CORINTH 400BC Athena Pegasus Silver Stater Authentic Ancient Greek Coin i56263
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CORINTH 400BC Athena Pegasus Silver Stater Authentic Ancient Greek Coin i56263:
$4500.00
Item: i56263
Authentic Ancient Coin of:
Greek city of Corinth in Corinthia
Silver Stater 22mm (8.44 grams) Struck circa 400-375 B.C.
Reference: HGC 4, 1832; Pegasi 120 | Pedigree: Ex-Mendon Collection
Pegasus flying left, koppa beneath.
Head of Athena left, wearing Corinthian helmet; Phrygian cap behind head.
The Corinth mint was active throughout the 5th and 4thCenturies, except for for periods during the Peloponnesian War, when her hostileattitude toward Athens may have restricted her supply of silver bullion. Theoutput of staters and drachms increased dramatically in the second half of the4th Century, probably in connection with Timoleon\'s successful intervention inSicilian affairs, commencing 344 B.C. Corinth was occupied by the forcesof Ptolemy I of Egypt from 308-306 B.C., and her silver coinage ceased soonafter. She joined the Achaean League in the 3rd Century, but later opposed Romeand was utterly destroyed by the consul L. Mummius in 146 B.C.
You are offerding on the exactitem pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and LifetimeGuarantee of Authenticity.
ThePhrygian cap is asoft conical cap with the top pulled forward, associated inantiquity with the inhabitants ofPhrygia, a region of centralAnatolia. In early modern Europe it came tosignify freedom and the pursuit of liberty, through a confusion with the pileus, the felt cap ofmanumitted (emancipated) slaves of ancientRome. Accordingly, the Phrygian cap is sometimes called a liberty cap; inartistic representations it signifies freedom and the pursuit of liberty.
Pegasus (Greek Πήγασος/Pegasos, Latin Pegasus) is one of the best known fantasticalcreatures inGreek mythology. He is a winged divine horse,usually white in color. He was sired byPoseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaledby the GorgonMedusa. He was the brother ofChrysaor, born at a single birthing whenhismother was decapitated by Perseus. Greco-Roman poets write about his ascent toheaven after his birth and his obeisance toZeus, king of the gods, who instructed him to bring lightning andthunder from Olympus. Friend of the Muses, Pegasus is the creator ofHippocrene, the fountain onMt. Helicon. He was captured by the Greek heroBellerophon near the fountain Peirene with thehelp of Athena and Poseidon. Pegasus allows the hero to ride him to defeat amonster, the Chimera, before realizing many other exploits. His rider, however,falls off his back trying to reach Mount Olympus. Zeus transformed him into theconstellationPegasus and placed him in the sky.
Hypotheses have been proposed regarding its relationship with theMuses, the godsAthena,Poseidon,Zeus, Apollo, and the heroPerseus.
The symbolism of Pegasus varies with time. Symbol of wisdom and especially offame from the Middle Ages until the Renaissance, he became one symbol of thepoetry and the creator of sources in which the poets come to draw inspiration,particularly in the 19th century. Pegasus is the subject of a very richiconography, especially through the ancient Greek pottery and paintings andsculptures of the Renaissance. Personification of the water, solar myth, orshaman mount, Carl Jung and his followers have seen in Pegasus a profoundsymbolic esoteric in relation to the spiritual energy that allows to access tothe realm of the gods on Mount Olympus.
In the 20th and 21st century, he appeared in movies, in fantasy, in videogames and in role play, where by extension, the term Pegasus is often used torefer to any winged horse.
Athenaor Athene (Latin:Minerva),also referred to as Pallas Athena, is the goddess of war, civilization,wisdom, strength, strategy, crafts, justice and skill inGreek mythology.Minerva,Athena\'s Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is also a shrewdcompanion of heroesand the goddessof heroicendeavour. She is thevirginpatron of Athens.The Athenians built theParthenonon the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens, in her honour (Athena Parthenos).Athena\'s cult as the patron of Athens seems to have existed from the earliesttimes and was so persistent that archaic myths about her were recast to adapt tocultural changes. In her role as a protector of the city (polis),many people throughout the Greek world worshiped Athena as Athena Polias(\"Athena of the city\").Athensand Athena bear etymologically connected names.
Corinth, or Korinth (Greek:Κόρινθος, Kórinthos) was acity-state(polis) on theIsthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins thePeloponnesus to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway betweenAthens and Sparta. The modern town ofCorinth liesadjacent to the ancient ruins.
HistoryPrehistoryand founding mythsNeolithicartifacts show that the site of Corinth had been occupied as early as the fifthmillennium BC. According to Hellenic myth, the city was founded by Corinthos, adescendant of the godHelios (theSun), while other myths suggest that it was founded by the goddess Ephyra, adaughter of theTitanOceanus, thusthe ancient name of the city (alsoEphyra). Thereis evidence that the city was destroyed around 2000 BC.
Some ancient names for the place, such as Korinthos, derive from apre-Greek, \"Pelasgian\"language; it seems likely that Corinth was also the site of aBronze AgeMycenaean palace-city, like Mycenae,Tiryns orPylos. Accordingto myth, Sisyphus was the founder of a race of ancient kings at Corinth. It was alsoin Corinth that Jason,the leader of theArgonauts,abandoned Medea.During the Trojan War Corinthians participated under the leadership ofAgamemnon.
In a Corinthian myth related in the second century AD toPausaniasBriareus, one of the Hecatonchires, was the arbitrator in a dispute betweenPoseidonand Helios,between the sea and the sun: his verdict was that theIsthmus ofCorinth belonged to Poseidon and the acropolis of Corinth (Acrocorinth) toHelios. ThusGreeks of the Classical age accounted for archaic cult of the sun-titan in thehighest part of the site.
TheUpper Peirene spring is located within the walls of the acropolis. \"Thespring, which is behind the temple, they say was the gift ofAsopus toSisyphus.The latter knew, so runs the legend, that Zeus had ravishedAegina, thedaughter of Asopus, but refused to give information to the seeker before he hada spring given him on the Acrocorinthus.\" (Pausanias, 2.5.1).
Before the end of theMycenaeanperiod the Dorians attempted to settle in Corinth. While at first they failed, theirsecond attempt was successful when their leaderAletes followeda different path around the Corinthian Gulf fromAntirio.
Corinthunder the Bacchiadae Main article: BacchiadaeThe Bacchiadae (Ancient Greek: Βακχιάδαι Bakkhiadai), a tightly-knitDoric clanclaiming descent from the Dorianhero Heracles through the seven sons and three daughters of alegendary kingBacchis, were the ruling kinship group of archaic Corinth in the eighth andseventh centuries BC, a period of expanding Corinthian cultural power. Corinthhad been a backwater in eighth-century Greece.In 747 BC (a traditional date) anaristocratic revolution ousted the Bacchiad kings, when the royal clan ofBacchiadae, numbering perhaps a couple of hundred adult males took power fromthe last king, Telestes.Practicising strictendogamywhich kept clan outlines within a distinct extended oikos, theydispensed with kingship and ruled as a group, governing the city by electingannually a prytanis who held the kingly positionfor his brief term,no doubt a council (though none is specifically documented in the scant literarymaterials) and a polemarchosto head the army.
In 657 BC the Bacchiadae were expelled in turn by thetyrantCypselus,who had been polemarch. The exiled Bacchiadae fled toCorcyra but also toSparta andwest, traditionally to foundSyracuse inSicily, and to Etruria, where Demaratus installed himself atTarquinia,founding a dynasty of Etruscan kings. The royal line of theLynkestisofMacedon also claimed Bacchiad descent.
Corinthunder the tyrants Main article: CypselusCypselus or Kypselos (Greek:Κύψελος) was the firsttyrant ofCorinth, Greece, in the 7th century BC.
With increased wealth and more complicated trade relations and socialstructures,Greek city-states tended to overthrow their traditional hereditarypriest-kings; Corinth, the richest archaic polis, ledthe way.Like the signoriof late medieval and Renaissance Italy, thetyrants usuallyseized power at the head of some popular support. Often the tyrants upheldexisting laws and customs and were highly conservative as to cult practices,thus maintaining stability with little risk to their own personal security. AsinRenaissanceItaly, acult ofpersonality naturally substituted for thedivine right of the former legitimate royal house.
Cypselus, the son ofEëtion and a disfigured woman namedLabda, who was a member of the Bacchiad kin usurped the power in archaicmatriarchal right of his mother, became tyrant and expelled the Bacchiadae.
Temple of Apollo, Ancient Corinth. Periander (Περίανδρος) (r.627–585 BC).According toHerodotusthe Bacchiadae heard two prophecies from theDelphicoracle that theson of Eëtionwould overthrow their dynasty, and they planned to kill the baby once it wasborn. However, Herodotus says that the newborn smiled at each of the men sent tokill it, and none of them could go through with the plan. An etiologicalmyth-element, to account for the name Cypselus (cypsele, \"chest\")accounted how Labda then hid the baby in a chest, and when the men had composedthemselves and returned to kill it, they could not find it. (Compare the infancyofPerseus.) The ivory chest of Cypselus, richly worked with mythological narratives andadorned with gold,was a votive offering atOlympia, wherePausanias gave it a minute description in his second century AD travelguide.
When Cypselus had grown up, he fulfilled the prophecy. Corinth had beeninvolved in wars with Argos andCorcyra, and the Corinthians were unhappy with their rulers. At the time,around657 BC, Cypselus waspolemarch,the archon incharge of the military, and he used his influence with the soldiery to expel theking. He also expelled his other enemies, but allowed them to set upcolonies innorthwestern Greece.He also increased trade with the colonies inItaly andSicily. He wasa popular ruler, and unlike many later tyrants, he did not need a bodyguard anddied a natural death.
He ruled for thirty years and was succeeded as tyrant by his sonPerianderin627 BC. The treasury Cypselus built atDelphi wasapparently still standing in the time of Herodotus, and thechest of Cypselus was seen by the traveller Pausanias at Olympia in thesecond century AD.
During the 7th century BC, when Corinth was ruled by the tyrants, the citysent forth colonists to found new settlements:Epidamnus (modern dayDurrës,Albania),Syracuse, Ambracia (modern daytown of Lefkas),Corcyra (modern daytown of Corfu)and Anactorium.Periander also foundedApollonia in Illyria (modern dayFier, Albania) andPotidaea(inChalcidice). Corinth was also one of the nine Greek sponsor-cities to foundthe colony ofNaukratis inAncient Egypt. Naucratis was founded to accommodate the increasing tradevolume between the Greek world and the pharaohnic Egypt, during the reign ofPharaohPsammetichus I of the26th times, Corinth rivaledAthens andThebes in wealth, based on the Isthmian traffic and trade. Until the mid-6thcentury Corinth was a major exporter ofblack-figure pottery to cities around the Greek world. Athenian potterslater came to dominate the market. It was once believed that Corinth housed agreat temple on its ancientacropolisdedicated to the goddessAphrodite;yet excavations of the temples of Aphrodite in Corinth reveal them to be smallin stature.Despite the mythical story from Strabo of there being more than one thousandtemple prostitutes employed at the Temple of Aphrodite, this was likely notaccurate as the story rests on a misunderstanding.Corinth was also the host of theIsthmian Games.
Perianderwas considered one of theSeven Wise Men of Greece. During his reign the first Corinthiancoinswere struck. He was the first to attempt to cut across the Isthmus to create aseaway to allow ship traffic between the Corinthian and the Saronic Gulf. Heabandoned the venture due to the extreme technical difficulties he met, but hecreated the Diolkos (a stone-build overland ramp) instead. The era of the Cypselids,ending with Periander\'s nephewPsammetichus, named after the hellenophile Egyptian Pharaoh Psammetichus I(see above), was the golden age of the city of Corinth.
During this era Corinthians developed theCorinthian order,the third order of the classical architecture after theIonicand the Doric. TheCorinthian order was the most complicated of the three, showing the accumulationof wealth and the luxurious lifestyle in the ancient city-state, while the Doricorder was analogous to the strict and simplistic lifestyle of the older Dorianslike the Spartans, and the Ionic was a balance between those two following thephilosophy of harmony of Ionians like the Athenians.
Horace is quoted as saying: \"non licet omnibus adire Corinthum\", whichtranslates as \"Not everyone is able to go to Corinth\",due to the expensive living standards that prevailed in the city. The city wasrenowned for the temple prostitutes ofAphrodite,the goddess of love, who served the wealthy merchants and the powerful officialsliving in or traveling in and out of the city. The most famous of them,Lais, was said to have extraordinary abilities and charged tremendous feesfor her favours.
The city had two main ports, one in the Corinthian Gulf and one in theSaronic Gulf, serving the trade routes of the western and EasternMediterranean, respectively. In the Corinthian Gulf layLechaion,which connected the city to its western colonies (Greek:apoikoiai) andMagnaGraecia, while in the Saronic Gulf the port ofKenchreaiserved the ships coming from Athens,Ionia,Cyprus and therest of the Levant.Both ports had docks for the large war fleet of the city-state.
The city was a major participant in thePersian Wars, offering forty war ships in the seaBattle of Salamis under the admiralAdeimantos and 5,000hoplites (wearing their characteristicCorinthian helmets) in the followingBattle of Plataea but afterwards was frequently an enemy of Athens and anally of Spartain thePeloponnesian League. In431 BC, one ofthe factors leading to thePeloponnesian War was the dispute between Corinth and Athens over theCorinthian colony of Corcyra (Corfu), which probably stemmed from thetraditional trade rivalry between the two cities.
After the end of the Peloponnesian War, Corinth and Thebes, which were formerallies with Sparta in the Peloponnesian League, had grown dissatisfied with thehegemony of Sparta and started theCorinthian Waragainst it, which further weakened thecity-states ofthe Peloponnese. This weakness allowed for the subsequent invasion of theMacedonians of the north and the forging of theCorinthian League byPhilipII of Macedon against thePersian Empire.
In the4thcentury BC, Corinth was home toDiogenes ofSinope, one of the world\'s best knowncynics.
LaterhistoryIn the3rdcentury BC, Corinth was a member of theAchaean League,and was completely destroyed by the Roman generalLucius Mummius in146 BC.
While there is archeological evidence of some minimal habitation in the yearsafterwards,Julius Caesar refounded the city as Colonia laus Iulia Corinthiensisin 44 BC shortly before his assassination. According toAppian, the new settlers were drawn fromfreedmen of Rome.[citationneeded]
Thecity and its environsAcrocorinth,the acropolis Main article: AcrocorinthAcrocorinthis, theacropolisof ancient Corinth, is a monolithic rock that was continuously occupied fromarchaic times to the early nineteenth century. The city\'s archaic acropolis,already an easily defensible position due to its geomorphology, was furtherheavily fortified during theByzantine Empireas it became the seat of thestrategosof theThema of Hellas. Later it was a fortress of the Franks after theFourth Crusade, the Venetians and the Ottoman Turks. With its secure watersupply, Acrocorinth\'sfortress was used as the last line of defense in southern Greece because itcommanded theisthmus ofCorinth, repelling foes from entry into the Peloponnesian peninsula. Threecircuit walls formed the man-made defense of the hill. The highest peak on thesite was home to a temple to Aphrodite which wasChristianized as a church, and then became amosque. TheAmerican School began excavations on it in 1929. Currently, Acrocorinth is oneof the most important medieval castle sites ofGreece.
ThecityThetwo ports: Lechaeum and CenchreaeCorinth had two harbours:Lechaeum on theCorinthian Gulf andCenchreae on theSaronicGulf. Lechaeum was the principal port, connected to the city with a set oflongwalls of ca. 2 miles length, and was the main trading station for Italy andSicily, where there were many Corinthian colonies, while Cenchreae served thecommerce with the Eastern Mediterranean. Ships could be transported between thetwo harbours by means of thediolkosconstructed by the is mentioned in the New Testament in the epistles of Corinthians 1and 2. Under the Romans, Corinth became the seat of government for SouthernGreece orAchaia (according to Acts18:12-26). It was noted for its wealth, and for the luxurious,immoral and vicious habits of the people. It had a large mixed population ofRomans, Greeks, and Jews.
When the apostlePaul firstvisited the city (AD 51 or 52),Gallio, the brother ofSeneca, wasproconsul.Paul resided here for eighteen months (seeActs18:1-18). Here he first became acquainted withAquila andPriscilla,and soon after his departureApollos camefrom Ephesus.
Paul visited Corinth for a \"second benefit\" (see2 Corinthians 1:15), and remained for three months, according toActs20:3. During this second visit, believed to have occurred in the spring of 58,it is likely that theEpistle to the Romans was written.
Based on clues within the Corinthian epistles themselves scholars haveconcluded that Paul wrote possibly as many as fourepistles tothe church at Corinth.Only two of them,the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians andthe 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians are contained with theCanon of HolyScripture. The first Epistle reflects the difficulties of maintaining aChristian community in such a cosmopolitan city. The second reaffirms the lovePaul has for this young church and his hopes for their continued growth.
A trident also called a trishul or leister or gig,is a three-prongedspear. It is used forspear fishing and was also a military weapon.Tridents are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. Themajor Hindu god, Shiva the Destroyer and the sea godPoseidon orNeptune are classically depicted bearing atrident. In Christian iconography, the trident is the weapon of theDevil.
Note that a trident is not apitchfork. A pitchfork is an agricultural toolwith two to six tines (also called prongs) which are shaped in such a way thatthey can be used to lift and pitch (throw) loose material.
EtymologyThe word \"trident\" comes from theFrench trident, which in turn comes fromtheLatin tridens or tridentis: tri \"three\" and dentes \"teeth\". SeveralIndian languages use a similar word for\"trident\", trishula (tri-three + shool-thorn), derivedfrom Sanskrit, meaning \"triple spears\". It is alsovery similar to the Sanskrit word Tri - ( त्रि - Three ) Dunt ( दंत - Tooth ).The Greek equivalent is τρίαινα, tríaina,fromProto-Greek *trianja, threefold, cognatewith the Latin triens.The \"trident\" of poseidonis his weapon\'.
Symbolic useParallel to its fishing origins, the trident is associated withPoseidon, thegodof the sea inGreek mythology, the Roman godNeptune, andShiva, a Hindu God who holds a trident in hishand. In Greek myth, Poseidon used his trident to create water sources inGreece and thehorse. Poseidon, as well as being god of thesea, was also known as the \"Earth Shaker\" because when he struck the earth inanger he caused mightyearthquakes and he used his trident to stir uptidal waves, tsunamis and sea storms. In Roman myth, Neptunealso used a trident to create new bodies of water and cause earthquakes. A goodexample can be seen inGian Bernini\'s Neptune and Triton.
In religious Taoism, the trident represents the Taoist Trinity, theThree Pure Ones. In Taoist rituals, a tridentbell is used to invite the presence of deities and summon spirits, as thetrident signifies the highest authority of Heaven.
A trident also has references as:
- The traditional weapon of the Hindu god Shiva.
- The national emblem on the Flag of Barbados.
- The \"forks of the people\'s anger\", adopted by the Russian anti-Soviet revolutionary organization, National Alliance of Russian Solidarists (NTS).
- The symbol of the Swedish Coastal Rangers, Kustjägarna.
- The coat of arms of Ukraine (Tryzub) – the symbol of Rurik Family.
- Britannia, the personification of Great Britain (since the beging of the Roman period is depicted wielding a trident, symbolising Britain\'s naval power. It also is Poseidon\'s main weapon.
- The US Navy Special Warfare insignia, worn by members of the US Navy SEALs, and containing a trident representing the three aspects (Sea, Air, and Land) of SEAL special operations.
- Part of the golden-colored crest of the United States Naval Academy, which depicts a trident running vertically in its background.
- The symbol for Washington and Lee University.
- The symbol (since June 2008) for the athletic teams (Tritons) at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
- Sparky the Sun Devil, the mascot of Arizona State University, holds a trident. (ASU recently redesigned its trident as a stand-alone symbol, though it refers to it as a pitchfork.)
- An element on the Flag of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
- The Maserati logo
- Surviving steel beams from WTC Twin Towers used at 9/11 Memorial Museum
- The glyph or sigil of the planet Neptune in astronomy and astrology.
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CORINTH 400BC Athena Pegasus Silver Stater Authentic Ancient Greek Coin i56263:
$4500.00