Nomos AG
obolos 16 11 Oct 2020
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
LAKONIA. Lakedaimon (Sparta). Circa 90-60/50 BC. Triobol or Hemidrachm (Silver, 16 mm, 2.36 g, 3 h). Laureate head of Herakles to right. Rev. Λ-A Amphora flanked by the caps of the Dioskouroi surmounted by stars; ΔA monogram to lower left, ME monogram to lower right; the whole within laurel wreath. BCD Peloponnesos -. Grunauer Group VIII, Series 8, 34 (V23/R31). HGC 5, 613. SNG Copenhagen 556 (same dies). Well-centered and attractive toning. Obverse die wear, otherwise, good very fine.
From the Vineyard Collection, acquired from Vinchon on 26 April 1999.
The amphora was the all-purpose shipping container used by the Greeks and Romans. It was a narrow-bodied vase often with a pointed bottom and two handles, and was used for storing both liquid and dry materials during transport. They were mass produced in such quantities that it was not feasible to retain them after use, so they were often destroyed after reaching their destination. In fact, the nearly 150 meter high, one kilometer in circumference Mt. Testaccio on the banks of the Tiber in Rome is an artificial mountain made entirely from amphora fragments. Amphorae have been studied extensively and their typologies and chronologies are well understood. Thus they are incredibly important for dating ancient shipwreck sites as well as determining the ship's point of origin.
From the Vineyard Collection, acquired from Vinchon on 26 April 1999.
The amphora was the all-purpose shipping container used by the Greeks and Romans. It was a narrow-bodied vase often with a pointed bottom and two handles, and was used for storing both liquid and dry materials during transport. They were mass produced in such quantities that it was not feasible to retain them after use, so they were often destroyed after reaching their destination. In fact, the nearly 150 meter high, one kilometer in circumference Mt. Testaccio on the banks of the Tiber in Rome is an artificial mountain made entirely from amphora fragments. Amphorae have been studied extensively and their typologies and chronologies are well understood. Thus they are incredibly important for dating ancient shipwreck sites as well as determining the ship's point of origin.