Lot 1805

Description

Ionia, Ephesos, Hadrian, (A.D. 117-138), AE 22, (4.666 grams), obv. laureate head to right of Hadrian, rev. tetrastyle temple, within is a cult statue of Ephesian Artemis, around **EFE SIWN*, (S.-, BMC 229, SNG Von Aulock 1885). Green earthern patina, nearly fine/good fine and rare.

Important coin for its temple reverse. See also Bluma L. Trell, The Temple of Artemis at Ephesos, Numismatic Notes and Monographs No.107, New York 1945, pp.7-12, Plate II, 2). She notes that this temple The Temple of Ephesos one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, portrayed on this coin is a numismatic recreation and employs a convention of the near east where on the larger coins eight columns are displayed but is often reduced on the smaller coins to four or six columns.