Ancient Greek Coins of Miletus

Robert J. O’Hara (rjohara@post.harvard.edu)

The ancient Greek city of Miletus in Asia Minor, on what is now the west coast of Turkey, was the intellectual and commercial center of the Greek world in the century before Athens rose to prominence. It has been called the birthplace of the modern world. These pages discuss the early history of coinage and present a detailed outline of Milesian coin types from the Greek and Roman periods.

PAGES: Illustrated table of contents—Illustrated numerical catalogue—History and weight standards—Chronological table—The electrum lion coins of the kings of Lydia (1)—The enigmatic “geometric” electrum series (1)—The sixth-century electrum lion coins of Miletus (2)—The electrum and silver lion/scorpion issues (3)—The silver eye-swirl/quincunx fractions (12)—The dotted lion-mask series (6)—The archaic twelfth-stater series (21)—The silver Milesian-style lion/bird fractions (14)—The lion-head/lion-scalp series (2)—Milesian imitatives of Hecatomnus, Mausolus, and Hidrieus (2)—The fourth-century bronze lion/sun series (3)—The Rhodian silver and bronze Apollo/lion series (8)—Early silver and bronze of Alexander the Great (5)—The reduced-Rhodian didrachms and their parallel bronzes (3)—The later Diadochian and civic Alexander types (2)—The third-century Persic silver and bronze Apollo/lion series (2)—The bronze facing-Apollo coinage (6)—The second-century silver Apollo/lion issues (5)—The wreathed bronze Apollo/lion series (8)—The bronze Apollo of Didyma series (2)—Roman provincial bronzes of Nero (2)—Roman provincial bronzes of Gordian III (1)—The Ottoman silver akçes of fifteenth-century Balad (1)—Puzzles, mysteries, and stylistic influences (4)—References and literature cited—Ancient coin resources online.

(1) Roman Provincial Bronzes of Nero from Miletus

The Greek city of Miletus was incorporated into Rome’s Province of Asia in 133 BC, and during the later Imperial period Miletus served as a provincial mint under a number of emperors and empresses, including Caligula, Drusilla, Claudius, Nero, Domitian, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Faustina Junior, Julia Domna, Plautilla, Balbinus, Gordian III, Valerian Senior, and Gallenius (Metcalf, 1980; Sear, 1982).

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus succeeded his great-uncle and adoptive father Claudius as ruler of Rome in AD 54 when he was only seventeen years old. He held the throne for fourteen years until he was overthrown in AD 68 and forced to commit suicide by supporters of Galba, who succeeded him. The death of Nero brought the Julio-Claudian dynasty to an end.

Note: The coins below are two of only three Roman provincial specimens in this collection, and I do not yet have access to any of the advanced Roman provincial references such as Burnett et al. (1992–1999). More study is required before a fuller description and commentary can be provided here.

(2) Miletus · Laureate Head of Nero Right / Statue of Apollo Didymaeus Right · Bronze · AD 54–68

The famous cult statue of Apollo Didymaeus featured on this coin’s reverse was housed in the temple of Apollo at Didyma, an ancient shrine and oracle in Milesian territory a few miles south of the city. The statue was also represented on the autonomous Milesian bronze coinage of the first and second centuries BC. Didyma continued to be an important place of pilgrimage throughout the Roman period.

(2a) AE 20 mm (5.7 g)

“Ti. Claudius Damas” is the only magistrate appearing on Nero’s Milesian coinage; his full name is said to be known from two archaeological inscriptions which identify him as archiprytanis and which give “details of legislation passed about the cults of Apollo Didymeus and Apollo Delphinios” (Burnett et al., 1992–1999; not seen). This is the only denomination recorded for this type.

(3) Miletus · Laureate Head of Nero / Statue of Artemis Right · Bronze · AD 54–68

[Description pending.]

(3a) AE 20 mm (6.7 g)

This is the only denomination recorded for this type.