I won this very interesting chunk of Celtic silver at Roma's live auction today. It's another plate coin (Lanz 540) from the Hermann Lanz collection. Janiform heads are a recurring theme on ancient coins. The Greeks had some great issues from Lampsakos, Tenedos and others. The Romans of course had their two faced god Janus and the motif is all over the earlier Republican coinage. This Celtic take on a Janiform heads is at least partly inspired by the Greek coins of Philip II, but what else? Was the obverse a knock off of another Greek issue that the celator had seen? I suppose we can only speculate but whatever it is, this is one strange looking piece and it had to be in my collection. Celts in Eastern Europe AR Tetradrachm. Doppelkopf Type. Description 13.47g 24mm 6h Celts in Eastern Europe AR Tetradrachm. Doppelkopf Type. Circa 3rd century BC. Janiform bearded head of Zeus / Rider on horseback to right, wearing helmet with long crest; rosette before. Göbl, OTA pl. 19, 223/1 (same dies); Kent/Mays, BMC I pl. 7, 111 (same dies); Lanz 540 (this coin). Very Fine. Scarce. From the Hermann Lanz Collection; this coin published in M. Kostial, Kelten im Osten - Gold und Silber der Kelten in Mittel- und Osteuropa - Sammlung Lanz (Staatlichen Münzsammlung München, 1997)
Very interesting coin @Nvb ....Here's an interesting site I read through a while back... You might find it interesting..https://balkancelts.wordpress.com/tag/celtic-mythology/.....The 2 dots below the head of the horse rider on the op coin could well be female along with the long crests? Anyhow its abeautiful coin congrats on adding this one to your collection...
Nice observation @Spaniard. I see the 'dots' and you may be right. This is a really good read so far - thank you for the link.
Nice capture, @Nvb ... I have never seen a Janiform Celtic coin. DOPPELKOPF: Troas Tenedos late 5th-early 4th C BCE AR Obol 8mm 0.60g Janiform hd female-male - Labrys within incuse square SNG Ash 1235 HGC 6 387 RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius -Quadrigatus - Didrachm 225-215 BCE Incuse Roma Janus Jupiter Cr 28-3 S 31
My only non-RR janiform heads - I got this one out of the local dealer's junk bin (and it pretty much looks like a junk bin find): Rhegium, Bruttium Æ 25 Pentonkion (c. 215-150 B.C.) Janiform female head / Asklepios seated left by tripod holding sceptre; PHΓINΩN to right [Π above tripod to left, serpent in exergue]. SNG ANS 745; HN Italy 2551. (10.05 grams / 25 mm)
Here is an ultra-rare, possibly unique TRI-FACIAE, no not a Four-Head that is already out there. RR M Furius ERROR DOUBLE-STRIKE AR Den119 BC Janus Trophy Carnyx S 156 Cr 281-1
That's an interesting coin – I, too, wonder what it was inspired by. Maybe a Tenedos tetradrachm like this one? Geographically that might make sense. The only janiform coins I have are the well-known Lampsakos diobol and some Roman Republican ones: Lampsakos, Mysia, diobol, ca. 400–300 BC. Obv: Janiform female heads. Rev: Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet, ΛΑΜ around, fly right. 10mm, 1.2g. Ref: SNG France 1190; Baldwin 1924, group B, type I,19. Ex Savoca. Roman Republic, As (uncial standard), 169–158 BC, moneyer: C. Cluvius Saxula, Rome mint. Obv: head of Janus, I above. Rev: prow right, C·SAX (ligated) above, ROMA below. 35 mm, 25.98 g. Ref: RRC 173/1. Roman Republic, moneyer: M. Furius L. f. Philus, AR denarius, 119 BC, Rome mint. Obv: M. FOVRI. L. F; head of Janus. Rev: ROMA; Roma standing l., holding sceptre, crowns trophy with carnyx and two shields; in exergue, PHL I. 19mm, 3.81g. Ref: RRC 281/1. Ex Leu, Webauktion 8, lot 866.
I have the most common... Republican M Furius denarius Lampsakos AR Diobol What fascinates me the most about the lampsakos pieces is that whoever that double headed goddess is - her identity has been lost to history! Greek coins in general are so well-studied, that the presence of an "unknown" on such a popular issue seems rather jarring. And much less common, perhaps the last Janiform head ever to make it onto coinage... CHACH, unknown ruler, c.7th-8th century AD One of my dream coins is the triple-Janiform obol of Cilicia: https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=17327
At the request of well known member Ed S. I am posting this coin which appears in a thread, today, on Alexander the Great and a control or mint mark of a janiform figure. D on't expect a whole lot when you get there but it does look like this Janus is a mint mark for Amphipolis. Maybe one face for each polis.
I have a few others: (SILVER) RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius Quadrigatus Didrachm 215-213 Janus Roma Relief tablet S 32 Cr 28-3 RR Anon AR Heavy Quinarius Quadrigatus Drachm 216-214 BCE Janus ROMA Jupiter Victory Quadriga LEFT Cr 29-4 S 35 RR 225-214 BCE Anon BILLON Heavy Denarius Quadrigatus-Janus Didrachm Janus-Jupiter gallopng quadriga r 18.2mm 4-1g Cr 28-3 S 33 RR Anon AR Heavy Quin Drachm Half Quadrigatus 225-212 BCE 3.1g 18mm Janus Jupiter in Quadriga L Victory ROMA Cr 28-4 S 35 SCARCE RR M Furius LF Philus AR Denarius 119 BCE Janus Sear 156
Some Bronze: RImp Pompey 42-38 BC AE As Janus Prow Magnus S 1394 Cr 479-1 RR Anon AE As 211-206 BC sextantal Janus Prow Anchor S 628 Cr 50-3 RR Anon AE As after 211 BC Janus I Prow Cr 56-2 Sear 627 RR Atili Saran AE As 148 BC Janus ROMA Prow S 399 Cr 214-2a
I've got several, here are a few favorites: M Furius L.f Philus. I recently upgraded this one at Roma XVIII after several years of looking for a better example so it'll probably be sold soon but it's always been one of my favorite types: SAFRA(Spurius Afranius?): D Junius Silanus
