The Great Temple of Mâ in Comana (Hierapolis)

[Sebastian]

Strabo "Geographica"

. In this Antitaurus are deep and narrow valleys, in which are situated Comana and the temple of Enyo, whom the people there call “Ma.” It is a considerable city ; its inhabitants, however, consist mostly of the divinely inspired people and the temple-servants who live init. Its inhabitants are Cataonians, who, though in a general way classed as subject to the king, are in most respects subject to the priest. The priest is master of the temple, and also of the temple-servants, who on my sojourn there were more than six thousand in number, men and women together. Also, considerable territory belongs to the temple, and the revenue is enjoyed by the priest. He is second in rank in Cappadocia after the king; and in general the priests belonged to the same family as the kings. It is thought that Orestes, with his sister Iphigeneia, brought these sacred rites here from the Tauric Seythia, the rites in honour of Artemis Tauropolus, and that here they also deposited the hair! of mourning; whence the city’s name. Now the Sarus River flows through this city and passes out through the gorges of the Taurus to the plains of the Cilicians and to the sea that lies below them.

 

Denomination: Tridrachm, Ag 

Obverse: Laureate head of Hadrian to right, ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟC CЄΒΑCΤΟC

Reverse: Radiate figure of Enyo/Mâ standing facing, looking left, her right hand on a shield, a club on her left arm, in the center of a temple with four columns, ΥΠΑΤΟC Γ, ΠΑΤΗΡ ΠΑΤΡΙΔΟC 

Reference: RPC III 3161.3, Sydenham, Caesarea 276, Ganschow, Münzen 168, Metcalf Conspectus 110 corr.

Mint: Cappadocia, Comana (Hierapolis), 128-138 A.D.

Weight: 9,59 g

Diameter: 24,5mm

I never thought that I would be able to add to my "Cappadocian" collection this tridrachm minted in the cappadocian Comana (Hierapolis) during the reign of Hadrian. So far, only two copies of this coin have been known, both of which are in the Berlin Staatlichen Museen museum. This museum offers the possibility of "adopting" the coin and becoming its virtual patron for a small fee (I admit that out of a great desire to have this coin, even in a virtual form, I considered this option). As it turns out, the Cappadocian land still hides many treasures and with great luck this value has joined my collection. 

The tetrastyle temple depicted on the coin is symbolically depicted of the no longer existing, Great Temple of goddess Mâ in Cappadocian Comana, while the goddess standing in a radial crown with a shield and a club is Mâ herself. Ancient Comana had a semi-autonomous character, because although it was subject to royal power, and in Roman times the governor and procurator, the power over the city was exercised by the high priest of the temple. The priests were aristocrats, coming from a royal family and their rank was second only to the king, and later to the Roman superior. 

Whether Orestes and Iphigenia really existed would be difficult to prove, but the fact is that the cult of Mâ, in many aspects, resembled that of temples dedicated to Artemis, who, by the way, was also often featured on the reverse of Cappadocian coins. Suffice it to mention the "sacred prostitution", for which the most famous temple of Artemis in Ephesus – Artemision – was famous, just like the temple in Comana.

The cult of Mâ-Bellona spread by Sulla and his legionaries, who, after visiting the temple in Comana, chose her as the guide of his military activities. The goddess accepted his prayers and guided his actions through dream visions, as we can read in Plutarch. Similarly, the great Julius Caesar visited the temple of Mâ in 47 BC, during his operations in the east and his march through Cappadocia. Caesar, during his stay in Comana, granted the priesthood to a member of the royal family – Lycomedes, making him the high priest of the temple there. We learn about Caesar's stay in Comana from "Bellum Alexandrinum (Alexandrian War)".

Emperor Caracalla transformed Comana into a Roman colony, and the Great Temple of Mâ itself enjoyed splendor until the official recognition of Christianity. The ruins of ancient Comana are located in the modern Turkish village of Şarköy in Adana province. To this day, archaeologists have not been able to irrefutably determine the place where one of the most important temples in Anatolia, and perhaps the whole of Asia Minor, once stood.

My full collection of cappadocian provincial coinage You can watch here:

https://www.colleconline.com/en/collection-items/21237/coins-ancient-to-romans-provincial-in-the-shadow-of-mount-argaeus-cappadocia-roman-province

[Ryro]

That's a stunner and has a beautiful and oober rare reverse! Huge coingrats on the acquisition. 

Here's a pretty rare Hadrian from Cappadocia gifted me a few years ago from a real cool cat:

Hadrian
(117-138) AR Drachm, CAPPADOCIA, Caesarea: issued 128-138. 2.94g, 17mm.
Obv: Laureate head right
Rev: ΥΠATOC Γ Π-ATHΡ ΠAT, Mount Argaeus surmounted by a statue of Helios, holding globe and sceptre.
RPC III, 3119, S 263a, Metcalf Conspectus 106, Ganschow 184b
Rare! (only 2 specimens in RPC). Gift from @Severus Alexander from AMCC3 July 2021