Sneaky Roman Empire Provincial Mint of Stratonicea in Anatolia

Ruins of the temple at Ligina (Λαγινία) under the control of the city of Stratonicea has been incorrectly assigned solely to Hekate. The whole misidentification originated with one paper by William Berg who misidentified the goddesses on their coins as Hekate, and who misidentified a female figurine on on the the temple's friezes as Hekate. What he did get right was the fact that some some Anatolian Greek names contained the word Hekate but that by itself cannot be used to identify a local temple.  
But he was on the right track because Stratonikeia's temple turns out to be devoted to the triple-road (Latin: Trivia) goddesses which are all 3 of the life-power Druid goddesses consisting of Kate/Hekate, Ayu, and Asher.

Picture from: Wikimedeia commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Sanctuary_of_Hecate_in_Lagina,_Caria,_Turkey_(17263493936).jpg

Minting Coins While Under Control of the Roman Empire

(January 1, 2025) This mint in Anatolia was able to mint its own coins by passing them off as coins belonging to pre-Roman times. This was discovered by their incompetent use of Druid Akkadian letter styles from an earlier time period. 

This city was one of the most important towns in the interior of ancient Caria, Anatolia, situated on the east-southeast of Mylasa, and on the south of the river Marsyas. It is now the town of Eskihisar, Muğla Province, Turkey. 

It was founded on the site of an old Carian town, Idrias, anciently called Chrysaoris, one of the first towns founded by the Lycians. Later it passed under the control of the Achaemenid Empire. According to Athens' tribute "assessment" of 425 BCE Idrias was supposed to be responsible for the payment of the considerable sum of six talents. Like many other non-Greek cities on the 425 BCE assessment Idrias is never recorded actually paying any tribute. The area was conquered by Alexander the Great becoming a Seleucid colony (312–100 BCE) before being taken over by the Romans around 100 BCE. It was during the Roman era they began minting these retro coins.

Two ancient rural sanctuaries at Lagina and and Panamara were absorbed into the territory of Stratonicea, one for a goddess and the other for a god. These were later rebuilt eventually becoming large temples in the Greek style. The Roman author Tacitus spoke of the worship of Trivia meaning "the 3-roads" among the Stratoniceans. So the goddess temple is for all of the life-power goddesess (Hekate, Ayu, Asher). The other temple has traditionally been assigned to Zeus.

The End of the Hellenstic period saw the final rebuilding of the temple to Diana. It seems to have been before the war against Eumenes III Aristonikos in 133 BCE. The temple is considered the last great monument of the "Ionian Renaissance" which began in Hecatomnid Caria with monuments like the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. The emperor Augustus donated a significant amount to help the site recover from damage after Lagina was attacked by Quintus Labienus, a rebel with Parthian support, in 40 BCE.  Lagina continued to thrive until a catastrophic earthquake in 365 BCE. Its end came after Christianity was enforced by the Christian Roman emperors.

The town resistence against the 40 BCE Parthian supported siege entitled it to the gratitude of Augustus and the Senate. The alleged divine intervention against Quintus Labienus by Zeus at Panamara led to the elevation of that sanctuary in the hinterland of Stratonikeia,to one favoured by the city. This was the time when it would have been allowed to mint its own coins although in order for those coins to be widely accepted they were passed off as older coins.

Reference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagina
Berg, William (1974) Hecate: Greek or "Anatolian"? Numen vol. 21 fasc. 2. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/5682221/Hecate_Greek_or_Anatolian_

Image of Ayu on Coin Minted in Stratonicea, Anatolia

(April 12, 2024) This is a silver Drachm of Stratonikeia with the head of Ayu on one side. It is dated to 188-125 BCE (American Numismatic Society, New York, 1967.144.4). Ayu is the crescent moon goddess, not Hekate yet coins like these were used to claim this temple was devoted to Hekate.


In Amanda Herring (2022) In Hekate of Lagina: a goddess performing her civic duty.  Anatolian Studies , Volume 72 , 2022 , pp. 141 - 165 . Online at: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Silver-Drachm-of-Stratonikeia-with-bust-of-Hekate-on-obverse-and-Nike-on-reverse-188-125_fig5_362771103

The Stratonicea Region Temple Frieze Showing Ayu (50 CE)

(April 12, 2024, updated January 1, 2025) This is the west frieze of a set of friezes found in the ruins of the temple at Stratonicea. These friezes center around the subject of an alliance between Rome and Stratonicea. The woman in the center was incorrectly identified as Hekate. She is actually Ayu (Roman Diana) as indicated by the flowing cloth behind here which replaced wings in later iconography.

The scene likely honors the resistance of Stratonicea to Parthian supported rebels in 40 BCE.

It is now at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums (photo by W. Schiele; negative no. D-DAI-IST-78-263, DAI Istanbul).

References


In Amanda Herring (2022) In Hekate of Lagina: a goddess performing her civic duty.  Anatolian Studies , Volume 72 , 2022 , pp. 141 - 165 . Online at: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Silver-Drachm-of-Stratonikeia-with-bust-of-Hekate-on-obverse-and-Nike-on-reverse-188-125_fig5_362771103
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Hekate-gigantomachy-west-frieze-Temple-of-Hekate-at-Lagina-Istanbul-Archaeological_fig2_362771103

Silver Drachm Phanius Shows Goddess Ayu from Stratonikeia Turkiye - 25 CE

(April 13, 2024, updated January 1, 2025) The goddess on this coin face is Ayu identified by the crescent moon above her head. Coin is 1.58 grams being 16 mm in diameter.

Ths coins should date to between 25 BCE and 25 CE  based on the history of Stratonicea but its letter style is the earlier Aegean Island which existed prior to that Hellenistic era. Consequently, we must assume this choice of lettering was a deliberate ruse to convince people that this coin dated to an earlier time.

Translation in Akkadian (Text Med 62)

(read left to right (Counter-clockwise). Capital letters on stone. Inner vowels inferred)
  1. Ṭu  AGu  YaYa  ABu
  2. KaYu  Qu  ARu

In English

  1. Thu is being angered by the pain of the life-priests.
  2. Prod the life-threads with the Motion-Controllers ( Su, Selene, Thu and their owls)

Reference

Numista Coin Catalog. Online at: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces152472.html

Reverse Side Of Stratonikeia Silver Drachm Phanius Shows Ayu and References Hekate - 25 CE

(April 13, 2024, updated January 1, 2025) The image shows a middle age Ayu (identified by her wings) reaching out towards the 7-starred Pleiades constellation while holding a wheat stalk over her shoulder. The Pleiades represents the astrology-fate-powers. Stratonikeia had a temple devoted to the triple-road (Latin: Trivia) goddesses which are a reference to the life-power Druid goddesses of Kate/Hekate, Ayu, and Asher.

Translation in Akkadian (Text Med 62)

(read left to right (Counter-clockwise). Capital letters on stone. Inner vowels inferred)
  1. Bu  IRu  A  Ta'u
  2. Nu  IKu  EṢu   

In English

  1. Nourishments for the astrological-fate-powers are a result of the pasture (starry night sky) 
  2. Revelations (of souls by Kate/Hekate) can be irrigated by the shedding.

Reference

Numista Coin Catalog. Online at: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces152472.html