Nomos 37

KYRENAIKA. Barke. Circa 400-350 BC. Obol (Silver, 9 mm, 0.59 g, 12 h), struck under the magistrate Akesis, circa 380. Silphium plant with three pairs of leaves and five umbels. Rev. A-KE Bearded head of Zeus Ammon facing, turned slightly to the right and with a ram's horn over each ear; the whole within a circular dotted border. Apparently unpublished, but for a tetradrachm of the magistrate Akesis in Barke with the facing Zeus Ammon on the reverse, see BMC, 32, pl. 47, 8, Jameson 2137 & Traité III, 270. Same dies as Peus 410, 2013, 225 (with the name of the magistrate unnoted and thus missatributed as an issue of Kyrene). Extremely rare and apparently only the second example known. Nicely toned and with a dramatic and exciting head of Zeus, who has an almost Celtic moustache. Somewhat porous, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.

From the Battos Collection.

This extraordinary coin provides proof that the silver obols with the facing head of Zeus Ammon are in fact issues of Barke and not of Kyrene as we initially thought. Examples as the beautiful obols that we offered in Nomos 35 as lots 552 and 553 are probably also issues of Barke as their stylistic similarities with this coin show that they were engraved by the same hand (especially lot 553).