[meteorite-list] Old Roman coins

From: Eric Hutton <bookman_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:17:42 2004
Message-ID: <b5cbc45d4c.bookman_at_bookman.rmplc.co.uk>

extract from the Catalogue of the Ward-Coonley collection of meteorites,
by Henry A. Ward. 1904 edition.


XI. MEDALS OF METEORITES.

The people of antiquity looked upon the heavenly bodies as the places of
abode of gods and being higher than mankind. Thus it came to pass that they
gave divine worship to objects which were seen to fall from the celestail
spaces. They built special temples, in which they preserved them with
sacred care. They were also displayed for public worship under a priest
appointed for the special purpose. These Meteorites received from the early
Greeks the name Betyls, probably from the earlier Hebraic Beth-el, or home
of God. In the early centuries--both B.C. and A.D.--the habit prevailed in
Macedonia, Cyprus, Mallos, Perge, Sidon, Tripolis, Tyrus and many other
places to make medals to commemorate the fall of meteorites. Such medals
were struck by order of Philip II, Alexander III, Augustus, Caligula,
Vespasian, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Septimus Severus, Heliogabalus, and
others. Dr Aristides Brezina, of Vienna, has given much study to this
numismatic meteorology. From him our collection has received a series of
sixty casts or replica of these medals. We give below Dr. Brezina's list of
these with his prefatory words:


BETYL COINS.
By Dr. Aristides Brezina

As the ancients supposed the stars to be the domiciles of gods, falling
stars and falling meteorites signified to them the descending of a god or
the sending of his image to the earth. These envoys were received with
divine honors, embalmed and draped and worshipped in temples by emperors and
autonomous cities. In general the image of a stone was first given in
naturalistic manner, then by and by became more human-like. Many of these
betyl coins represent stones expressly reported to have fallen from heaven.
They present many common features, the likeness to obelisks or cones, and
later on a half-human likeness or half-iconic form. So it came that similar
representations of unknown origin were likewise supposed to represent
meteorites in the same manner as among meteorites are recorded those seen to
fall and others which had been only found and had been supposed to be
meteorites because of the likeness to the former and their difference from
terrestrial rocks.

Betyls reported to have fallen from heaven are the Ompholos of Delphi,
represented on coins of sixty-five towns and countries; the stone of Emisa
(El Gabol) from seven towns; Zeus Katabates of Kyrrboro and Anazarbos, Zeus
Keraunios (two towns); stone of Aphrodite Paphia (five towns); Artemis
Ephesia (sixty-nine towns); stone of Astarte (eight towns); stones of Athena
(seventeen towns). Betyl coins accepted by analogy are: The Pyramids of
Apollon, the Stones of Zeus Dolicheros of Tarsos and of Zeus Kasios of
Seleucia, the Simulacres of Artemis Pergia, Samian Hera, Persephone, etc.,
together 342 towns. Related celestial bodies are the Comets, represented on
the coins of Rome and (in modern times) of Silesia.

The present collection of sixty coins with meteorits symbols represents
nineteen deites and thirty-seven towns. [Footnote..The full collection
of Betyl medals of Dr. Brezina number several hundred kinds.]


[ Lars, I have also some pictures from the 1901 edition which I will send seperate ]



In message <000d01c3bcde$7935dac0$c821a150_at_star> you wrote:

> Hello all
>
> Does anyone have an idea of how many different old Romans have relation to
> meteorites ?
>
> And does anyone have pictures/data of them ?
>
> If so, I will be happy if someone will send me the pics.
> I have a fast connection so hi reolution is ok.
>
> Best wishes
> Lars Pedersen
>
>
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-- 
Eric Hutton

Received on Mon 08 Dec 2003 04:15:27 PM PST