on Athenian coins when speaking of Greek money of the first period, I shall dismiss the subject now. No. 8, Plate IV., is a coin of Methymne, in the isle of Lesbos, and is selected with the view of showing another style of archaic art of about the same period, as exhibited in the treatment of the head of Minerva, which in this instance is placed within the square punch-mark of the reverse; and which, though the manner of describing the curling hair, by means of small lumps or dots, is similar to that on the Athenian coin, yet the whole treatment is much more refined and delicate. The obverse, which I have not space to engrave, has the figure of a boar, very finely treated, with the inscription, at full length, MEOYMNAION, "of the Methymneans." The word MEOY signifies wine; and that Bacchus was worshipped in this place is proved by his head appearing frequently on its coins. His surname, Methymnian, is no doubt derived from hence. On the early coins of Methymne, the short e (E) is used in spelling the name, but in late coins the long e (H) as MHOY. Arion, the inventor of dithyrambic verse, was born in Methymne, and his figure forms the type of late bronze coins of this place, he is represented sitting on the dolphin, which is said to have preserved him from the waves under the fascination of his singing. He generally holds in one hand the lyre, and in the other the plectrum. No. 9, Plate IV., is a coin of Lete, which exhibits the improvement in the treatment of the group of a centaur carrying off a female, over the rude figures on a coin of a former period of the same place (No. 10, Plate II.), the hollow punch-mark of which is exceedingly rough and rude, whilst in this instance it is a sharp, perfect square, within which is a helmet, executed with exquisite sharpness and finish, though in a somewhat archaic feeling. The coins of Lete were formerly ascribed to Lesbos by Combe and others, from imperfectly reading the difficult inscription, which Sestini discovered should be read from left to right, when the rude and antique characters evidently make AETAION, "of the Leteans," but they stand NOIATA. Lete, according to Pliny and Ptolemy, was situated on the confines of Macedonia, and the fables of centaurs, &c., in that and neighbouring districts, abounding in a noble breed of wild horses, arose, no doubt, from the feats performed by those who first subjugated the horse to the will of man, and who, mounted on one of those beautiful animals, and guiding it at will to approach or retreat with super-human rapidity, gave rise in the minds of the vulgar to the idea that the man and horse were one supernatural being.* We have in modern history a singular and interesting example of similar superstition. When the natives of America, where the horse was unknown, first saw their invaders, the Spaniards, mounted on those animals, and in complete armour, they imagined that the cavalier and steed formed but one being, of supernatural powers and endowments, which they sought to propitiate by prayers and sacrifices. Such groups as those exhibited on the rude money of Lete and other places, were, doubtless, the first step towards the treatment of similar subjects by Phidias, to whose works they bear a striking affinity in the simplicity of their conception, though, as yet, at an immeasurable dis tance in artistic treatment. No. 10, Plate IV., is a coin of Acanthus, in Macedonia, which exhibits the same disposition of letters and squares as in the coin of Alexander I., but each compartment is filled by a symmetrical, raised, geometric figure, ornamented with a fine frosting of small dots, being surmounted by a little square; the whole with the inscription AKANOION, being much sharper than in the coin of the earlier period. The obverse of this fine coin represents a combat in which a bull is overcome by a lion; a symbol of Oriental origin described in another place. The inscription beneath the group, imperfect in the specimen I have engraved, is perfect in others, and is AAEZIOZ, supposed to be the name of a magistrate holding power connected with the issue of the coin of the state, as elsewhere alluded to. No. 11. Plate IV., is a coin of Archelaus, king of Macedonia, who ascended the Macedonian throne in the year 413, The term centaur is most probably derived from the words keview, to pursue or to hunt; and Taupos, a bull. The Thracians and Thessalians having heen celebrated, from the earliest times, for their skill and daring in hunting wild bulls, which they pursued, mounted on the noble horses of those districts, which were a celebrated breed even in the later times of the Romau Empire. and reigned till 399 B.C. Here we meet again with the warrior of the coin of Alexander I., holding the two spears; but a century has elapsed, and the art displayed is sufficient to mark the difference of period. The warrior is now mounted, and sits his steed with almost the grace of a work of Phidias, though there is a slight stiffness about the outline, the Macedonian hat, and other details, which, with all its bold relief and fine simplicity, always characterises Macedonian art, even down to the time of Alexander the Great. The reverse of this coin still exhibits the hollow punch-mark, within which is the forepart of a goat, very boldly executed; a type supposed to allude to the siege of Edessa, by Caranus, the founder of the Macedonian monarchy; who, profiting by the darkness of approaching night, followed a flock of goats returning to the town, and entered, unperceived, along with them. He changed the name of the place to Ægas or Ægæ, signifying a goat, and it became the residence of the Macedonian kings, till Philip II. removed it to Pella; after whose time, however, the kings were still interred in the royal tombs at Egas: other coins of Archelaus have his name, by comparison with which, this can be undoubtedly attributed to him. The square punchriark appearing on this coin, to which an approximate date can be assigned, viz., between 413 and 399 B.C., shows that that form of fabric remained very late in use; indeed it does not entirely disappear from the Macedonian series before the reign of Amyntas II., who died 367 B.C. It will be seen, therefore, that this relic of barbaric fabrication was practised, in some places, long after very fine art had been devoted to the coinage; some coins of the finest workmanship, to be spoken of hereafter, having still this peculiarity, while, in other places, the mode of making both sides of the coin equally perfect, for the display of their respective types, without any trace of punch-mark, was attained at a comparatively early period. In the coins of Sybaris, for instance, after the destruction and rebuilding of the city, 510 B.C., the old style of incused coining, peculiar to Magna Græcia, was abandoned, and the usual Greek method adopted, but with both sides of the coin perfect. Thus, it would appear that the coins of this p ace were fabricated in a perfect manner, as to equally good impressions on both sides, as early as 510 B.C., which seems strangely at variance with all the rest of the chronology of numismatic progress. Some of the Sicilian coins, to which a pretty accurate date can be assigned, such as the fine medallion, for instance, assigned to the time of Gelo (478 B.C.), are perfect on both sides. But the general adoption of the more perfect process may be taken generally as from 450 to 400 B.C., though, as I have shown, in some places the improvement preceded that period by more than half a century, while in others it was half a century later. In the next chapter I shall treat of the general Greek coinage of the finest character; which ranges from about 400 to 300 B.C., though occasional fine monuments of numismatic art are found till the encroachments of the spreading power of Rome paralysed the independent energies of Greek art, about a century later. CHAPTER VI. AUTONOMOUS GREEK COINS OF THE FINEST PERIOD. WE have seen, in former chapters, how the Greek coinage originated; and what was the nature and style of execution of its earliest types, grand even in their early rudeness. We have seen how perfection of execution gradually developed itself; and we shall see in the course of describing the coins engraved in Plate V., how the greatest possible degree of exquisite finish was finally accomplished without losing anything of the grand simplicity of the earlier examples, which, in fact, in the oneness and purity of their conception -however rude the execution-fore-shadowed the future excellence and supremacy of Grecian art; which supremacy and excellence, as concerning the coinage especially, existed from about 420 to 200 B.C. *The firest Greek coins of the regal class will be found treated of in the summary of the various dynasties, accompanied by a plate of specimens. |