Stratonikeia, Karia

Karia, Stratonikeia

AR Hemidrachm, 1.67g. 16mm. 1st century B.C. Magistrate: Sosandros Zoilos. Laureate head of Hekate to right. Rev. Nike walking to right with wreath and palm within shallow incuse square. Dark patina. Meadows, NC, 2002, Group 4B. BMC 7.

Provenance/Pedigrees

Ex: Hauck and Aufhaüser, Munich, Auction 18, October 5, 2004, lot 265.

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Extremely Fine $650.

Karia, Stratonikeia, Septimius Severus, 193-211

AE 37.5mm, 23.83g.  Facing busts of Septimius and Julia Domna; counterstamp with head of Caracalla below.  Rev. Zeus Panamaros holding scepter and riding to right.  BMC 55.  SNG von Aulock 2668. Hoegego 84 for counterstamp. Brown patina.

Provenance/Pedigree:

Ex: Münzen Auktion Essen, 1994, lot 317.

Panamara was a dependecy of Stratonikeia and contained an important temple to Zeus.   Labienus and the Parthians in 40/39  B.C. unsuccesfully attempted to capture both Stratonikeia and Panamara.    They were foiled at Panamara by an intervention of Zeus.  (See: Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, 1976.).  This manifestation of Zeus is depicted on the reverse of the coin. 

A dedicatory inscription probabably for a sculptural group was found at Panamara and relates the details of Zeus' aid during the siege.  The Parthians fist attempted a surprise attack at night but Zeus illuminated the sky with lightining to alert the Panamarian defenders.   During a subsequesnt attack, Zeus enveloped the attackers in fog and a severe storm which caused great confusion within their ranks but allowed the defenders to be hidden in the fog with a resulstant slaughter of the attackers.  (See: Georgia Petridou, "Crossing Physical and Cultural Borders in the Battlefield: Amorphous Epiphanies and Divine Bilingualism"  pp. 155ff. in Borders, Terminologies, Idiologies, and Performances, Annette Weissenrieder(ed), 2016.

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good Very Fine/Very Fine $3,500.