10-19-2006, 04:41 PM
Jeff,
you will get your first info on Plutarchs life of Timoleon about the political conflict.
Me and my colleague are still working on te Greek shield devices.
Initilally the Greek colonists were were carring the "metropolitan" shield devices and coins. Because arround late 6th century the Italiotic Greek populations got mixed with various refuges-initialy the tyrants who got authority stamped coinage with the symbols of their patron daities or "heroic family" linage. Every time a tyrant was overthrown the holy symbols of the warrior fraternity who overthrough him were appearing on the coin.
Some times to avoid more political conflict a daiety revered in all locality was chosen and the symbol of that deity was adopted being more politicaly neutral. So it was appearing on coinage and probaly on shields
On the Syracusan coin you see probably Faethon (a representation of the Sun) Apollo was too "aristokratic". Arethousa the sea nymph appears on the other side instead of Poseidon-patron God of the rich ship owners.
The two dolphines represent Apolo and Artemis the "Delphic twins of Delos" as protectors of justice; probably as a consent to the oligarchic party. The Syracusan coin was described in P. Descharme Greek Mytology published in 1921 in the chapter about minor sea deities.
Syracusa is Tetradrachm - a very unusual one.
Leontinoi is LITRA but I am not sure
Kind regards
you will get your first info on Plutarchs life of Timoleon about the political conflict.
Me and my colleague are still working on te Greek shield devices.
Initilally the Greek colonists were were carring the "metropolitan" shield devices and coins. Because arround late 6th century the Italiotic Greek populations got mixed with various refuges-initialy the tyrants who got authority stamped coinage with the symbols of their patron daities or "heroic family" linage. Every time a tyrant was overthrown the holy symbols of the warrior fraternity who overthrough him were appearing on the coin.
Some times to avoid more political conflict a daiety revered in all locality was chosen and the symbol of that deity was adopted being more politicaly neutral. So it was appearing on coinage and probaly on shields
On the Syracusan coin you see probably Faethon (a representation of the Sun) Apollo was too "aristokratic". Arethousa the sea nymph appears on the other side instead of Poseidon-patron God of the rich ship owners.
The two dolphines represent Apolo and Artemis the "Delphic twins of Delos" as protectors of justice; probably as a consent to the oligarchic party. The Syracusan coin was described in P. Descharme Greek Mytology published in 1921 in the chapter about minor sea deities.
Syracusa is Tetradrachm - a very unusual one.
Leontinoi is LITRA but I am not sure
Kind regards
HOPLITE14GR (aka Stefanos)
Phokean Ekdromos
http://hetairoi.de/
http://hoplomachia.gr
http://stefanosskarmintzos.wordpress.com
Phokean Ekdromos
http://hetairoi.de/
http://hoplomachia.gr
http://stefanosskarmintzos.wordpress.com
