Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/05/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Thank you for the detailed explanations John. I love reading and learning about the evolution of technologies and human inventiveness, as well as about arts :-) Coins are one of those species that embody a lot of it all. And sometimes are left for us to think about ... life... Thanks so much dear John for sharing the excellence of your photography and the knowledge of your subjects. I must find more about magnification :-) Amiti?s Philippe Le 27 mai 11 ? 15:11, John Nebel a ?crit : > > Philippe, > > Ancient coins were struck except for some bronzes. The ancient > Greeks considered coins an art form and in extraordinary cases the > dies were signed by the engraver. Some engravers' styles were > respected and copied by other cities. There are numerous debates as > to details of manufacturing techniques; two major ones are whether > magnification was used when the dies were engraved and whether the > metal was heated before striking. An interesting debate is whether > Pythagoras designed the unique incuse coinage of several Greek > colonies, Kroton, Poseidonia, Sybaris, and others in southern Italy > in the late 6th century BC, and if so, what metaphysical > significance the designs may have. > > The Protesilaus tetradrachm is about 25 mm, the large image is about > 14 times magnification. 10 times magnification, 12" x 12" > photographic prints, seem to work quit well for showing beauty and > detail, much of which cannot be easily seen on the coin with normal > lighting and the naked eye. > > Best, > > John > > On 5/26/11 11:54 PM, philippe.amard wrote: >> Beautiful detail and tones as usual John >> >> Do you know if these were cast? or stamped? >> >> Thanks all for the explanations already provided on the context. >> >> Bien cordialement de Metz >> Philippe >> >> Le 27 mai 11 ? 01:58, John Nebel a ?crit : >> >>> >>> Inspired by Jim's Homeric photos... >>> >>> http://photos.csd.net/protesilaus.html >>> >>> Mouse over to see reverse, click for an enlargement. >>> >>> The head on the coin is Protesilaus, an Homeric hero; his name is >>> retrograde in the crest of his helmet. The coin's reverse is the >>> stern >>> of a ship with the letters SKIO in the corners of the incuse naming >>> the town Skione which issued the coin in the early 5th century BC. >>> The >>> ship is anachronistic as it appears to be 5th century design, more >>> advanced than those used in the Trojan war around 700 years earlier. >>> >>> "They who held Phylake and Pyrasos of the flowers, >>> the precinct of Demeter, and Iton, mother of sheepflocks, >>> Antron by the sea-shore, and Pteleos deep in the meadows, >>> of these in turn fighting Protesilaus was leader >>> while he lived; but now the black earth had closed him under, >>> whose wife, cheeks torn for grief, was left behind in Phylake >>> and a marriage half completed; a Dardanian man had killed him >>> as he leapt from his ship, far the first of all the Achaians." >>> >>> (Iliad 2.695) >>> >>> Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protesilaus >>> >>> >>> >>> Best, >>> >>> John >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >