Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 124 23 Jun 2021
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Pherai, Alexander tyrant, 369 – 358 BC.
Stater circa 280s-270s, AR 11.63 g. Head of the water nymph Hypereia facing slightly to l., wearing wreath of reeds, earring and necklace; to l., fish swimming upwards. Rev. ΦΕΡΑΙΩ[Ν] Ennodia, wearing chiton and wreath in her hair and holding transverse torch across her body, seated facing on horse prancing r.; above, to l., water spout in the shape of lion's head. Kunstfreund 195 (this coin). BCD Thessaly 1, 1322 (this coin).
Unique. An issue of tremendous importance and fascination. An interesting portrait of
fine Hellenistic style struck in high relief and a superb old cabinet tone. Surface
somewhat porous, otherwise good very fine
Ex Leu-M&M 28 May 1974, Kunstfreund 195 and Nomos 4, 2011, BCD, 1322 sales.
Fountain nymphs were an important feature of Thessalian numismatic iconography and the city of Pherai was no exception in this regard. The obverse of this extremely rare didrachm depicts a facing head of the nymph Hypereia-the personification of the fountain located in the center of the city. Her identity as a water nymph is indicated by her wreath of reeds and the fish depicted on the left. The depiction of the nymph with her head three-quarters facing is almost certainly influenced by the use of the facing head of the local nymph on coins of Larissa, the chief rival of Pherai for influence in Thessaly. Hypereia was a famous fountain mentioned in the Iliad and associated with Hera who was said to bathe in it every day to restore her virginity. Unfortunately, while Hypereia appears to have been the primary source of water for people inhabiting the site of Pherai since the Neolithic period, the fountain dried up in 1998. The reverse type depicts the Thessalian goddess Ennodia who shares aspects of Artemis and Hekate in other regions of Greece. Her name (literally "On the Road") suggests that she was originally associated with crossroads, but inscriptions show that her cult had an important focus on the family. Although the worship of Ennodia was widely diffused throughout Thessaly, her most important shrine was located in Pherai. This temple gained increased prominence under the tyrants of Pherai in the 370s-350s BC, and probably served as a federal sanctuary for the Thessalian League under Pheraian leadership. The depiction of Ennodia here in conjunction with the lion head fountain and the representation of Hyperaia on the obverse also seem to imply that at Pherai Ennodia was somehow associated with the city's fountain. The use of Ennodia on a coin struck at a time when Pherai and Thessaly as a whole were under Macedonian domination, seems to suggest a longing to relive the old glory days of the late fourth century BC when Pherai was a real power among Greek states. This sense of nostalgia for former greatness is reinforced by the legend, which names the Phearaians using a specifically Thessalian dialect form. Curiously, all earlier coins struck in the name of the Pheraians feature inscriptions using an Attic-Ionic dialect. Thus, the added "Thessalian" quality of the legend here is artificial and may reflect a sort of quasi-nationalism aimed at distancing Pherai from its Macedonian overlords.
Stater circa 280s-270s, AR 11.63 g. Head of the water nymph Hypereia facing slightly to l., wearing wreath of reeds, earring and necklace; to l., fish swimming upwards. Rev. ΦΕΡΑΙΩ[Ν] Ennodia, wearing chiton and wreath in her hair and holding transverse torch across her body, seated facing on horse prancing r.; above, to l., water spout in the shape of lion's head. Kunstfreund 195 (this coin). BCD Thessaly 1, 1322 (this coin).
Unique. An issue of tremendous importance and fascination. An interesting portrait of
fine Hellenistic style struck in high relief and a superb old cabinet tone. Surface
somewhat porous, otherwise good very fine
Ex Leu-M&M 28 May 1974, Kunstfreund 195 and Nomos 4, 2011, BCD, 1322 sales.
Fountain nymphs were an important feature of Thessalian numismatic iconography and the city of Pherai was no exception in this regard. The obverse of this extremely rare didrachm depicts a facing head of the nymph Hypereia-the personification of the fountain located in the center of the city. Her identity as a water nymph is indicated by her wreath of reeds and the fish depicted on the left. The depiction of the nymph with her head three-quarters facing is almost certainly influenced by the use of the facing head of the local nymph on coins of Larissa, the chief rival of Pherai for influence in Thessaly. Hypereia was a famous fountain mentioned in the Iliad and associated with Hera who was said to bathe in it every day to restore her virginity. Unfortunately, while Hypereia appears to have been the primary source of water for people inhabiting the site of Pherai since the Neolithic period, the fountain dried up in 1998. The reverse type depicts the Thessalian goddess Ennodia who shares aspects of Artemis and Hekate in other regions of Greece. Her name (literally "On the Road") suggests that she was originally associated with crossroads, but inscriptions show that her cult had an important focus on the family. Although the worship of Ennodia was widely diffused throughout Thessaly, her most important shrine was located in Pherai. This temple gained increased prominence under the tyrants of Pherai in the 370s-350s BC, and probably served as a federal sanctuary for the Thessalian League under Pheraian leadership. The depiction of Ennodia here in conjunction with the lion head fountain and the representation of Hyperaia on the obverse also seem to imply that at Pherai Ennodia was somehow associated with the city's fountain. The use of Ennodia on a coin struck at a time when Pherai and Thessaly as a whole were under Macedonian domination, seems to suggest a longing to relive the old glory days of the late fourth century BC when Pherai was a real power among Greek states. This sense of nostalgia for former greatness is reinforced by the legend, which names the Phearaians using a specifically Thessalian dialect form. Curiously, all earlier coins struck in the name of the Pheraians feature inscriptions using an Attic-Ionic dialect. Thus, the added "Thessalian" quality of the legend here is artificial and may reflect a sort of quasi-nationalism aimed at distancing Pherai from its Macedonian overlords.