DEMETRIOS I Poliorketes 294BC Authentic Ancient Greek Coin Galley Ship i41638

$325.00 $292.50

Availability: 1 in stock

SKU: i41638 Category:

Item: i41638

 

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Greek Ruler of
Macedonian Kingdom

Demetrios I, Poliorketes – King: 294-288 B.C.

Bronze 10mm (1.72 grams) Struck 294-288 B.C.
Reference: Sear 6775; Newell 20
Head of Demetrius right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet ornamented with
bull’s horn.
Prow of galley right; BA above, monogram beneath.

Son of Antigonos the One-eyed, Demetrios Poliorketes (the ‘Besiger’) was a
romantic chracter who pursued a most colorful career spanning more than three
decades. In his earlier years he assisted his father, whose power was centered
in Asia Minor, and in 306 he achieved a great naval victory over Ptolemy of
Egypt, in the batte f Salamis, off the coast of Cyprus. After many vicissituedes
he seized the Macedonian throne in 294, although he reigned for only six years
the dyansty which he founded lasted unil the end of the Macedonian Kingdom. He
died as a captive in Syria in 283 B.C.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of

Authenticity.

 


A
galley  is a type of

ship
propelled by
rowers
that originated in the eastern
Mediterranean Sea
and was used for
warfare
,
trade
and
piracy
from the first millennium BC. Galleys
dominated
naval warfare
in the Mediterranean from the 8th
century BC until development of advanced sailing warships in the 17th century.
Galleys fought in the wars of
Assyria
, ancient
Phoenicia
,
Greece
,
Carthage
and
Rome
until the 4th century AD. After the fall
of the
Western Roman Empire
galleys formed the
mainstay of the
Byzantine navy
and other navies of successors
of the Roman Empire, as well as new
Muslim
navies. Medieval Mediterranean states,
notably the Italian maritime republics, including
Venice
,
Pisa
,
Genoa
and the
Ottoman Empire
relied on them as the primary
warships of their fleets until the 17th century, when they were gradually
replaced by sailing warships. Galleys continued to be applied in minor roles in
the Mediterranean and the
Baltic Sea
even after the introduction of
steam propelled
ships in the early 19th
century.

The galley engagements at
Actium
and
Lepanto
are among the greatest
naval battles
in history.


Demetrius I (Greek:

Δημήτριος Α`, 337-283 BC), called Poliorcetes (Greek:

Πολιορκητής – “The Besieger”), son of

Antigonus I Monophthalmus

and

Stratonice

, was a king of

Macedon

(294–288 BC). He belonged to the

Antigonid dynasty

.

Biography

At the age of twenty-two he was left by his father to defend

Syria
against

Ptolemy

the son of

Lagus
; he was

totally defeated in

Battle of Gaza

, but soon partially repaired his loss by a victory in the

neighbourhood of Myus
.

In the spring of 310, he was soundly defeated when he tried to expel

Seleucus I Nicator

from

Babylon
; his

father was defeated in the autumn. As a result of this

Babylonian War

, Antigonus lost almost two thirds of his empire: all eastern

satrapies became Seleucus’.

After several campaigns against Ptolemy on the coasts of

Cilicia
and

Cyprus
,

Demetrius sailed with a fleet of 250 ships to

Athens
. He

freed the city from the power of

Cassander

and Ptolemy, expelled the garrison which had been stationed there under

Demetrius of Phalerum

, and besieged and took

Munychia

(307 BC). After these victories he was worshipped by the Athenians

as a

tutelary

deity under the title of Soter (σωτήρ) (“Preserver”).

In the campaign of 306 BC against Ptolemy he defeated

Menelaus

, Ptolemy’s brother, in the naval

Battle of Salamis

, completely destroying the naval power of

Egypt
. In 305 BC,

now bearing the title of king bestowed upon him by his father, he endeavoured to

punish the Rhodians

for having deserted his cause; his ingenuity in devising new

siege engines

in his unsuccessful attempt to reduce the capital gained him

the title of Poliorcetes. Among his creations were a

battering ram

180 feet (55 m) long, requiring 1000 men to operate it; and a

wheeled siege tower

named “Helepolis

(or “Taker of Cities”) which stood 125 feet (38 m) tall and 60 feet (18 m) wide,

weighing 360,000 pounds.

In 302 BC he returned a second time to Greece as liberator, and reinstated

the

Corinthian League

. But his licentiousness and extravagance made the

Athenians long for the government of Cassander. Among his outrages was his

courtship of a young boy named Democles the Handsome. The youth kept on refusing

his attention but one day found himself cornered at the baths. Having no way out

and being unable to physically resist his suitor, he took the lid off the hot

water cauldron and jumped in. His death is seen as a mark of honor for himself

and his country. In another instance, he waived a fine of 50 talents imposed on

a citizen in exchange for the favors of Cleaenetus, that man’s son.[1]

He also sought the attention of Lamia, a Greek courtesan. She demanded a price

of 250 talents. He put a tax on soap to raise the money.[2]

He also roused the jealousy of

Alexander

‘s Diadochi

;

Seleucus

, Cassander and

Lysimachus

united to destroy him and his father. The hostile armies met at the

Ipsus

in Phrygia

(301 BC). Antigonus was killed, and Demetrius, after sustaining

severe losses, retired to

Ephesus
. This

reversal of fortune stirred up many enemies against him—the Athenians refused

even to admit him into their city. But he soon afterwards ravaged the territory

of Lysimachus

and effected a reconciliation with Seleucus, to whom he gave his

daughter

Stratonice

in marriage. Athens was at this time oppressed by the tyranny of

Lachares

– a popular leader who made himself supreme in Athens in 296 BC –

but Demetrius, after a protracted blockade, gained possession of the city (294

BC) and pardoned the inhabitants for their misconduct in 301.

In the same year he established himself on the throne of Macedonia by

murdering

Alexander V

, the son of Cassander. In 291 BC he married

Lanassa

, the former wife of

Pyrrhus

. But his new position as ruler of Macedonia was continually

threatened by Pyrrhus, who took advantage of his occasional absence to ravage

the defenceless part of his kingdom (Plutarch,

Pyrrhus, 7 if.); at length, the combined forces of Pyrrhus, Ptolemy and

Lysimachus, assisted by the disaffected among his own subjects, obliged him to

leave Macedonia in 288 BC.

He passed into Asia and attacked some of the provinces of Lysimachus with

varying success. Famine and pestilence destroyed the greater part of his army,

and he solicited Seleucus’ support and assistance. But before he reached Syria

hostilities broke out, and after he had gained some advantages over his

son-in-law, Demetrius was totally forsaken by his troops on the field of battle

and surrendered to Seleucus.

His son

Antigonus

offered all his possessions, and even his own person, in order to

procure his father’s liberty. But all proved unavailing, and Demetrius died

after a confinement of three years (283 BC). His remains were given to Antigonus

and honoured with a splendid funeral at

Corinth

.

His descendants remained in possession of the Macedonian throne till the time

of

Perseus

, when Macedon was conquered by the

Romans

in 168 BC.

Literary references

Demetrius appears (under the Greek form of his name, Demetrios) in

L. Sprague de Camp

‘s historical novel,

The Bronze God of Rhodes

, which largely concerns itself with his siege

of Rhodes.

Alfred Duggan’s novel Elephants and Castles provides a lively

fictionalised account of his life.


Frequently Asked Questions

How long until my order is shipped?:
Depending on the volume of sales, it may take up to 5 business days for

shipment of your order after the receipt of payment.

How will I know when the order was shipped?:
After your order has shipped, you will be left positive feedback, and that

date should be used as a basis of estimating an arrival date.

After you shipped the order, how long will the mail take?
USPS First Class mail takes about 3-5 business days to arrive in the U.S.,

international shipping times cannot be estimated as they vary from country

to country. I am not responsible for any USPS delivery delays, especially

for an international package.

What is a certificate of authenticity and what guarantees do you give

that the item is authentic?
Each of the items sold here, is provided with a Certificate of Authenticity,

and a Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity, issued by a world-renowned numismatic

and antique expert that has identified over 10000 ancient coins and has provided them

with the same guarantee. You will be quite happy with what you get with the COA; a professional presentation of the coin, with all of the relevant

information and a picture of the coin you saw in the listing.

Compared to other certification companies, the certificate of

authenticity is a $25-50 value. So buy a coin today and own a piece

of history, guaranteed.

Is there a money back guarantee?

I offer a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee. I stand

behind my coins and would be willing to exchange your order for

either store credit towards other coins, or refund, minus shipping

expenses, within 30 days from the receipt of your order. My goal is

to have the returning customers for a lifetime, and I am so sure in

my coins, their authenticity, numismatic value and beauty, I can

offer such a guarantee.

Is there a number I can call you with questions about my

order?

You can contact me directly via ask seller a question and request my

telephone number, or go to my

About Me Page to get my contact information only in regards to

items purchased on eBay.

When should I leave feedback?
Once you receive your

order, please leave a positive. Please don’t leave any

negative feedbacks, as it happens many times that people rush to leave

feedback before letting sufficient time for the order to arrive. Also, if

you sent an email, make sure to check for my reply in your messages before

claiming that you didn’t receive a response. The matter of fact is that any

issues can be resolved, as reputation is most important to me. My goal is to

provide superior products and quality of service.

  • Selection Required: Select product options above before making new offer.
  • Offer Sent! Your offer has been received and will be processed as soon as possible.
  • Error: There was an error sending your offer, please try again. If this problem persists, please contact us.

Make Offer

To make an offer please complete the form below:
$
Please wait...
YEAR

Year_in_description

DENOMINATION

Denomination_in_description

Shopping Cart