WRESTLERS ON ANCIENT COINS

Ancient Greeks loved wrestling . Cities celebrated champion wrestlers as hometown heroes. They raised statues in their honor. Even today, modern Greco-Roman wrestling still echoes that old tradition, although ancient wrestlers competed naked. Several cities struck coins that show the sport in action, especially in Pamphylia and Pisidia on the southern coast of Anatolia.

A Tiny Silver Coin Starts the Story

Uncertain mint. Early-mid 5th century. trihemiobol (Silver, 9.5 mm, 0.94 g). Two wrestlers about to grapple with each other, their arms extended and their hands touching; between them, cauldron; below, dotted ground line. Rev. Rough incuse square. Extremely rare, and possibly unique. Porous. Nearly very fine. From the collection of Major Anthony F. Milavic, USMC (Ret.),Nomos Auction 32 8 June 2022 Lot: 93 realized: $2,231 Nomos Auction 32 8 June 2024 Lot: 93 realized: $2,231

In 1990, Major Anthony F. Milavic (USMC, retired) acquired an enigmatic little silver coin . It shows two wrestlers about to grapple. Over the next several decades, Milavic built a world-class collection of ancient coins with athletic themes. The style and fabric of this piece, especially its simple square punch-mark reverse, place it in the Archaic era, which numismatists date to before about 480 BCE.

The coin weighs 0.94 gram. That weight suggests a trihemiobol on the "Thraco-Macedonian" standard. The blank was too small for the die, so part of the design falls off the edge. A row of dots marks the ground line beneath the wrestlers. The source identifies the large pellet between their feet as a bronze cauldron, the prize awarded to winners in these contests .

Uncertain. Early-mid 5th century BC. AR Diobol or Eighth Stater (?) (10mm, 1.24 g). Two wrestlers grappling; aryballos (?) between / Incuse square punch.. Toned, granular surfaces. VF. Extremely rare. Classical Numismatic Group Triton XXVIII 14 January 2025 Lot: 341 realized: $450

Earliest Known Image of Wrestlers

Milavic later acquired a second, larger, and sharper example. A cataloguer suggests that this 1.24 gram coin may be a diobol or one-eighth stater (?) . The same cataloguer identifies the round object between the wrestlers as an aryballos, a small spherical flask that athletes used to carry scented olive oil to the gymnasium for skin preparation and cleaning. Together, these two pieces present the earliest known image of wrestlers on ancient coinage.

Aspendos Turns Wrestling Into a Civic Emblem

Aspendus Stater circa 420-370, AR 10.48 g. Two wrestlers grappling; in lower middle field, ?O. Rev. ESTFE?IIY Slinger standing r.; in r. field, forepart of horse above spearhead. Boston 2101 (these dies). Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 59 4 April 2011 Lot: 636 realized: $2,174

The city of Aspendos, or Aspendus, stood on the Eurymedon River about 16 km, or 10 miles, inland from the sea in Pamphylia, in today's Turkish province of Antalya. The city prospered through trade in salt, oil, and wool. It began issuing handsome and abundant silver coinage in the 5th century BCE.

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Wrestlers On Ancient Coins (https://coinweek.com/wrestlers-on-ancient-coins/)

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