Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XVII 28 Mar 2019
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Ionia, Magnesia ad Maeandrum AV Stater. Circa 155-140 BC. Euphemos, son of Pausanias, magistrate. Draped bust of Artemis to right, wearing stephane, and with bow and quiver over shoulder / Nike, holding kentron and reins, driving fast biga to right; MAΓNHTΩN (of the Magnesians) above, EYΦHMOΣ ΠAYΣANIOY below. Heritage 3056, 30066 (same dies); unpublished in the standard references, but for the magistrate Euphemos son of Pausanias and dating of the stephanophoric tetradrachms of Magnesia, cf. N. F. Jones, The Autonomous Wreathed Tetradrachms of Magnesia-on-Maeander", ANSMN 24, 1979, pp. 63-109, especially nos. 8-25; for the obverse Artemis bust type cf. B. Head, History of the Coinage of Ephesus, London 1880, p. 69, 1-7, pl. 5 and Mørkholm, Early Hellenistic Coinage, Cambridge 1991, 657 = Gulbenkian 985. 8.46g, 18mm, 12h.
Extremely Fine. A coin of extreme rarity and great numismatic importance.
The discovery of this totally new reverse type for a gold stater on the Attic weight standard of about 8.5g, fortunately signed by a very well known Magnesian magistrate, solves two long standing numismatic problems. Firstly, it allows for the dating of the Ephesian gold staters with which it is associated, and it confirms the mid second century dating of the Ionian stephanophoric coinage. Euphemos, son of Pausanias, was one of the eight magistrates who were responsible for the substantial silver stephanophoric 'wreath-bearer' tetradrachm issues, beautifully engraved and struck on broad flans on the Attic silver standard of about 17.2 grams. It is notable that Magnesia had in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries produced very high quality Attic standard gold staters with polished dies in the names of Philip, Alexander and Lysimachos.
The obverse bust of Artemis is of exactly the same style as the well known Ephesos gold staters which depict on their reverse the Ephesian cult figure of Artemis. Until now those Ephesian staters have defied proper dating, having been given a chronological range by various authors from 150 to 88 BC (cf. Gilbert K. Jenkins, 'Hellenistic gold coins of Ephesus', in Festschrift E. Akurgal, Anadolu-Anatolia 21, 1978/80, Ankara, 1987, pp. 183-8, pls. A-B). Though of course it does not preclude the possibility that they were struck over an extended period of time, we may now at least say with some certainty that they were already being struck by around 155-140 BC.
The evidence from the seven extant stephanophoric tetradrachm hoards from the contemporary territory of the Seleukid Empire, found together with dated Seleukid coins, points to a secure narrow chronological range for all these issues of 155-140 BC. Significantly the Magnesian coinage has often been found in close association with similar wreathed issues from Aigai, Kyme, Myrina, Herakleia, Lebedos and Smyrna in what must have been an unattested 'entente' by cities that had been guaranteed their autonomy following the imposition by Rome of the Treaty of Apameia between the Republic and Antiochos III in 188 BC - an attempt to stop the constant quarrelling between the Greeks. For the numismatic history of the period cf. Jones 1979, pp. 90-100 and Ch. Boehringer, Zur Chronologie Mittelhellenistischer Münzserien 220-160 v. Chr., Berlin 1972, pp. 49f."
Extremely Fine. A coin of extreme rarity and great numismatic importance.
The discovery of this totally new reverse type for a gold stater on the Attic weight standard of about 8.5g, fortunately signed by a very well known Magnesian magistrate, solves two long standing numismatic problems. Firstly, it allows for the dating of the Ephesian gold staters with which it is associated, and it confirms the mid second century dating of the Ionian stephanophoric coinage. Euphemos, son of Pausanias, was one of the eight magistrates who were responsible for the substantial silver stephanophoric 'wreath-bearer' tetradrachm issues, beautifully engraved and struck on broad flans on the Attic silver standard of about 17.2 grams. It is notable that Magnesia had in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries produced very high quality Attic standard gold staters with polished dies in the names of Philip, Alexander and Lysimachos.
The obverse bust of Artemis is of exactly the same style as the well known Ephesos gold staters which depict on their reverse the Ephesian cult figure of Artemis. Until now those Ephesian staters have defied proper dating, having been given a chronological range by various authors from 150 to 88 BC (cf. Gilbert K. Jenkins, 'Hellenistic gold coins of Ephesus', in Festschrift E. Akurgal, Anadolu-Anatolia 21, 1978/80, Ankara, 1987, pp. 183-8, pls. A-B). Though of course it does not preclude the possibility that they were struck over an extended period of time, we may now at least say with some certainty that they were already being struck by around 155-140 BC.
The evidence from the seven extant stephanophoric tetradrachm hoards from the contemporary territory of the Seleukid Empire, found together with dated Seleukid coins, points to a secure narrow chronological range for all these issues of 155-140 BC. Significantly the Magnesian coinage has often been found in close association with similar wreathed issues from Aigai, Kyme, Myrina, Herakleia, Lebedos and Smyrna in what must have been an unattested 'entente' by cities that had been guaranteed their autonomy following the imposition by Rome of the Treaty of Apameia between the Republic and Antiochos III in 188 BC - an attempt to stop the constant quarrelling between the Greeks. For the numismatic history of the period cf. Jones 1979, pp. 90-100 and Ch. Boehringer, Zur Chronologie Mittelhellenistischer Münzserien 220-160 v. Chr., Berlin 1972, pp. 49f."