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coin

• Object type

  • coin

• Museum number

  1885,0606.284

• Description

  Alloy coin.

• State

  • Roman Empire

• Authority

  • Ruler: Philip I

• Culture/period

  • Roman Provincial

• Date

  • 244-249

• Production place

  • Minted in: Apamea
  • (Asia,Turkey,Aegean Region (Turkey),Afyonkarahisar (province),Apamea (Phrygia))

• Materials

  • alloy

• Dimensions

  • Weight: 17.42 grammes
  • Diameter: 35.5 millimetres
  • Die-axis: 12 o'clock

• Curator's comments

  This Old Testament Biblical scene is depicted on coinage of the third century AD, in the last century of the pagan Roman Empire. The story of Noah and the flood has a local connection in Apamea’s location near to Mount Ararat where Noah’s Ark came to rest according to Genesis 8:4. The coin reverse depicts Noah and his wife twice. On the left they have arrived on Ararat but even more interestingly on the right they are adrift in the ark; shown as a simple box or rather a chest with lid (and on better preserved specimens this can be seen to be conveniently labelled with Noah’s name in Greek: NΩЄ). Above them the dove with olive branch sets the scene from Genesis 8:10-11:
  "He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf. Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth."

  More 

• Bibliography

  • BMC Greek (Phrygia) 182, p.101

• Location

  Not on display

• Associated names

  • Named in inscription & portrayed: Philip I
  • Named in inscription & portrayed: Noah

• Acquisition date

  1885

• Department

  Coins & Medals

• Registration number

  1885,0606.284

• C&M Catalogue number

  • GC25p101.182