A Mystery Coin - The Wild, Wild East?

Heads and tails of a real challenge from my box of random ancient coins.

The metal composition is peculiar, it looks like high quality bronze.  It is about twice the thickness of late Roman specimens. But it has some features that do speak to its origins.  Note the little ties behind the hair on the obverse side.  See a similar hair fastener in this coin of the Emperor Trajan:

You tend to see a lot of odd stuff in the local coinage of the Eastern part of the Empire, formerly Greek areas that retained the privilege of making base metal coinage.  But a huge blow against this theory is the one unambiguous letter on the coin can be seen on its reverse.  It is a P.  Of course the Greek alphabet does not use this letter, instead using the symbol "Pi".

The whole coin looks wrong.  Sure you see some significant wear in low value coins like this, but there is an overall smooth look to it.  The only really crisp feature is that weird palm frond or giant wheat sheave on the reverse.  And even this is wrecked visually by that big central blob that looks to have been a deliberate part of the design rather than a mold error.

I am assuming that the figure on the reverse is female, based on what looks like a skirt and faint breast shadows.  So maybe this is a very crude representation of Ceres the goddess of agriculture. But she is usually shown holding an understated cornucopia or a small bunch of grain.  Today's mystery coin shows her standing next to a five foot tall monstrosity.

I did not strain my eyes too much trying to puzzle out the other lettering on the coin, I think it is nonsense.  There is for instance what looks like a fork in front of the "emperor's" portrait.

So what we basically have is a front that looks to have been "inspired" by a fairly early Roman coin, and a back that shows a rather crude, exaggerated depiction of Ceres or her Greek equivalent, Demeter.

I think this is an example of another class of Barbarous coinage, specifically of Limes coinage.

This stuff differs from the Barbarous Radiates I visited previously.  Those were made within the Empire during times when central control broke down.  The Limes coins were from the frontiers.

Limes means borders.  The word has come down to us in English as "limits".  When the Empire was in its expansion phases there would be times when the local economy on the frontiers would be cast into chaos.  Imagine the Roman army marching in and conquering a province.  The troops are well paid in high quality silver.  The sullen locals may have had some previous cross border trade but were mostly operating on a barter economy.  Well, now laborers were being hired, prostitutes paid, rounds of drinks bought....you were operating in a cash economy, which meant you had to make change.

The thinking is that the local military authorities did not care about minor matters like small change. By Jupiter they were not going to tie up valuable cargo space hauling bronze coins to the ends of the earth. If the locals wanted to slap together low value coins using whatever worn out or DIY coin molds they could lay hands on, it was not a matter of importance.  In favor of the reused/worn out mold have a look at the nose on the portrait...appears to me someone just roughed out the profile by carving a crude line into the mold.

This seems to have been especially common in the eastern province of Dacia, modern day Romania. And not coincidentally that is also where many of the "uncleaned coin lots" of the internet originate.

Archaeologically this means that finds of coin molds, unofficial mints, and of bizarre coins with mismatched fronts and backs are fairly common.

So absent any better theory I think today's mystery coin was the equivalent of what you saw back in the American Wild West.  More or less a trade token for saloons and bawdy houses out on a frontier that was so far from central authority that an "anything goes" mentality prevailed.

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Many of the Limes coins were actually base metal coins struck in the molds used earlier for silver denarii.  My example is too mutated to really link to any specific ancestors.  For a brief discussion, that pretty much emphasizes the lack of certainty, go HERE.
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On a very implausible note, the weird object near the foot of the "goddess" might be an attempt at showing a "cista mystica".  This appears occasionally on Roman coinage and is basically a basket full of snakes!  It had ritual significance usually with reference to Dionysius, but here is an example featuring Demeter.  Maybe a source coin?  You would just have to add some fronds to the staff in her left hand.

Answer Me these Questions....Eleven?

Yesterday's long winded musings were in response to a challenge I got from some of my UK archeology pals.  It was all about blogging and museums, and if such things interest you back track to  HERE

Now, my questions on the topic.  For anyone interested I suppose.

1.  Given that museums recall The Muses, who gave inspiration, how can you tell the difference between a real Museum and a bunch of random crap?  That shambling guy in a trench coat who spends 50 years collecting and arranging chewing gum wrappers is just a nut, isn't he?  Or does the degree of artistic arrangement make the difference?

2.  It seems as if the association between The Muses as a source of inspiration and the original Museum as it relates to the Great Library of Alexandria is a bit accidental.  How would our modern Museums look today if the scholars of Alexandria had chosen instead to base their Library not around the local shrine to The Muses but instead around:

-Their favorite wine shop?*
-The Pharos?
-or perhaps down the road a few centuries, the early Christian community of Alexandria?

3.  What would have happened if the Great Library had early "corporate sponsorship" say by the local maker of garum (fermented fish sauce).  Not entirely far fetched, the Library actively worked with merchants and seafarers to collect the books of the world. Would modern museums be less like temples?  And would they smell like anchovies?

4.  Is it necessary for a museum to physically display objects.  Or to put it another way, is a "virtual museum" an oxymoron?  We are comfortable with libraries existing entirely on line.  But how about a museum?  (note of course that it is probably easier to fake writings than to photoshop artifacts, but neither process is all that difficult).  Do we need to be physically in the presence of a painting or a gladius or a stegosaurus to relate to it?

I think that is only six or seven questions but it looks sufficient to perplex and inspire folks.  I may send a specific email to the marvelous RoadsideAmerica site but beyond that I declare it open season.....
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*Ooooh, I know the answer to this one:

MuseandHobbes Throws the Gauntlet

I have been challenged.

My old digging amiga MooseandHobbes passed along to me a challenge she had previously received from some of her museum associates.  The original version  HERE and her answer and onward challenge to me  HERE.  Basically it is about asking me to answer a few questions about Museums and blogging.  And I will, by and by.  But it got me thinking about Museums, how they got started and so forth.

In Greek mythology the Muses were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne.  (Mnemosyne btw was the Goddess of Memory, which given Zeus' incessant dalliances must have made for one interesting relationship!).  The Muses were generally said to be nine in number and to be the inspiration for literature, science and the arts.  Urania (Astronomy) was the only one who seemed oriented towards what we would call science, the rest were associated with poetry, dance, comedy, history and so forth.  Our word for music derives from the Muses.  So does amusement.  And of course, Museum.

At first glance the connection between goddesses and enlightening collections of artifacts would seem slight.  Indeed, in some ways learning by studying something is the polar opposite of just sitting around and waiting for Terpsicore and Erato and Melpemone to send you a batch o' Inspiration.  But historical accident played a role.

The Greeks were always big on shrines and groves and such to honor their deities.  So the Muses had a number of sacred sites. One of these shrines in Alexandria Egypt became associated with the Great Library and the circle of scholars that lived and worked there.  Hence the association of scholasticism with collecting knowlege from the far corners of the world became forever linked to the term Museum.

Now, on to the Challenge Questions and my answers.

1. Who are you and what do you like about blogging?

I am an eccentric, washed up by circumstance into mundane surroundings.  I study things that I find curious.  I blog about them in hopes others will be amused.

2.  What is the most popular post on your blog?

By a large margin this would be Three Guys versus the Asian Carp.  Something about our tale of trying to dispatch ten billion rambunctious invasive fish resonated with, er, somebody.

3. How do you decide what to post about?

See answer #1.

4.  Do you have a post you have hesitated on posting?

Sure.  Anything relating to family.  And posts relating to my work in the ER have to be heavily edited and usually delayed for months to years.  Privacy and all.

5.  What is your favorite local or specialist museum?  The smaller and more random the better.

You asked for it.  The Wilderness Museum associated with the Moccasin Bar in Hayward Wisconsin. Lets have a few pictures now, shall we?

Taxidermy at its finest.  Admire it while quaffing a few beers.  Kind of a rough place late in the evening, plan your visit accordingly.

6.  Would you encourage someone who does not like museums to visit the aforementioned museum?

If you don't like this kind of stuff I have nothing more to say to you.

7.  What is your earliest museum memory?

As a young lad of perhaps 6 or 7 visiting the odd collections in the basement of the Minneapolis Public Library.  They had a mummy that looked pretty old and dried up.  I was more impressed with a gigantic crab that looked as if its pinchers could really put a hurt on ya.

8.  What is the last museum you visited and what did you see?

Saw some good stuff on our trip to Europe last year.  Hercules was looking especially mighty.

9.  Have you seen an exhibit in a museum that you felt, or came close to feeling, should not have been displayed?

Not really.  My inclination is towards history museums and even a casual acquaintance with History shows you that we made a lot of mistakes in the past.  It is part of what we are.  On a global level the general removal of Native American remains and tableaus of "Primitive Peoples" is probably good.  I always stared at the depictions of a Pygmy village and thought "Sure, they don't seem to be doing that well but probably better than the malaria enfevered, dysentery befouled explorer whose perspective we are asked to assume....."

10.  If you could live in a museum, which would you chose?

The greatest collection of historic tanks on earth is at Kubinka outside of Moscow. Make sure the keys are in 'em and I would be a happy camper for a long time.

11.  What is the oddest search term that has led people to your blog?

I'm not going anywhere near that one.

So, there you have it.  My musings on Muses and Museums.  As I was encouraged to post my own variation on the Eleven Questions for others to have a swipe at I shall do so tomorrow.

I visit a Shooting Range

I grew up, sort of, in Minneapolis.  Other than a little fishing in the summertime I was a city kid with little exposure to the Great Outdoors.  My sons were raised in rural Wisconsin.  They all fish AND hunt.

My youngest took me out to the public shooting range yesterday.  To my recollection I had never been to such an establishment.

We are considering conversion to the local religious cult, Fall Deer Hunting.  So we took his 12 gauge shotgun out to the range with a box of rifled slugs.  The target is my own artistic creation, about a 1/3 scale deer.

I am very pleased to report that while my son has proven on all previous occasions to be a much better shot than I, that today at a respectable range I took exactly two shots.  Guess which two?

Look out Bullwinkle.  (yes I know, moose not deer, but my art skills are less than my marksmanship)

The Colosseum of the Robots

A few weeks back I put up a link to a  Kickstarter project aiming to fund a new arena for our "Machines Behaving Badly" robotics event.  I am happy to say that the goal was met and exceeded, so work will begin shortly on a new arena that should last for many years.  Many thanks to all who donated, some from the audience of this humble blog.

A fond farewell to the old arena, it soldiered on faithfully and gave hundreds of kids a chance to indulge destructive impulses while learning - often the hard way - about robotic design.

A few pictures from our last event:

And an end of the day look at Robot Cemetery:

More robotic shenanigans in the years ahead!

40 Years with Uncle Hugo

I don't do plugs for businesses or products.  You eat/drink/watch what you like and I shall do the same.  I have been blogging on schedule for three years now and have yet to do a "Top Ten List" of anything.  But today I have to make a rare exception and encourage those geographically able to visit a remarkable establishment.

Welcome to Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore (and its companion Uncle Edgar's).  This is, or ought to be, a National Treasure.  It is said to be the longest surviving SciFi bookstore in America and in fact celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this month.  It is in Minneapolis so I don't get over as often as I would like, but the selection of new and used books is outstanding.  At least I assume the new books are, I go there for the bargain used paperbacks.  And I could spend an entire afternoon browsing the stacks.  And boxes.  And piles.

Great stuff when you have upcoming travels.  Transatlantic flights and occasional bouts of inclement weather do require appropriate reading material.

The whole place has a sort of "underground comix" vibe to it.  Good people are running this store. And serious SciFi fans.  Did you notice the sign out front?  Lets pick up a little detail shot...

500 Nerd Points if you called it.  Yep, it is Tybo the Carrot!  Huh? say you non point winners, who?

In the cheesy 1960s show "Lost in Space" the special effects budget was just sufficient to have the villain of the week wear a rubber suit and try to not look ridiculous.  In the absolute nadir of the show - and perhaps of Western Civilization - there was a February 1968 episode entitled The Great Vegetable Rebellion.  In it the "Space Family Robinson" was imperiled by sentient plants led by.....Tybo.

The actor subjected to this indignity was a certain Stanley Adams.  Adams was one of those work horse character actors in the day of classic TV.  He appeared in virtually every show produced from the late 50s to the early 70s.  5,000 Nerd Points if you can name his memorable role in the original Star Trek series...

Didn't get it?  Don't feel bad.  Even I am not that far beyond the realm of normal human society.  But I have no doubt that the good folks at Uncle Hugo's would have nailed it.

Cyrano Jones, the guy responsible for infesting the U.S.S. Enterprise with Tribbles!

Naming the Liberty Ships - Part Ten

Time to say farewell to the Liberty Ships.  A list of their names has been a fun little sea voyage into odd corners of history.  In fact I had a hard time leaving some out.  Here are a few "odds" and ends.

Why, we have the S.S. Katherine Bates name in honor of the woman who wrote "America the Beautiful".  Also the S.S. Sarah Joseph Hale remembering the woman who penned "Mary had a Little Lamb".  Ms. Bates btw has become after the fact a figure revered by modern Gay activists.  Although from this long remove it is hard to tell just how much of her flowery 19th century professions of love for another woman were just overdone prose.  Whalebone corsets and Gay Pride....seems like two different planets.

Lets also remember the S.S. Thomas Bulfinch, a 19th century editor of folklore and mythology. Somehow he managed to distill out all the Grimm and naughty parts and make it respectable reading.

The Old West was commemorated in the S.S. Annie Oakley and the S.S. James B. Hickock.  A ship's insignia for the latter could possibly include the notorious "Dead Man's Hand" that Wild Bill was holding when he was shot, but that might be a bit much for suspicious mariners.

Aces over Eights.  The remaining card is a source of dispute.

There were an entire series of Liberties built for the British.  One would think the Brits would have enough historical figures to name endless numbers of ships.  But for some reason all these were dubbed names that began with "Sam".  Samcrest and Samglory, Samfaithful and Samfreedom. Even the unfortunate - to modern sensibilities - Sambo.

Another entire series were specially built for hauling coal.  They got inspiring names from, of all things, coal deposits.  Imagine a graybeard telling the younger generation about his time on the gallant S.S. Freeport Seam.

The names of the Liberty Ships are delightfully quirky, but were supposed to follow one firm rule: They were not to be named for a living person.  And even that rule was broken exactly once.

Francis J. O'Gara was a sports writer for the Philadelphia Enquirer before joining the Merchant Marine.  He was aboard the ill fated Liberty Ship S.S. Jean Nicolet when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in July of 1944.  The horrific tale of how the survivors were treated is recounted here.

The handful of sailors rescued by Allied ships made it quite clear that the Japanese were slaughtering all survivors.  And besides, the sub had made a crash dive to evade an approaching search plane.  It seemed entirely appropriate to name a new Liberty Ship for men who died on the Nicolet, although why her Captain was not so honored is not clear to me.

The keel of the Francis J. O'Gara was laid down in April of 1945, with completion in June.  So she was a rather new ship when her namesake was shipped home from a POW camp in Yokohama at the end of the war.  The vessel returning him to the States was berthed right next to.....the ship posthumously named for him!

The extended story of Francis O'Gara can be found here.  I am borrowing from that site a marvelous photo, here is the only namesake of a Liberty Ship who could pose for a photo with her!