Roman Bronze Dolphin and other.

vince76

Bronze Member
Oct 2, 2015
1,222
3,094
Macedonia
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, XP Deus, Garrett GTI 2500.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Who said that eight hours of hunting is better then four!! :laughing7:
Today left at 6.30(too late) had a coffe on my way, stoped the car near the area and began searching at 8.00. ( getting old)
Started with some scrappy coins but while going up the hill a very sweet sound was coming from 2000-1800 years ago. It was 9.30 and I was thinking of a big beer and a lot of toasts.
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I wanted to pack the luggage and get back home but the coins were on the surface.
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I made my mind and stayed for two other hours. It was worth it.
A big bronze medallion was screaming: pleeease, take me with you.P_20201023_160614_1.jpg

What a day!
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Cheers :treasurechest::occasion14:
 

Last edited:
Upvote 39
Fantastic to find a 2000 year old piece of art! What was it? Perhaps it was attached to something. Was it a stand-alone art figure?
Thanks buddy! It's a stand alone figurine. I found a few Roman dolphins on web but they are all different from each other.
 

Faint praise indeed Crusader when the bull/animal figure was on your top five list of finds.

Vince76 is making Banner worthy find virtually every trip out. Amazing!! I'm voting BANNER on the Roman dolphin! Congrats again Vince on another epic hunt!!

Thanks Erik and thanks for your vote! You know that I can't have another banner within six months but anyway I appreciate it. Cheers buddy:occasion14:
 

Thanks Erik and thanks for your vote! You know that I can't have another banner within six months but anyway I appreciate it. Cheers buddy:occasion14:

Yes I'm aware of the rule. I just wanted to point out that it was a banner find. I also wanted to point out that another member who purportedly makes Roman finds touted the grandness of his similar find while simply calling yours "nice." Your find, like most of your finds are amazing and truly banner worthy brother. :occasion14:
 

Yes I'm aware of the rule. I just wanted to point out that it was a banner find. I also wanted to point out that another member who purportedly makes Roman finds touted the grandness of his similar find while simply calling yours "nice." Your find, like most of your finds are amazing and truly banner worthy brother. :occasion14:

Probably it can't be noticed mixed with the other coins but after some cleaning, here it is:

Dyrrhachium, Illyria, AR drachm. 250-229 BC. 15 mm, 1.94 g. Head of Herakles right, wearing lionskin headdress. / Δ-Y-Ρ clockwise from below, Pegasus flying right
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Probably it can't be noticed mixed with the other coins but after some cleaning, here it is:

Dyrrhachium, Illyria, AR drachm. 250-229 BC. 15 mm, 1.94 g. Head of Herakles right, wearing lionskin headdress. / Δ-Y-Ρ clockwise from below, Pegasus flying right

Fantastic!! :notworthy:
 

Amazing finds once again Vince. The Roman dolphin figurine is the best. It would be interesting to go back in time just to see how and by who these were lost. I would be climbing mountains everyday for just one of those finds! Perhaps you should have waited six months before posting :laughing7:
 

Faint praise indeed Crusader when the bull/animal figure was on your top five list of finds.

Vince76 is making Banner worthy find virtually every trip out. Amazing!! I'm voting BANNER on the Roman dolphin! Congrats again Vince on another epic hunt!!
Your vain attempts at attacking me, have not gone un-noticed. How I reply is my business. Did my Bull make banner?
How do you know if I voted banner or not? How do you know that I'm not taking it all in & researching. These finds are outside of my area of knowledge. Just stick me on ignore & be done with it. Your obsessed, & don't reply to this, because it detracts from Vinces great post.
 

Vince before someone rudely interrupted.
I've been trying to work out what the ''big bronze medallion'' is? Can you explain its function & date please?
Do you think the Dolphin is Votive or a statue in a shrine?
 

Vince the dolphin is a really awesome find.
Congratulations on saving a piece of history.
What a great day of hunting. :occasion14:
 

Your vain attempts at attacking me, have not gone un-noticed. How I reply is my business. Did my Bull make banner?
How do you know if I voted banner or not? How do you know that I'm not taking it all in & researching. These finds are outside of my area of knowledge. Just stick me on ignore & be done with it. Your obsessed, & don't reply to this, because it detracts from Vinces great post.

Yeah ok sure...I guess it gets under my skin when someone's finds on a regular basis are so decidedly better than someone else's, but that someone else only comments "nice set of finds" while being continually self-congratulatory for less--not naming ant names of course, just saying hypothetically :hello:
 

Amazing relic and those coins are in a great condition as well. Big congratulations!
 

Vince before someone rudely interrupted.
I've been trying to work out what the ''big bronze medallion'' is? Can you explain its function & date please?
Do you think the Dolphin is Votive or a statue in a shrine?

Thanks buddy! I have no idea about this medallion and the others too. This one is bigger and looks different from the others. The dolphin has its basement. My friends opinion is that the Romans believed that the dolphin guided their souls into the afterlife.
 

Yeah ok sure...I guess it gets under my skin when someone's finds on a regular basis are so decidedly better than someone else's, but that someone else only comments "nice set of finds" while being continually self-congratulatory for less--not naming ant names of course, just saying hypothetically :hello:
PM me with this crap, leave it off vinces post.
 

Thanks buddy! I have no idea about this medallion and the others too. This one is bigger and looks different from the others. The dolphin has its basement. My friends opinion is that the Romans believed that the dolphin guided their souls into the afterlife.
Unlike some on here, I like to know more about what I'm voting for before I vote. I'm still not sure whether that Medallion is Roman? It has an odd pattern in the middle that is tricky to date. Looks ancient though. I think maybe the Dolphin is a religious statue, rather than a votive offering. After research I think it is worthy of a vote based on rarity & condition.:hello2:
 

Unlike some on here, I like to know more about what I'm voting for before I vote. I'm still not sure whether that Medallion is Roman? It has an odd pattern in the middle that is tricky to date. Looks ancient though. I think maybe the Dolphin is a religious statue, rather than a votive offering. After research I think it is worthy of a vote based on rarity & condition.:hello2:

Thanks buddy! I appreciate your vote even though my find won't be eligible.
In this area I have found a lot of 3rd BC till 1st AD coins and only one or two Roman coins. I have found hundreds of Illyrian coins, two Roman coins and zero other coins( just a few casualties).
So on my opinion, they are Illyrian or early Roman
 

By the way, you can check today's post with the bronze cup. I found them just 20 meters from the dolphin.
 

Almost forgot to post the trash.
The two of them weight 71 gramm each.View attachment 1874045
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Aaaahh nooo!!! :laughing7:

This stuff is NOT trash my friend, you have a nice armor piercing arrowhead, a sling bullet, and an amazing haul of 3 lead "astragaloi" knucklebones, kind of like ancient dice game pieces or divination tools. Very excellent finds, that many knucklebones suggests some games or otherwise interesting activity was going on there so if you go back pay attention to any little silver coin signals!

For what it's worth I thought the medallion looked Ottoman, but ain't well versed in phalarae or whatever it might be.

Please man don't ever throw away your "trash" before having it looked at! Thanks for sharing Vince keep it up! :occasion14:
 

Oh and that riveted dagger base you got earlier looks like a solid ~Middle Bronze Age piece, dunno the styles and timelines specific to your area but suspect 3,200-3,600 years old.
 

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