The following is from an article in the Saturday Review, from Head's "Ephesus and Its Coinage," and serves to show the importance numismatics occupies as a key to historical problems

Head, Barclay Vincent

English

Hochschulschriftenserver - Universität Frankfurt am Main

AMERICAN JOURNAL  OF  NUMISMATICS AND BULLETIN  OF  AMERICAN  NUMISMATIC  AND ARCHJEOLOGICAL  SOCIETIES. QUARTERLY. VOL.  XV. JULY,  188o-JULY,  1881. COMMJ1'TEE  OF PUBLrCATION. WILLIAM  SUMNER  APPLETON. SAMUEL  ABBOTT  GREEN. JEREMIAH  COLBURN. BOSTON: PUBLISHED  BY  THE  BOSTON  NUMISMATIC  SOCIETY. 14  DCCC LXXXI. Reprinted with the permission of The American Numismatic Society JOHNSON  REPRINT  CORPORATION  JOHNSON REPRINT COMPANY LIMITED 111 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10003  Berkeley Square House, London, W.l AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  NUMISMATICS,  [OCTOBER, only when  a  rescue: shows, uncommon courage  and perseverance  in  saving human  life  at  the  risk of hIS  own. This medal was used for  nearly forty years, and that of which we give an enaravina  in  this  number,  is  now  awarded. b  b EPHESUS AND  ITS  COINAGE. THE  following  is  from  an  article  in  the  Saturday  Review,  from  Head's  "Ephesus and Its Coinage,"  and  serves  to  show  the  importance  numismatics  occupies  as  a  key  to  historical problems :-The  mythological  interest of  the coins is  very considerable.  The Ephe-sian Artemis appears throughout, either in  person or r~present~d by a symbol. There is scarcely a coin  from  first to last  (except the clstophon)  whereon  the bee, the special  symbol of the  Ephesian  goddess,  does  not  appear;  and  we find  the stag.  or two stags,  (lik_e  those of silver  which  encompa~sed the gold Artemis, dedicated by Salutaris,) and the bow, bow-case, and qUIver,  on many of the coins, as  the  bust  of the. goddess,  and  finally  her  full  figure.  It is interesting to trace the gradual developme?t of these symbols and ,representa-tions.  At  first  the  bee  alone  appears  wIth  monotonous  regularIty,  though Mr.  Head's quick  eye  contrives  to extract  hints  for  arrangement out of the shape of its wings;  then, as Greek influence waxed stronger, the stag, proba-bly a concession  to  the Greek idea of the goddess,  is placed  on the reverse; and under Lysimachus the actual bust of the huntress-goddess herself, " chaste and fair."  and no  Asiatic at alL  occupies the principal side, yet with a little bee (pace  Mr.  Newton)  on  the  reverse.  The  return  to  autonomy  and  Asiatic proclivities restored the bee to its old position on the obverse;  and, under the protection of Mithridates, the Ephesian mint even issued pieces with  the  full, mummy-like  figure  of the  Asiatic goddess  on  one  side,  retaining,  however, the  Greek  bust  on  the  other.  These  variations  of mythological  type  are peculiarly  interesting  when  considered in relation  to the changeful  history of the city; and  the  only fault  we  have to  find  with  Mr.  Head  is  that  he  does not  make  quite  enough out of them,  and  does  not  sufficiently  explain  their meaning. Historically  the  coins  of Ephesus  are of unusual  interest.  From  them alone do  we !earn  the  existence of the  monetary  league  which  followed  the La,cedaemoman  defeat  off Cnidus,  and  which  is  signalized by the issue of a ul11form  type of reverse - Hercules strangling two serpents _.  by all the cities of the league.  The  conquest of Ephesus  by  Lysimachus  is  marked  by the appearanc'e  for  the  first  time of the face  of the Greek Artemis. and the bow a~d quiv,er,on the  coinag~; and  when  Lysimachlls  presented  the city to his WIfe  Arsl11oe.'  and  c~l1ed  It  by her name,  the  facts  are  substantiated  by the head ,of Ars1l10e,  veIled  as  a  queen.  Later  on  we  find  evidence  that  the Attalid attempt to establish a pan-asiatic  currency  was  supported  at  Ephesus by the appearance of Ephesian  cistophori,  with the cista mystica on  one side. ~nd on  the  other,  two  serpents  coiled  about  a  bow-chest.  But  the  most Imp~rtant  hist~ricaI  evidence  supplied  by the coins.  consists in  the names of magistrates which are generally found inscribed on them after the fifth  century B.  C.  There  has  been  considerable doubt as to who these magistrates were, 1880. ]  AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  NUMISMATICS. and how long each held his  office.  Curtius regarded them as archons,  but on 'grounds which have since been demolished;  Lenormant took them to be high priests  of Artemis;  Mr. Head  holds  them  to  have  been  prytaneis,  officers corresponding in  some respects to the archon eponymus of Athens, and places their tenure of office at one year.  The argument by which  he supports  these points seems irrefragable.  In 274 years, 238  magistrates' names occur  on  the coins of Ephesus;  the office,  therefore, cannot well  have been held for longer than one year.  If it were half-yearly, we should require  548  names;  but,  as Mr.  Head  show.s,  from  a  comparison  with  the  dated  coins  of Aradus.  it is extremely improbable  that  our series  is  so incomplete  as this would make it. and much more likely  that there are not many years  that  are not represented in  the collections of Europe.  In many of the  periods  into  which the coinage and history of Ephesus fall,  the  number of  names  nearly  equals  the  number of years, but in  no case are there more names than years.  After a considera-tion  of these data,  it  is  difficult to see any alternative  to the  conclusion  that these  magistrates  held  an  annual  office.  That  the  magistrate whose  name thus appears of the coinage was the epon)lmus of the city, the first  Pry  tanis, or President  on  the  Council  of Prytaneis,  who  superintended the execution of the decrees of Boule and Demos,  ordered the public sacrifices,  looked  to  the taxes,  inspected the markets and harbors and highways,  and gave his  name to the year, is  demonstrated by a series of historical confirmations which signally attest  the  present  high  development  of the  science  of nu·mismatics.  An Ephesian inscription published by Mr.  Wood,  and  attributed  to the years 324 to  3 19  B.  C.  gives the names of four prytaneis who were  the eponymiof four successive years.  Turning to Mr.  Head's  corresponding period, arranged, let it be understood,  simply on general  principles of style  and  palaeographyand the like, with no dates to guide him,  we find three of these four names actually occurring on the coins.  The fourth will  doubtless be found  in  time.  Another inscription mentions a certain Badronius -a  name which appears  on a coin  of the corresponding period  in  Mr.  Head's  arrangement,  and is  nowhere else to be found in  Greek literature or antiquities. THE NEGLECT OF  POLITICAL  PIECES. WHILE we are passing through the exciting events of another Presidential canvass,  it seems an appropriate  time to turn  our  attention  to  that  class  of American  Medals  known  as  Politicals,  and to  find  out,  if we  can,  why this most  interesting  field of study  has of late  years  become  woefully  neglected. It is  unnecessary to enlarge,  to the readers of the Journal,  upon  the value of these  political  pieces  in  connection  with  the  history of the  country,  if  their issue  could  have  been  kept  out  of the  hands  of some of the  unprincipled parties who seemed to have controlled many of the dies. During the time  (a long way ago now)  when the fever  for  Politicals  was at its height, the owners of dies were tempted by the offers of eager collectors to strike" mule" pieces without end.  Now  you  may  find a pair of dies  put together to make a  medal.  and  it  may produce a perfectly correct piece  in  all respects, but as dealer  and  collector  in  those days  were anxious only for the 

Ephesus and its coinage

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Hochschulschriftenserver - Universität Frankfurt am Main