Climb every mountain
- Bare headed bust of Lucius Verus, right, wearing cuirass and paludamentum.
- Mount Argaeus with trees, on summit, Helios holding globe and sceptre, at base, animal on left, tree on right.
- © The Trustees of the British Museum
- The theme of the meeting this month was bridges, rivers and mountains on coins. Mountains have always been significant in mythology and religion. One of the coins shown at the meeting was a coin from Caesarea in Cappadocia, now Turkey. It features Mount Argaeus and this image or similar was used on coins from the reign of Tiberius (AD 14-37) until well into the Third Century. The mountain name means “white” and is the highest in Turkey. It is volcanic in origin. Some images show a figure standing on the mountain probably a local god and others have a tree and animal at the base. On some of coins the mountain is smoking or even fire is depicted. Sources say they there has been no eruption for thousands of years. There was an incident in 253 BC. The volcanic soil would have made the surrounding area very fertile.
- see also
- https://www.cointalk.com/threads/argaios-the-holy-mountain-of-cappadocia.335685/)
- https://www.baldwin.co.uk/news/coins-of-the-sacred-mountain/#:~:text=Its%20first%20appearances%20begin%20during,to%20the%20cult%20of%20Mithras.
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