Elephant Coins

The ancient world of the Mediterranean region had initiallyonly come into contact with the tusks of the elephant, and notwith the animal itself. As early as the Mycenaean period (ca.1580 - 1200 BC) -- that is, long before Pliny -- the MycenaeanGreeks were familiar with ivory, which they acquired throughtrade in Asia Minor with the Hittites.

The Greeks did not learn about the animal from which this ivorycame until the fifth century BC. Herodotus (c. 490-430 BC) usedthe word eléphas for both ivory and the elephant. However,it was not until the late fifth to early fourth century BC thatCtesias of Knidos provided his fellow countrymen with moredetailed information about elephants. He was a physician at thecourt of the Persian king, and was one of the first Greeks to seeIndian elephants in the flesh and write about them. We know ofhis work only from the quotations of later writers.

Alexander the Great was the first Greek to be confrontedwith Asian war elephants. In the Battle of Gaugamela/Arbela(in present-day northern Iraq) on 1 October 332 BC, the PersianKing deployed 15 Indian war elephants, but they were unableto prevent his own downfall and the triumph of Alexander,who managed to capture some of the elephants alive. For theMacedonian King, however, this was only the beginning of hisencounters with elephants.

To read the complete article, see:
Elephant Coins:1. Greeks and Asian Elephants (https://www.kuenker.de/data/mitteilungen/0010_Kuenker_Exklusiv_2024_29_ENG.pdf)

Visiting Spain's Segovia Mint

The first thing every visitor sees is the large entrance gate. Inthe 16th century, this was the only entrance to the secure area,which was surrounded by high walls. To the left of the entrancewas the guardhouse, which was manned day and night. Thisprevented unauthorized persons from entering the mint. If worstcame to worst, the guard could use the jail right next to theguardhouse. Caught offenders could be imprisoned there.

Incoming goods were transported through the gate intothe large complex of buildings on the right side. This waswhere the smelter and the assay furnace were located. Expertschecked the purity of the incoming metal before it was takento the scales. A clerk was in the room to record exactly whohad brought what and how much. Once the silver had beenaccounted for, it could be locked away in the room next door.

To read the complete article, see:
Numismatic Museums Around the World:The Segovia Mint(https://www.kuenker.de/data/mitteilungen/0009_Kuenker_Exklusiv_2024_29_ENG.pdf)