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Lot 34. Aigeai BI Tetradrachm

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2nd known and of great historical interest
Aigeai BI Tetradrachm

Time left: 		Bidding closed (Sunday, December 13th, 19:17:00 CET)
Current time: Monday, November 25th, 00:57:30 CET
Price realised: CHF 2'000.00 (2 bids)
Approx. EUR 2'148.39 / USD 2'238.19 / GBP 1'786.19
High bidder: Bidder 1

eAuction #43, Lot 34. Estimate: CHF 2'500.00

Aigeai, Cilicia. Pseudo-autonomous BI Tetradrachm (27 mm, 11.44 g). Time of Caracalla (198-217 AD), dated CY 262 = 215-216 AD.
Obv. AIΓЄAIΩN ANTWNINOYΠOΛЄΩC, bearded, draped bust of Asclepius right, thin band in the hair, snake-entwined staff at his left shoulder.
Rev. MAKЄΔONI ЄYΓHN ΠICTHC ΘЄOΦIΛO, Octastyle temple of Asclepius on steps, statue of Asclepius within, wearing himation, holding snake-entwined staff; in fields, date Γ - Ξ/C.
Haymann, Aigeai, 108 = ANS 1944.10053024 (same dies).

Somewhat weakly struck, otherwise, very fine.

Of the highest rarity, apparently the second and by far the better specimen known. Unlike the ANS coin, which is in very poor condition, our specimen allows the full reading of the legends. It is part of an extremely unusual and interesting issue struck in 215-216 and 216-217 (cf. Haymann 110a-b), previously known in six (now seven) coins only. These coins are obviously connected to Caracalla's preparations for the Parthian campaign in 214-216: In anticipation of the emperor's move to the east and to please his imitatio alexandri, Aigeai in 214 adopted the name Antoninopolis (or, given the use of the genitive in the middle of the name, rather "city of Antoninus") and started boasting its claimed Macedonian heritage in 215-216 (on our coin: MAKЄΔONI ЄYΓHN). Haymann postulates two visits of the emperor to the city - one in 215 and another one in early 216 (p. 103f) - in the course of which he must have granted it the right not only to issue its first silver coinage since Hadrian but to produce the first and only pseudo-autonomous silver coinage known from any polis. Aigeai's high standing with Caracalla must have derived from its well-known Asclepius sanctuary (depicted on the reverse) since we know that the emperor was stricken with an unknown disease during his last years of his life (which was also the reason for his visit to the famous Asklepeion in Pergamon in 214) and favoured traditional places of worship of the healing god all over the empire (hence also the ΠICTHC ΘЄOΦIΛO, "pious and god-loving").



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