendous importance and fascination and of superb style.
Lovely old cabinet tone, minor die break on reverse,
otherwise extremely fine
Ex Leu 13, 1975, 291 and Leu 30, 1982, 198 sales.
The city of Amathos on Cyprus is counted among the oldest royal centres on the island, with a history of settlement extending back as far as ca. 1100 B.C. It was founded by an indigenous Cypriot people described as "Pelasgians" in the Greek sources, but came to host important communities of Greek and Phoenician traders interested in the nearby copper mines. Politically, Amathos seems to have been aligned more closely with the Semitic cities of the Phoenician coast than with the Greek cities of Cyprus and openly opposed a revolt against Persian authority organized by Onesilos, the Greek king of Salamis, in 499-494 B.C. Onesilos, leading Salamis and the other Greek cities against Amathos, besieged but failed to capture the city. The Amathousians avenged themselves by capturing and beheading Onesilos. According to Herodotos, the head of the Salaminian king was hung up before the gates of Amathos as a warning to potential enemies, but eventually the grisly trophy became the home for a swarm of bees that filled the dead king's skull with honeycomb. Alarmed at this portent, the Amathousians consulted an oracle that advised them to appease the shade of the king by burying the head and offering him sacrifice as a hero. The city was famous for its temple dedicated to a local goddess, whom the Greeks considered a form of Aphrodite. This Aphrodite Amathousia was distinguished from other forms of the goddess by her association with an Aphrodite figure with male genitalia, whom the Greeks called Aphroditos and worshipped in rites that involved the exchange of clothing between men and women. The mix of cultural influences that can be seen in the history and archaeology of Amathos are also visible in the coinage of the city. At the same time that the beautiful archaic lions on this stater are very Greek in their execution and style, the emphasis on the animal's ribs, the extension of the mane onto the belly, and the treatment of the muzzle seem to derive from Persian and Phoenician artistic influence (cf. the lion on the stater of Baalmelek I of Citium in this sale). To this combination of stylistic influences should be added the inscription, which give the initials of the city not in Greek or Phoenician script, but in Cypriot syllabic script - a native writing system derived from the Linear A script of the Minoan Bronze Age. Thus the cultural history of ancient Amathos is summarised in a single coin.