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Ruler: Kings of Pergamon. Pergamon. Attalos I Soter, 241-197 BC (In the name of Philetairos)
Denomination: Tetradrachm AR
Obverse: Laureate head of Philetairos right / ΦIΛETAIPOY (PHILETAIROY = of Philetaerus)
Reverse: Athena seated left on throne, cradling spear, resting elbow upon shield and crowning dynastic name with wreath; bow to right; cornucopia to outer left, monogram to inner left.
Weight / diameter: 29 mm, 17,04 g
Reference: SNG Paris no. 1622; Westermark Group VI.A
Note: A very rare variety!
Attalus I (Ancient Greek: Ἄτταλος 'Attalos'), surnamed Soter (Greek: Σωτήρ, 'Savior'; 269–197 BC), was the ruler of the Greek polis of Pergamon (modern-day Bergama, Turkey) and the larger Pergamene Kingdom from 241 BC to 197 BC. He was the adopted son of King Eumenes I, whom he succeeded, and the first of the Attalid dynasty to assume the title of king, sometime around 240 to 235 BC. He was the son of Attalus and his wife Antiochis.
Attalus won an important victory, the Battle of the Caecus River, over the Galatians, a group of migratory Celtic tribes from Thrace, who had been plundering and exacting tribute throughout most of Asia Minor for more than a generation. The victory was celebrated with a triumphal monument at Pergamon (The Dying Gaul) and Attalus taking the surname "Soter" and the title of king. He participated in the first and second Macedonian Wars against Philip V of Macedon as a loyal ally of the Roman Republic, although Pergamene participation was ultimately rather minor in these wars.[3] He conducted numerous naval operations throughout the Aegean, gained the island of Aegina for Pergamon during the first war and Andros during the second, twice narrowly escaping capture at the hands of Philip V. During his reign, Pergamon also repeatedly struggled with the neighboring Seleucid Empire to the east, resulting in both successes and setbacks.
Attalus styled himself as a protector of the freedoms of the Greek cities of Anatolia as well as the champion of Greeks against barbarians. He funded art and monuments in Pergamon and in Greek cities he sought to cultivate as allies. He died in 197 BC at the age of 72, shortly before the end of the second war, having suffered an apparent stroke while addressing a Boeotian war council some months before. He and his wife Apollonis were admired for their rearing of their four sons. He was succeeded as king by his son Eumenes II.
When Lysimachos established the mint of Pergamon, he entrusted its treasury to the eunuch Philetairos. Philetairos changed his allegiance to Seleukos I, probably shortly before the Battle of Korupedion in 281 BC, where Seleukos defeated Lysimachos. Although Seleukos was assassinated the following year, Philetairos struck a series of Alexander-type issues in the name of Seleukos. Philetairos continued to acknowledge Seleukid primacy for some time, but soon struck a coinage in his own name. This coinage featured Athena Nikephoros on the reverse, similar to the reverses of Lysimachos. Perhaps because this move might have been viewed as a threat by his Seleukid overlord, the obverse of the first issues of these coins featured the portrait of Seleukos I. Houghton & Lorber (SC), citing Le Rider and Newell, assign this coinage to the aftermath of Antiochos I′s victory over the Galatians, circa 269/8 BC. Near the end of Philetairos′ reign, in the mid-late 260s, the portrait of Seleukos was replaced with the portrait of the Pergamene king, noting a final break from Seleukid authority.
Similar to what was done in Ptolemaic Egypt, all of the subsequent kings of Pergamon continued to use these types on the coinage, and even kept Philetairos′ name. Distinguishing the issues between the various rulers has been difficult for numismatists. Westermark′s die study of the coinage, however, provided the key necessary for understanding the series, although more recent hoard evidence has refined Westermark′s assignment of the issues.
The Pergamene kingdom had enjoyed considerable autonomy under the Seleukids, but in 261 BC, with the encouragement of Ptolemy II, who was at war against the Seleukids, Eumenes I revolted, and defeated Antiochos I in battle near Sardis in Lydia. The remainder of Eumenes′ reign saw an expansion of Pergamene power, including the foundation of a number of cities. Pergamene expansion was always at the expense of the Seleukids, and the two kingdoms remained in opposition. This opposition reached a climax during the reign of Eumenes II, who allied with the Romans during their war against the Seleukid king Antiochos III ′the Great.′ This alliance directly contributed to the defeat of the Seleukids at the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BC. In gratitude for his assistance, the Romans gave Eumenes control of Phrygia, Lydia, Lycia, and Pamphylia, and sought to strengthen the Pergamene kingdom as a buffer state between themselves and Seleukids.
Westermark, U. Das Bildnis des Philetairos von Pergamon, Corpus der Münzprägung. (Stockholm, 1961); The portrait of Philetaerus of Pergamon, Corpus of Coinage Dies. Studies in Classical Archaeology. no. 1. German text, 82 pages, 24 plates; A very useful reference, it was published in a very limited edition, has never been reprinted and thus is very rare.
Pergamon, Królestwo Pergamońskie (też Pergameńskie) – państwo hellenistyczne w zachodniej części Azji Mniejszej ze stolicą w mieście Pergamon, istniejące w latach 283-133 p.n.e. i rządzone przez dynastię Attalidów. Od około 236 p.n.e.[1] było królestwem rządzonym przez króla (basileusa).
Ostatnim władcą państwa pergamońskiego był Attalos III (zm. 133 p.n.e.), który w pozostawionym przez siebie testamencie oddał królestwo Pergamonu Rzymowi, nadając jednocześnie samemu miastu Pergamon i innym zależnym greckim miastom status wolnego polis. W rezultacie tego wybuchło powstanie Aristonikosa, które obok charakteru antyrzymskiego przybrało również cechy rewolucji socjalnej, walki biednych przeciwko bogatym. Po stłumieniu tego powstania Rzymianie organizują z części państwa pergameńskiego swoją nową prowincję Azję.
Przez większą część istnienia państwa podstawą jego polityki była współpraca z Rzymem. Pergamon (obok Rodos) był w okresie swojego istnienia najważniejszym sojusznikiem Rzymu w tym regionie, stanowiąc przeciwwagę dla wpływów seleukidzkich i macedońskich na terenach Azji Mniejszej.
Collezione : 17 Greek Tetradrachms and staters