American Numismatic Society in Lycia
By Ute Wartenberg – President and Research Curator, American Numismatic Society (ANS) ……
As part of a longer trip abroad, American Numismatic Society President Ute Wartenberg, together with her husband Jonathan Kagan, went to southwestern Turkey to examine excavations at the ancient Lycian site of Patara. At the invitation of Dr. Erkan Dündar, who is part of a Turkish team excavating this important site, they studied over 30 Archaic and Classical coins found in the last few years. Their study will be part of a publication of other finds from this site, which is in preparation by the Turkish team and their various collaborators.
Patara was one of the most important Lycian cities, which was already attested in the 13th century BCE in a Hittite source. The history of Lycia reflects its strong desire for independence while coexisting with the various powers that controlled the area from the sixth century onwards, including the Persians, the Athenians, the Hekatomnids, and later Alexander the Great and his various successors as well as the Romans. Among Christians, it is better known as the birthplace of Saint Nicholas.
The archaeological site, which happens to be located at one of Turkey’s most beautiful beaches, has been partially excavated, and some of the buildings, including a bouleuterion building, have been almost completely reconstructed. There is also an extraordinary project underway to rebuild the lighthouse of Patara, which an inscription dates to the era of Nero. By scanning and reassembling over 2,500 pieces scattered around the area, a computer engineer, an architect, and various workmen will hopefully complete this work soon.
For more information, visit the excavation’s website.
Kagan and Wartenberg hope to join the Turkish excavation team to continue their work on the coins dating from the sixth to the fourth centuries BCE, which are all found in an area called the Tepecik settlement. One of the most spectacular finds from this same area was a hoard of 19 gold Ptolemaic coins, which were hidden in a wall and wrapped in two lead sheets. Ptolemaic officers appear to have lived in these quarters, which have been rich in finds. This find was just published by Erkan Dündar and Dinçer Savaş Lenger in the American Journal of Archaeology 126.2, 2022.
ANS Wins Eight Numismatic Literary Guild Awards
The Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) honored the ANS with eight awards at the recent American Numismatic Association (ANA) 2022 World’s Fair of Money. Andrew Reinhard, ANS Director of Publications said:
“This really speaks well of the depth and breadth of everything the ANS offers to its Members and to the public: award-winning books, journal articles, magazine articles, multimedia, social media, and the website. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone for how their work supports the mission of the ANS via words and pictures.”
Best Book: Tokens & Medals
- Sydney F. Martin – Numismatic Commemorations of the 200th Birthday of George Washington in 1932
Best Feature Article: United States Coins – Early
- Jérôme Jambu – “The Coins Made ‘for the Islands and Mainland of America’ by the French West India Company 1670”, Journal of Early American Numismatics
Best Feature Article: Ancient and Medieval Coins
- Nathan T. Elkins – “Coins and the Colosseum: How Coinage Illuminates the Greatest Amphitheater”, ANS Magazine
Best Feature Article: World Coins
- Bill Dalzell – “The Origins and Context of the First Coinage for Liberia”, American Journal of Numismatics
Best Feature Article: Numismatic History or Personalities
- Julia Casey – “The Crane Ring of Rupert, Vermont: A Family of Counterfeiters at Reuben Harmon’s Mint”, Journal of Early American Numismatics
Best Non-Trade Website
- American Numismatic Society – Numismatics.org
Best Numismatic Social Media Platform or Coin Collector Forum
- American Numismatic Society – facebook.com/AmericanNumismaticSociety
Best Blog
- American Numismatic Society – Pocket Change
Click here to learn more about becoming an ANS Member. Members can choose to receive one or both journals, receive a 30% discount on all books, and also receive the ANS Magazine four times a year.
Since 1968, the NLG has been a nonprofit organization composed of editors, authors, writers, bloggers, and content producers who cover news and feature stories about all forms of money, medals, and tokens as collectibles.
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The American Numismatic Society (ANS), organized in 1858 and incorporated in 1865 in New York State, operates as a research museum under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is recognized as a publicly supported organization under section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) as confirmed on November 1, 1970.