(January 14, 2011) 2,100 year-old Greek coin may have marked rare astronomical event

Unreported Heritage News ^ | Friday, January 14, 2011 | Owen Jarus

[SunkenCiv]

New research suggests that this coin marks an eclipse of Jupiter by the moon. It happened on January 17, 121 BC and was visible in Antioch, the capital of the Seleucid Empire. The coin itself show Zeus with a crescent moon above his head and a star like object hovering above the palm of his right hand... On one side is a portrait of Antiochos VIII, the king who minted it. On the reverse is a depiction of Zeus, either nude or half-draped, holding a sceptre in his left hand. Above the god's head is the crescent of the moon, and his right arm is outreached with a star like figure (that may in fact be Jupiter) hovering just above his palm. "Nobody ever re-used this iconography again -- it was a one off," said Professor Robert Weir, of the University of Windsor in Canada, who presented his research recently at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America. Antiochos VIII was ruler of the Seleucid Empire, a kingdom created by one of Alexander the Great's officers, after the great conqueror died in 323 BC. By the time of Antiochos this realm was composed of a rump of territory centred on the city of Antioch, in south-eastern Turkey. The empire had been in decline for some time, with the Parthians gaining territory in the east, the Romans in the west and the Hasmoneans, a dynasty of Jewish kings, coming to power in the south.

[SunkenCiv]

Some of them will have appreciated in value by 20 million percent by then.

[Erasmus]

No, it’s the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

[Jewbacca]

An appreciation of value by 20 million percent when the original value is 0 is still zero.

They make me ill.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1203912/posts

[GreenHornet]

Researchers also found a manuscript, believed to be an advertisement for the coin, which reads as follows: “This limted edition coin, authorized by King Antiochos VIII himself, is available for a limited time only through this exclusive offer, so order yours today!”

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I don't care what Starry Night thinks. I happened to have been in Antioch on that date and took this picture:

OK, maybe not. But I will do a little Starry Night research and see if I can find a night on which such an occlusion was visible.

[Domestic Church]

Maybe he’s holding tinkerbell.

[dr_lew]

According to my Starry Night Software, which shows the event occuring in the early morning hours of 1/17/121 BC, the depiction would have been of a partial lunar eclipse, and not a waning or waxing crescent.

The software does not depict the lunar eclipse per se, but it has a pointer to the “Earth Shadow” which passes near to the moon while Jupiter is occulted. Jupiter emerges just as it and the moon are setting, and the sun is rising on the opposite horizon.

[ApplegateRanch]

Are you saying numimatists should leave astronomy to the astronomers?

[SunkenCiv]

The good doctor is an amateur astronomer — like Eugene Shoemaker and David Levy.

[SunkenCiv]

I’d do that.

[SunkenCiv]

You’re remarkably well-preserved, if I may say so. ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/michaelmolnar/index

[ApplegateRanch]

I'm sorry, I didn't get that impression from the article or his bio...except that, like me, he has an 8” Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, and knows how to use Starry Night or similar software.

Couldn't find any Google results (except the bio attached to this article) for him pertaining in any way whatsoever to astronomy, let alone being of the stature of Levy or Shoemaker, though he is an archaeologist & numismatist.

Or, do you mean dr_lew, to whom I was speaking, not referring?

[dr_lew]

I think there’s a good possibility that an error ( of omission ) was introduced by the writer of the article, due to confusion caused by a simultaneous occultation and eclipse.

That is, the writer may have failed to mention the lunar eclipse because he didn’t realize that an eclipse event was being described in addition to the occultation.

That’s my theory, anyway.

[ApplegateRanch]

Thanks; THAT sounds reasonable. The way it was written, taken at face value, just didn’t gel.

[SunkenCiv]

I can see what you mean, I don’t use either a telescope or Starry Night. :’) And I use computers, but am always mystified when Windows machines catch fire and whatnot. ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

Interestingly enough, this is a different coin from Antioch, found by another researcher, who is no Michael Molnar. Nevertheless, here's the Michael Molnar keyword sorted alpha, with the five or six different research threads:

• Early Christians Hid The Origins Of The Bethlehem Star [2001]
• Researcher has theory on the 'Star of Bethlehem' - [2003]
• What Was The Star? [2004]
• Seeing and believing in the Star of Bethlehem [2005]
• Professor Says History's Best Known and Most Debated Star Proven [2007]
• Comet Brightens Mysteriously By A Factor Of A Million [2007]
• Texas A & M Professor Claims Proof Of Star Of Bethlehem [2007]
• Star of Bethlehem [2007]
• Date of the Birth of Christ (The Star that Astonished the World) [2007]
• The Magi and the Star [2009]
• Revealing the Star of Bethlehem [2010]
• OU Professor Says Ancient Text Reveals Startling Information About Magi, Star of Bethlehem [2010]
• (January 14, 2011) 2,100 year-old Greek coin may have marked rare astronomical event [2011]
• Lost Syriac Text Gives Magi's View of the Christmas Story [2011]
• Have Astronomers Found the Star of Bethlehem? [2011]
• The Star of Bethlehem Scientifically Proven [2015]
• Keyword: Michael Molnar