MONTHLY MEETINGS ARE NOW HELD AT SKIRBALL CULTURAL CENTER.
JANUARY 2004
It's that time again when we get together for our annual banquet and installation, a time when none of us has to worry about anything connected with the meeting save bringing the item on the list we have already received. The date will be January 11, 2004 at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. The time will be 1:00 P.M., as usual. Hope to see you all at the upcoming festivities at the meeting.
LAST MEETING
The officers-elect are as follows: President, Hugh Kramer; Vice President, Richard Baker; Secretary, David Stepsay; and Treasurer, Barry Rightman. The Board consists of the President, Past President, and three members: Michael Connor, Michelle Ross, and Al Budnick, with Paul Ranc as Alternate. There was a discussion regarding the raising of dues, mainly in honor of the higher and higher costs of the books as raffle prizes. It was moved, seconded, and passed that the dues be raised to $10.00 per year beginning with the advent of the new year.
In other news and sharing of information, Michael Connor announced that there are 22 new people a day visting the website. Ken Baumheckel reported that the Orange County Ancient Coin Club had 12-13 people at the last meeting and there is a bid board. Paul Ranc reported as the rep to NASC that there is need for someone to man the table at the Long Beach convention January 29-February 1, for a couple hours at a time. Various auctions were publicized. It was noted that the rise in the Euro gives European coin buyers a 25% discount right off the bat.
PRESENTATION
At our last meeting, our outgoing President Ken Friedman held forth on the Romanization of Samnium via a slide show and map talk. The Samnites were the occupants of central Italy when the Romans impinged upon them. Their territory included the southern portion of the Apennines in pre-history. They spoke Oscan. During the latter part of the sixth and the fifth and fourth centuries, there were many wars, including the sacking of Rome by the Gauls. The Romans became a regional power by the middle of the fourth century and in 348 BCE concluded a treaty with Carthage. They then turned their attention to the Samnites. From 343-341 the First Samnite war took place, with Rome victorious. That's when Rome installed the first Pro-Consul, to whom personally the army was loyal. As a result of their victory in the third Samnian war the Romans sent in colonists, which was a very effective way of colonizing. The colonists were mostly poor Plebeians. The Socii and the Latin League were established, which went a long way in aiding Rome to be hegemonous in Italy. Also the members of the Latin League had citizenship without voting rights but over the years they identified themselves with Rome. That's when Latin spread as the common language of the country.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
FEBRUARY 2004
The next meeting of ACCLA will take place on Sunday February 8, 2004 at 1:00 P.M. at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. Our next meeting will see Kelly Ramage presenting on Ancient Coinage of Central Asia.
Last meeting was the annual banquet-cum-installation-cum-social gathering. The festivities were embellished by the edible Chanukah Gelt passed out by our out-going President, Ken Friedman. It would not go amiss if I repeated the dramatis personae for this next year's productions: President, Hugh Kramer; Vice President, Richard Baker; Secretary, David Stepsay; and Treasurer, Barry Rightman. The Board consists of the President, Past President, and three Members: Michael Connor, Michelle Ross, and Al Budnick, with Paul Ranc as Alternate.
If you have not gotten your dues for the coming year in yet, be reminded that prompt payment will be duly appreciated.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
MARCH 2004
The next meeting of the ACCLA will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2004 at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, 1Granada Hills. The time will be 1:00 P.M. At the next meeting we will again hear from Kelly and Michelle, and they will discuss The Ancient Civilizations of Turkey, Their Monuments, and Their Mints.
At our last meeting Kelly Ramage was the presenter, and his discourse was on Ancient Coinage of Central Asia. He and Michelle Sheldon went on an odyssey through Turkey. Kelly showed a slide show of the very coins pertaining to the territory they negotiated. The Vilayet they toured through first was Aigaia, along the shores of the Mediterranean. Tarsus: it has no ruins, but he showed a satrapic coin; Illusia Sebast (Cilicia), where there are indeed Roman ruins to be seen; Seleucia Kalle Cadmium(?); Olba Diocaesaria; Anamourieon(?); Antikya ad Kragum; Sydra, Cilicia; Alania, where they found a Crusader castle; Perge, where there are many ruins; Phasalis, Lykia; Podalia; Ankara, the capital of Galatia, and we were shown a Julia Domna; Tomb of Midas (Gordion), where are the ruins of Hatush (the city of the Hittites) and a Lions Gate, like that at Mycenae. The next region explored was Cappadocia, with its many "fairy columns"; Kaiseryah, and we were shown a Julia Domna with fairy columns on the reverse; a Tranquilina coin, with grain on the back; the city of Tiana, with an aqueduct, and Zeugma. They also visited the museum at Antikya, the only extant one of the cities we used to know as Antioch. We were shown some of the coins from that city. An enlightening disquisition, to be sure.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
APRIL 2004
The next meeting of the ACCLA will take place on Sunday, April 11, 2004 at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. The time will be 1:00 P.M. The next presenter will be Barry Rightman who will speak on The Rise and Fall of the Roman Imperial Tetrarchy.
LAST MEETING
President Hugh Kramer brought the March meeting of the Ancient Coin Club of Los Angeles to order. The Club welcomed Merrill Gibson as a new member. Merrill is collecting Greek Coins and learned of the ACCLA via the Club Web site. Barry Rightman gave the Treasurer's report. Michelle Sheldon acquired new blackout curtains for the meeting room to improve viewing of projected slides and other material during Club presentations. Thanks to Michelle for her work in getting the new curtains. Web Master Michael Connor reported a continuing high number of visitors to the ACCLA Web Site. The Site had almost 2500 visits during February. Two new Why Ancient Coins? articles have been received and will be posted on the Site shortly. Plaudits were also given to Roger Burry for the continuing high quality ACCLA articles in the Celator.
Vice President for Programs, Richard Baker, reminded everyone that we need people to signup for future presentations. Mr. Kelly Ramage led an interesting discussion on the cost of coins and antiquities. There appear to be fewer "new" antiquities coming into the market; many are "recycles" of previously sold items. In addition the Eastern European sources of recent coins are moving up the selling chain and expecting higher prices. Combined with the weak American dollar, these trends are expected to lead to higher prices in the future. In addition there is a growing trend toward higher buyers fees. This will further add to the cost of collecting.
In the feature presentation Michelle Sheldon and Kelly Ramage presented Coins of the Ancient Cities of Turkey. This presentation based on their recent travels in southern Turkey began in Lycia where we left them last month. Their peregrinations took us up the west coast to Ephesus and then to the ancient cities of Aphrodisia, Cyme, Pergamum, Hierapolis, Euromos, and Priene. Photographic slides of the Greco-Roman ruins were presented. The ruins are a mixture of untouched and restored sites. The slides included photographs of the great amphitheater of Ephesus, the temple of Zeus at Euromos, and the entrance of the Aphrodite temple at Aphrodisia. The buildings were very impressive with the amphitheater at Ephesus holding some 24,000 people. The photographs of the ruins were complemented with slides illustrating coins minted at the various cities.
Along the way Michelle offered practical traveler's advice to members who might want to visit Turkey. Stay in single story buildings. That way nothing will fall on you and you won't fall on anyone. Also carry mosquito repellant. Mosquitoes were a problem for the early cities and continue to be a problem.
Respectfully submitted
Roger Burry for David Stepsay, Secretary
MAY 2004
The next meeting of the ACCLA will take place on Sunday, May 9, 2004 at 1:00 P.M. at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. Michael Connor will present A Parthian Primer.
LAST MEETING
Dean Ruby read a letter of greeting from Ralph and Sally Marx. Visits and duration of stay on website are on the increase, according to Michael Connor. Roger Burry gave a report on our contribution to the Celator. Ken Baumheckel reported on the Orange County Ancient Coin Club. Raymond Sidrys is giving his talk on Limines on April 24. Merrill Gibson, our newest member brought a beautifully printed book on Ancient Greek coins for our perusal. Richard Baker needs speakers for upcoming meetings.
The presenter at the April meeting was Barry Rightman, who gave a very comprehensive talk and slide show on The Rise and Fall of the Roman Imperial Tetrarchy.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
JUNE 2004
The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday, June 13, 2004, at 1:00 P.M. at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. Ken Baumheckel will be the presenter and the title of his subject will be Bridging the Time Gap: Byzantine and Medieval Coins. Ken says that it is a kind of overview, focusing on three chapters of this topic: 1) early Byzantine history; 2) the Crusades; and 3) the Reformation.
LAST MEETING
A discussion was held on whether or not and how to offer better door prizes triggered by the news that it is getting harder to offer books due to rising costs. It was the consensus that we should all give some thought to this matter and bring up conclusions and proposals at the next meeting. According to webmaster Mike Connor, we had more new visitors in April than ever before. The Orange County club had 15 attendees at their new venue (the Public Library in Fountain Valley). Bob Effler was the speaker. Ralph Marx sent a letter thanking us for sending them the ACCLA meeting notice regularly. He said he and Sally are happy in Eureka and he sang the praises of the North Coast and Eureka.
PRESENTATION
At our last meeting, the presenter was Michael Connor, who discoursed on A Parthian Primer. One can actually learn a lot about Parthian history through its coins. It is believed that the Parthians were originally a branch of the Dahae tribe from east of the Caspian Sea that acquired their name from the Seleucid Province. In 238 BCE Arsaces founded a kingdom that was to grow into an empire that included Afghanistan and stretched from the Mediterranean to India. It had control of east-west trade routes, including the well-known Silk Road. And the empire was known for its good administrators. The Parthians were originally nomads and well kinown for their horsemanship and cavalry. They were never to be conquered by the Romans. They invented brick vaulting, remains of which can still be seen at Ctesiphon. The Parthians had rich resources available to them, such as fluorspar (which when carved into cups {vasa murrina} was believed to act as a wine taste enhancer). They tolerated other cultures very well, always a mark of a great civilization. They counted Jews among their allies. The Parthians subjugated other peoples into vassal states, such as Persis, Elymais, Atropatine, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
The coins included drachms, tetradrachms (from Seleukia), chalkoi, and dichalkoi. Basically, there was no gold. On their coins is extensive script written in greek and aramaic lettering. Most of their literature is lost. The primary reference for this coinage is Sellwood's An Introduction to Coinage of Parthia (2d edit. 1980). This tome has given rise to the "Sellwood numbers" used to catalog the coin types.
Mike showed slides of the coins mentioned in the presentation ranging from the first to the last king of the Parthians with many having "blundered" Greek, Aramaic, and/or Pahlavi legends. No Latin despite much interaction between the two empires. The Parthians were finally defeated by the Sassanians.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
JULY 2004
The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday July 11, 2004 at 1:00 P.M. at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. Our next presenter will be Dave Welsh of Classical Coins, and his presentation will be entitled Lathe Machining of Bronze Coin Flans. It will be interesting to once again have a presentation on the nitty-gritty of coin manufacturing. Dave has invited attendees to bring coins that are tooled or in some other way have a bearing on the subject matter of his talk.
LAST MEETING
At our last meeting, the presenter was Ken Baumheckel. The title was Filling the Time Gap: Byzantine and Medieval Coins. It was an overview, perforce due to the exigencies of time. The subject matter was divided into three chapters of this topic: 1) early Byzantine history (CE 491-641); 2) the Crusades (1095 to the early 1300s); and 3) the Reformation (1500s and early 1600s). The slides he illustrated his talk with showed coins, maps, and works of art representing the three concentrations within this rather large time period. Ken commented on how he managed to fill some holes in his collection without spending a lot of money. He did in fact find coins of 5 of the 8 Byzantine emperors spanning Anastasius through Heraclius in dealers' junk boxes for $10 apiece. Among the coins that his slide show presented were Constantine, Theodosius II, Anastasius, Justinian (also a map), Justin II, an Antiochian jeweled cross with a piece of the true cross in the center, Justin II, Maurice, Khusro II, Phokis, Bulgarian with Cyrillic writing showing Ivan Asen, coin minted by Baldwin, King of Jerusalem, and an Edward I coin from when Edward conquered Scotland and banned the Jews from England.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
AUGUST 2004
The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday August 8, 2004 at the usual time of 1:00 P.M. The venue will be at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. Our presenter will be Mr. Leon Stabinsky on Antique Scientific Instruments. It bids fair to be a very interesting presentation.
LAST MEETING
Ken Baumheckel reported that the Orange County Ancient Coin Club will have a demonstration of the manufacturing process of Sassanian coins in 2 weeks. Ken Friedman and his wife just returned from a visit to Italy where they took in the Museo Civito Arcaeologico, which they highly recommended. There is a restaurant in Rome run by archaeologists, serving original Roman fare.
PRESENTATION
The presenter at the last meeting was Mr. David Welsh. He has an internet ancient coin business. The title of the presentation was Lathe Machining of Bronze Coin Flans. The coins he showed had visible central indentations, called dimples. These were part of the flan preparation rather than the minting process itself. Flan tooling marks survive on some of the coins which Mr. Welsh showed including concentric tooling marks on some Ptolemaic coins. These coins provide evidence on the ancient manufacturing process.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
SEPTEMBER 2004
The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday September 12, 2004 at 1:00 P.M. at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. Bob Effler, will give a presentation entitled The Flavian Dynasty: A Numismatic Focus.
LAST MEETING
Michael Connor reported that he is adding a "search" function to the website. NASC has a speakers' list to either provide or utilize speakers. There was a discussion of the pending legislation to require provenancing of imported antiquities, brought on by the Iraq war. Although most of the discussants did not oppose provenancing, there was concern that passage would drive collecting underground. A motion was proposed and carried that the club join ACCG, which is lobbying against the bill. Also it was MSP that individual club members be solicited for donations toward the fee, with the club only having to make up the shortfall. Ken Friedman generously volunteered to match individual donations. Kelly Ramage and Michelle Sheldon are going to Egypt, but do not understand the official guide brochure which states, they will be going "in search of the rain forests of Egypt".
PRESENTATION
The presenter at the last meeting was Mr. Leon Stabinsky on Antique Scientific Instruments. He started with the restoration and collecting of these instruments about 25 years ago. At a flea market in Brussels he bought his first instrument, a 150-year-old microscope. He now has over 500 instruments in his collection now. He began his presentation with the first classification of his collection, Sundials.
He showed a garden specimen in the shape of a shepherd carved out of wood on a pillar of ceramic. Also a Butterfield variation which was a pocket model (not uncommon), with a compass to orient the instrument to North. An equinoctial, (inclining with adjustment for latitude) was next. The type of sundials shown date from the early 16th century. The next classification was the Astrolabe, which maps the sky onto a 2-dimensional surface. There was a Sanskrit astrolabe (1621) shown, the astrolabe having in fact been developed in India. Columbus had a half dozen of them. They could range in size from 1" to 16"-18". The next classification was the Weather Indicator, measuring wind, temperature, air pressure, and humidity. Mr. Stabinski showed a depiction of Da Vinci's concept, which was an anemometer (ca 1480), and the evolution was to Dickenson's (ca 1890). The last classification was Coin Scales. Traditional was the two pans on the ends of a bar on a fulcrum, using counterweights. On another type, the fulcrum slides, thus doing away with counterweights. Most were used by bankers and merchants to try and detect fake and worn coins. In the Ottoman Empire they could measure the weight of 15 different coins. At the termination of the presentation we thanked the presenter, Mr. Stabinski, and also W. J. Shaeffer for the use of the projector.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
OCTOBER 2004
The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday, October 10, 2004 at 1:00 P.M. at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. David Michaels will give an artifact-illustrated presentation entitled Weaponry and the Military Tactics of the Greeks and Romans.
LAST MEETING
Ken Baumheckel reported on the Orange County ACC. Their next speaker will be Dr. Marty Koenigsberg on Judean coins. Ken has an article in the Celator on Maximinus. Ken Friedman said that SAN is back in publishing business. From ACCG we got a confirmation of membership and a letter from Wayne Sayles.
PRESENTATION
The presenter at the last meeting was Bob Effler, whose talk was entitled The Flavian Dynasty: A Numismatic Focus, which he subtitled, A Quickie Course in Late First Century Roman History.
The Flavians (Vespasian and sons) ruled from 69 to 96 CE. The Empire was in danger after Nero's death. There were external threats and a power vacuum inside. However, there was stability with regard to finances, morals, and law. CE 69 saw Otho, Galba, Vitellius, and Vespasian, as Emperors, which represented the first major crisis of the Empire. Vespasian built the Flavian Amphitheater, or Colosseum. He had been commander of the legions that put down the Jewish revolt. Several of his earliest coins were shown and various ones of Titus, his eldest son. Domitian, his younger son, who was paranoid, was a conspiracy theorist. He was Damnatio Memoriae and Bob showed one coin of his which was defaced as a result (Domitian was assassinated by having his throat cut). Bob segued to the Holyland, which was very important to the Flavians. Each city had its own coinage, some of which was shown. Bob passed out a very replete monograph called Outline/Synopsis covering the Flavian Dynasty.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
NOVEMBER 2004
The next meeting of the club will take place on Sunday, November 14, 2004 at 1:00 P.M. at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. Professor Robert Cleve will give a slide presentation of Greek and Roman monuments visited on his recent trip. We are always glad to hear from Dr. Cleve, who has been most generous in sharing his vast knowledge of the Ancient world with us.
LAST MEETING
We received the last and final payment of $1,600 from the dissolution of COIN. A motion was made, seconded, and passed to have a committee to review ideas how to promote and advance the club. Michelle Sheldon was appointed head and will appoint the committee and report back. Michael Connor reported that the number of visitors to the website is going up (40 per day). A new member, Gabriel Vandervort, friend of Kelly Ramage, signed up. Zahir Ibrahimi and his son Wahad, from Afghanistan, were in attendance. Mr. Ibrahimi owns Oriental Antique and Art in Canoga Park.
PRESENTATION
Mr. Michaels showed up in the full battle regalia of an optio, second in command to the centurion for his presentation Weaponry and the Military Tactics of the Greeks and Romans. He described the various parts of the uniform and the weaponry he was supposed to be carrying. These were: leino-thorax, a sword that can stop a moderate thrust; greaves and shield; 8-feet spear (spike and blade). The Roman government paid for the armor, but the soldiers' pay was docked as reimbursement. We were all very appreciative of this talk, especially since it was liberally illustrated with the items David was talking about. David Michaels, in addition to being numismatist, is also a re-enactor who participates in re-enactments of ancient battles. Some of the slides he showed were of such re-enactments.
Respectfully submitted
David Stepsay, Secretary
DECEMBER 2004
The next meeting of the club will be held on Sunday, December 12, 2004 at 1:00P.M. at the Balboa Mission Town Hall, Granada Hills. Paul Ranc will talk on Roman Imperial Quadrans. Members with interesting or unattributed examples are encouraged to bring them to the December meeting. At the next meeting also we will have elections for officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Governing Board, whom will be installed at our January Banquet and Installation. We are hereby soliciting members to furnish, inter alia, beverages, main dishes, salads, breads, side dishes, desserts, and the utensils necessary for their consumption. Please let us know at the next meeting what you will bring. If you are not planning to attend on December 12, but would like to bring something to the Banquet, please e-mail Hugh Kramer or the undersigned.
LAST MEETING
President Hugh Kramer called the meeting to order. The Treasurer gave his report. Meeting room fees have been paid through 2005. The website report indicated that traffic is up 75% over last year indicating continuing interest. The most frequently visited item was the Richard Baker article on countermarked coins. Michelle Sheldon, chair of the Future Directions committee, has submitted a report of recommendations that will be discussed at the December meeting. The December meeting was discussed. In addition to the committee report, two major topics are on the agenda: Annual Banquet planning and the election of Officers for 2005. The banquet and election of officers will be held in January. Several general announcements were made. Vision Tours out of East Los Angeles College is sponsoring a 12-day tour of ancient ruins in Libya. The Orange County Coin Club will have a presentation on coins of early Christianity at their next meeting. We received best wishes for the coming holidays from Ralph and Sally Marx.
PRESENTATION
Dr. Robert Cleve, Professor of History at California State University at Northridge, presented the November meeting program. His topic was The Aegean Bronze Age: Minos, Thera, and Mycenae. These three areas are home to major Bronze Age archaeological sites recently visited by Dr. Cleve, who used his personal photographs to illustrate his talk.
The palace of Knossos on the island of Crete represents the Minoan culture. It was discovered and excavated by Arthur Evans, a Victorian gentleman, who purchased the site with his own money and later donated it to Crete. Excavations at Knossos uncovered palaces, tools, weapons, jewelry, artifacts, and frescoes depicting decorations and scenes of life. The palace is an imposing, complex structure built around what is called the Bull Plaza. One practical feature is the elaborate systems of sewage disposal and drainage laid out by these early Minoan plumbers. Particularly interesting was a sarcophagus whose painted murals give some ideas about the Minoan culture.
The island of Thera is home to the ancient city of Akrotiri. The island, now known as Santorini, is reached by ship and a visit to the ruins of Akrotiri requires a hard climb or a trip on an aerial tram. Thera remains today an active volcano. When Thera erupted in mid-1400 BCE it utterly destroyed the island, burying the city of Akrotiri under tons of ash and debris. Spyridon Marinatos, a Greek archaeologist, excavated Akrotiri. The site itself is currently covered with a roofed structure that provides excellent protection. An outstanding feature of Akrotiri is the mural paintings that are currently located in Athens. The murals portray a number of animals and plants that are not native to Thera, indicating the extent of the interaction between this city and other cultures.
The third site visited by Dr. Cleve was the fortified city of Mycenae in southern Greece. The ruins of Mycenae, excavated by Hermann Schlieman in the late 19th century, still stand as an impressive memorial to the achievements of the Mycenaean civilization. The Lion Gate and the domed tombs illustrate the skill and wealth of this city. Schlieman's work on this site brought many items to reality that had previously been thought to be myths. A spectacular item found was the so-called gold burial "mask of Agamemnon" which caused a sensation at the time but has now been dated to well before the time of this Greek king.
Overall the sites represented three fascinating cultures that the evidence shows communicated with each other and with other cultures around the eastern Mediterranean. These cultures were ended by the volcanic eruption at Thera and the immigrations of the Dorians and Sea Peoples. Today the ruins reflect the strong, individual archaeologists whose personalities had a lasting effect.
Respectfully submitted
Roger Burry and David Stepsay, Secretary