RHODES Island Off Caria 31BC Huge 37mm Dionysus Nike Ancient Greek Coin i53601

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

RHODES Island Off Caria 31BC Huge 37mm Dionysus Nike Ancient Greek Coin i53601:
$1100.00

Item: i53601

Authentic Ancient Coin of:

Greek city ofRhodes an Island offCaria
Bronze Drachm 37mm (22.46 grams) Struck circa 31 B.C. - 60 A.D.
Antigonos, magistrate
Reference: Ashton, Early 116; RPC I 2758; BMC –; SNG Copenhagen 881
Head of Dionysus left, wearing ivy wreath.
ΕΠΙ ANTIΓΟΝΟΥ ΡΟΔΙΩΝ, Nike right, holdingwreath and aphlaston.The large and important island of Rhodos, off the south-west coast of AsiaMinor, produced a considerable coinage in the archaic period from its threemajor cities, Ialysos, Kamiros and Lindos. After the Persian wars no furthercoinage was issued on the island until the foundation of the new federal capitalcirca 408 B.C. This splendid city, situated on the northern promontory only 12miles from the mainland, was given the same name as the island. It quicklyachieved great prosperity and eventually became one of the principal tradingcenters of the ancient world. In the third century Rhodos exercised muchpolitical influence in the Eastern Mediterranean, through the strength of itsfleet. But in 167 B.C. the Romans declared Delos a free port, and the Rhodians,their prosperity now greatly diminished, sank into comparative obscurity.

You are offerding on the exact item pictured,provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee ofAuthenticity.

Dionysusis the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness,fertility, theatre and religious ecstasy inGreek mythology. Alcohol, especiallywine, played an important role in Greek culture with Dionysus beingan important reason for this life style. His name, thought to be atheonym inLinear B tablets as di-wo-nu-so (KHGq 5 inscription), shows that he may have been worshipped as early as c.1500–1100 BC byMycenean Greeks; other traces of theDionysian-type cult have been found in ancientMinoan Crete. His origins are uncertain, andhis cults took many forms; some are described by ancient sources as Thracian,others as Greek. In some cults, he arrives from the east, as an Asiaticforeigner; in others, fromEthiopia in the South. He is a god ofepiphany, \"the god that comes\", and his\"foreignness\" as an arriving outsider-god may be inherent and essential to hiscults. He is a major, popular figure ofGreek mythology andreligion, and is included in some lists of thetwelve Olympians. Dionysus was the last god tobe accepted into Mt. Olympus. He was the youngest and the only one to have amortal mother. His festivals were the driving force behind the development ofGreek theatre. Modern scholarship categoriseshim as adying-and-rising god.

The earliest cult images of Dionysus show a mature male, bearded and robed.He holds a fennel staff, tipped with a pine-cone and knownas a thyrsus. Later images show him as abeardless, sensuous, naked or half-naked androgynous youth: the literaturedescribes him as womanly or \"man-womanish\". In its fully developed form, hiscentral cult imagery shows his triumphant, disorderly arrival or return, as iffrom some place beyond the borders of the known and civilized. His procession (thiasus)is made up of wild female followers (maenads)and beardedsatyrs witherect penises. Some are armed with the thyrsus, some dance or play music. The god himself is drawn in a chariot,usually by exotic beasts such as lions or tigers, and is sometimes attended by abearded, drunken Silenus. This procession is presumed to be thecult model for the human followers of hisDionysian Mysteries. In hisThracian mysteries, he wears the bassarisor fox-skin, symbolizing a new life. Dionysus isrepresented by city religions as the protector of those who do not belong toconventional society and thus symbolizes everything which is chaotic, dangerousand unexpected, everything which escapes human reason and which can only beattributed to the unforeseeable action of the gods.

Also known as Bacchus, the name adopted by theRomans and the frenzy he induces, bakkheia.His thyrsus is sometimes wound with ivy and dripping with honey. It is abeneficent wand but also a weapon, and can be used to destroy those who opposehis cult and the freedoms he represents. He is also called Eleutherios(\"the liberator\"), whose wine, music and ecstatic dance frees his followers fromself-conscious fear and care, and subverts the oppressive restraints of thepowerful. Those who partake of his mysteries are possessed and empowered by thegod himself. His cult is also a \"cult of the souls\"; his maenads feed the deadthrough blood-offerings, and he acts as a divine communicant between the livingand the dead.

In Greek mythology, he is presented as a son ofZeus and the mortalSemele, thus semi-divine orheroic: and as son of Zeus andPersephone orDemeter, thus both fully divine, part-chthonicand possibly identical withIacchus of theEleusinian Mysteries. Some scholars believethat Dionysus is asyncretism of a local Greek nature deity and amore powerful god fromThrace orPhrygia such asSabazios orZalmoxis.

InGreek mythology, Nike was agoddess who personifiedvictory, also known as the Winged Goddess ofVictory. The Roman equivalent wasVictoria. Depending upon the time of variousmyths, she was described as the daughter ofPallas (Titan) andStyx (Water) and the sister ofKratos (Strength),Bia (Force), andZelus (Zeal). Nike and her siblings were closecompanions of Zeus, the dominant deity of theGreek pantheon. According to classical (later)myth, Styx brought them to Zeus when the god was assembling allies for theTitan War against the older deities. Nikeassumed the role of the divinecharioteer, a role in which she often isportrayed in Classical Greek art. Nike flew around battlefields rewarding thevictors with glory and fame.

Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings. Most other wingeddeities in the Greek pantheon had shed their wings by Classical times. Nike isthe goddess of strength, speed, and victory. Nike was a very close acquaintanceof Athena, and is thought to have stood inAthena\'s outstretched hand in the statue of Athena located in the Parthenon.Nike is one of the most commonly portrayed figures on Greek coins.

Names stemming from Nike include amongst others:Nicholas, Nicola, Nick, Nikolai, Nils, Klaas,Nicole, Ike, Niki, Nikita, Nika, Niketas, and Nico.

Rhodes is aGreekisland approximately 18kilometres (11mi) southwest ofTurkey inEastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of theDodecaneseislands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007of which 53,709 resided in thehomonymouscapital city of the island.

Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for theColossus of Rhodes, one of theSeven Wonders of the World. The medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes hasbeen declared aWorld Heritage Site. Today Rhodes is a tourist destination.

//Geography

The island of Rhodes is shaped like aspearhead,79.7km (49.5mi) long and 38km (24mi) wide, with a total area ofapproximately 1,400square kilometres (541sqmi) and a coastline ofapproximately 220km (137mi). Thecity of Rhodes is located at the northern tip of the island, as well as thesite of the ancient and modern commercialharbours. The main air gateway (DiagorasInternational Airport, IATA code: RHO) is located 14km (9mi) to thesouthwest of the city inParadisi. The road network radiates from the city along the east and westcoasts.

In terms offlora andfauna, Rhodes is closer toAsia Minor than to the rest of Greece. The interior of the island ismountainous, sparsely inhabited and covered with forests ofpine (Pinusbrutia) andcypress (Cupressus sempervirens). The island is home to the Rhodiandeer. InPetaludesValley (Greek for \"Valley of the Butterflies\"), large numbers oftiger moths gather during the summer months. Mount Attavyros, at 1,216metres(3,990ft), is the island\'s highest point of elevation. While the shores arerocky, the island has arable strips of land wherecitrus fruit,wine grapes,vegetables, olives and other crops are grown.

Outside of the city of Rhodes, the island is dotted with small villages andbeach resorts, among Afantou, Koskinou,Embona (Attavyros),Paradisi, andTrianta (Ialysos). Tourism is the island\'s primary source of income.

Earthquakes

Rhodes has experienced severeearthquakes.Notable are the226 BC earthquake that destroyed theColossus of Rhodes; the one on 3 May 1481 which destroyed much of the cityof Rhodes;and the one on 26 June 1926.15 July 2008, Rhodes was struck by a6.3 magnitude earthquake causing minor damage to a few old buildings. Onewoman lost her life when she fell down stairs while trying to flee her home.

HistoryAncient times

The island was inhabited in theNeolithicperiod, although little remains of this culture. In the 16th century BC theMinoans came to Rhodes. Later Greek mythology recalled a Rhodian race calledthe Telchines,and associated the island of Rhodes withDanaus; it wassometimes nicknamed Telchinis. In the 15th century BC,Mycenaean Greeks invaded. After theBronze Age collapse the first renewed outside contacts are withCyprus. Inthe 8th century BC the island\'s settlements started to form, with the coming ofthe Dorians,who built the three important cities of Lindos,Ialyssos andKameiros,which together with Kos,Cnidus andHalicarnassus (on the mainland) made up the so-calledDorian Hexapolis.

Before archaeology, myth stood in for blanks in the historical record/ InPindar\'s ode,the island was said to be born of the union ofHelios the sungod and the nymphRhode, and the cities were named for their three sons. The rhoda is apink hibiscusnative to the island.Diodorus Siculus added thatActis, one of thesons of Helios and Rhode, travelled toEgypt. He builtthe city ofHeliopolis and taught the Egyptians the science ofastrology.

In the second half of the eighth century the sanctuary of Athena receivedvotive gifts that are markers for cultural contacts: small ivories from the NearEast and bronze objects from Syria. AtKameiros onthe northwest coast, a former Bronze Age site, where the temple was founded inthe eighth century, there is another notable contemporaneous sequence of carvedfigurines. Phoenician presence on the island atIalysos isattested in traditions recorded much later by Rhodian historians.

The Persians invaded and overran the island, but were in turn defeated byforces from Athensin 478 BC. The cities joined theAthenian League. When thePeloponnesian War broke out in 431 BC, Rhodes remained largely neutral,although it remained a member of the League. The war lasted until 404 BC, but bythis time Rhodes had withdrawn entirely from the conflict and decided to go herown way.

In 408 BC the cities united to form one territory. They built the city ofRhodes, a new capital on the northern end of the island. Its regular plan wassuperintended by the Athenian architectHippodamus. The Peloponnesian War had so weakened the entire Greek culturethat it lay open to invasion. In 357 BC the island was conquered by the kingMausolusof Caria, then itfell to the Persians in 340 BC. Their rule was also short. To the great reliefof its citizens, Rhodes became a part of the growing empire ofAlexander the Great in 332 BC, after he defeated the Persians.

Following the death of Alexander his generals vied for control of thekingdom. Three:Ptolemy,Seleucus, andAntigonus, succeeded in dividing the kingdom among themselves. Rhodes formedstrong commercial and cultural ties with the Ptolemies inAlexandria,and together formed the Rhodo-Egyptian alliance that controlled trade throughoutthe Aegean in the 3rd century BC. The city developed into a maritime, commercialand cultural center; its coins circulated nearly everywhere in theMediterranean. Its famous schools of philosophy, science, literature andrhetoricshared masters with Alexandria: the Athenian rhetoricianAeschines,who formed a school at Rhodes;Apollonius of Rhodes; the observations and works of the astronomersHipparchusand Geminus,the rhetoricianDionysios Trax. Its school of sculptors developed a rich, dramatic stylethat can be characterized as \"HellenisticBaroque\".

In 305 BC, Antigonus directed his son,Demetrius, to besiege Rhodes in an attempt to break its alliance with Egypt.Demetrius created hugesiege engines, including a 180ft (55m)battering ram and asiegetower namedHelepolisthat weighed 360,000pounds (163,293kg). Despite this engagement, in 304 BCafter only one year, he relented and signed a peace agreement, leaving behind ahuge store of military equipment. The Rhodians sold the equipment and used themoney to erect a statue of their sun god,Helios, thestatue since called theColossus of Rhodes.

In 164 BC, Rhodes signed a treaty withRome.It became an educational center for Roman noble families, and was especiallynoted for its teachers of rhetoric, such asHermagorasand the author of the Rhetorica ad Herennium. At first the state was an important ally of Romeand enjoyed numerous privileges, but these were later lost in variousmachinations of Roman politics.Cassius eventually invaded the island and sacked the city.

In the first century AD, the EmperorTiberiusspent a brief term of exile on Rhodes.Saint Paul broughtChristianity to people on the island.Rhodes reached her zenith in the third century. In 395, the longByzantine Empire-period began for Rhodes, when the Eastern half of the Romanempire became gradually more Greek.

Rhodes was occupied by theMuslim forcesof MuawiyahI in 672. In circa 1090 it was occupied by the Muslim forces of theSeljuk Turks, not long after theBattle of Manzikert.Rhodes was recaptured by theByzantine EmperorAlexius I Comnenus during theFirstCrusade.

Medieval period

In 1309 the Byzantine era came to an end when the island was occupied byforces of theKnights Hospitaller. Under the rule of the newly named \"Knights of Rhodes\",the city was rebuilt into a model of the European medieval ideal. Many of thecity\'s famous monuments, including thePalace of the Grand Master, were built during this period.

The strong walls which the Knights had built withstood the attacks of theSultan ofEgypt in 1444,and of MehmedII in 1480. Ultimately, however, Rhodes fell to the large army ofSuleiman the Magnificent in December 1522, long after the rest of theByzantine empire had been lost. The few surviving Knights were permitted toretire to theKingdom of Sicily. The Knights would later move their base of operations toMalta. The island was thereafter a possession of theOttoman Empire for nearly four centuries.

Modern history

The island was populated by ethnic groups from the surrounding nations,including Jews. Under the Ottoman Empire rule, they generally did fairly well,but discrimination and bigotry occasionally arose. In February 1840, the Jews of Rhodes were falsely accusedof ritually murdering a Christian boy. This became known as theRhodes blood libel.

In 1912, Italy seized Rhodes from the Turks. The island\'s population thusbypassed many of the events associated with the\"exchange of the minorities\" between Greece andTurkey. Due totheTreaty of Lausanne, the island, together with theDodecanese,was officially assigned to Italy. It became the core of their possession of theIsole Italiane dell\'Egeo.

Following theItalian Armistice of 8 September 1943, the British attempted to get theItalian garrison on Rhodes to change sides. This was anticipated by theGermanArmy, which succeeded in occupying the island. In great measure, the Germanoccupation caused the British failure in the subsequentDodecanese Campaign.

On 19 July 1944 theGestaporounded up the island’s nearly 2000Jewish inhabitants, to send them to extermination camps. About 160 of theisland\'s more than 600 Greek Jews survived. TheTurkish ConsulSelahattin Ülkümen succeeded, at considerable risk to himself and hisfamily, in saving 42 Jewish families, about 200 persons in total, who hadTurkish citizenship or were family members of Turkish citizens.

In 1948, together with the other islands of theDodecanese,Rhodes was united with Greece.

In 1949, Rhodes was the venue for negotiations betweenIsrael andEgypt,Jordan,Lebanon, andSyria, concludingwith the1949 Armistice Agreements.

Archaeology

Inancient times, Rhodes was home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World—theColossus of Rhodes. This giant bronze statue was documented as once standingat the harbour. It was completed in 280 BC but was destroyed in anearthquakein 224 BC. No trace of the statue remains today.

Historical sites on the island of Rhodes include theAcropolis of Lindos, theAcropolis of Rhodes, theTemple of Apollo, ancientIalysos,ancientKamiros, theGovernor\'s Palace,Rhodes Old Town (walled medieval city), thePalace of the Grand Masters,Kahal Shalom Synagogue in theJewishQuarter, theArcheological Museum, the ruins of thecastle of Monolithos, thecastle of Kritinia andSt. Catherine Hospice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long until my order is shipped?:
Depending on the volume of sales, it may take up to 5 business days forshipment of your order after the receipt of payment.

How will I know when the order was shipped?:
After your order has shipped, you will be left positive response, and thatdate should be used as a basis of estimating an arrival date.

After you shipped the order, how long will the mail take?
USPS First Class mail takes about 3-5 business days to arrive in the U.S.,international shipping times cannot be estimated as they vary from countryto country. I am not responsible for any USPS delivery delays, especiallyfor an international package.

What is a certificate of authenticity and what guarantees do you givethat the item is authentic?
Each of the items sold here, is provided with a Certificate of Authenticity,and a Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity, issued by a world-renowned numismatic and antique expert that has identified over 10000 ancient coins and has provided themwith the same guarantee. You will be quite happy with what you get with the COA; a professional presentation of the coin, with all of the relevantinformation and a picture of the coin you saw in the listing.

Compared to other certification companies, the certificate of authenticity is a $25-50 value. So buy a coin today and own a piece of history, guaranteed.

Is there a money back guarantee?
I offer a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee. I stand behind my coins and would be willing to exchange your order for either store credit towards other coins, or refund, minus shipping expenses, within 30 days from the receipt of your order. My goal is to have the returning customers for a lifetime, and I am so sure in my coins, their authenticity, numismatic value and beauty, I can offer such a guarantee.

Is there a number I can call you with questions about my order?

You can contact me directly via ask seller a question and request my telephone number, or go to my About Me Page to get my contact information only in regards to items purchased on .

When should I leave response?
Once you receive your order, please leave a positive. Please don\'t leave anynegative responses, as it happens many times that people rush to leaveresponse before letting sufficient time for the order to arrive. Also, ifyou sent an email, make sure to check for my reply in your messages beforeclaiming that you didn\'t receive a response. The matter of fact is that anyissues can be resolved, as reputation is most important to me. My goal is toprovide superior products and quality of service.