I tre fratelli olimpici ritratti sulle monete

[apollonia]

Zeus che sembra adocchiare l’amazzone sul rovescio di questo tetradramma di Clazomene (NAC 114).

Ionia, Clazomenae. Tetradrachm circa 160, AR 16.79 g. Laureate head of Zeus r. Rev. ΔIOΣ – ΣΩTHPOΣ EΠIΦANOYΣ KΛAZO Amazon standing l., wearing tunic and holding a long spear and a double headed axe over l. shoulder. Meadows p. 248, 1 and Pl. I, 1a. Coin Hoards VII, p. 55, 471 and Pl. LXIV, 1.
Extremely rare. A very attractive portrait struck in high relief and about extremely fine.

[apollonia]

Zeus laureato con scettro nel campo a sinistra del diritto di questo didramma di Enoanda, nella Licia (NAC 114).

Lycia, Oinoanda. Didrachm circa 200 BC, AR 8.17 g. Laureate head of Zeus r.; in l. field, A and sceptre. Rev. OI – NO / AN Eagle standing r. on winged thunderbolt. SNG Copenhagen –. SNG von Aulock –. Ashton, Oinoanda 2.
Rare. Light iridescent tone and extremely fine.

[apollonia]

Testa laureata di Zeus su questo didramma di Sagalassos, una città molto fortificata della Pisidia (NAC 114).

Pisidia, Sagalassos. Didrachm circa 30 BC, AR 8.18 g. Laureate head of Zeus r. Rev. ΣAΓAΛAΣ – ΣEΩN Victory standing l., holding wreath. SNG France 1717 (this obverse die). SNG von Aulock 5153 (these dies).
Very rare. Old cabinet tone and about extremely fineδδδδδδEx NGSA sale 6, 2010, 105.

Sagalassos was a strongly fortified city of Pisidia located in the middle of a fertile plain. It was famous in antiquity for the bravery of its inhabitants, who opposed no less a warrior than Alexander the Great as he marched against the Persian Empire in 333 BC. Unfortunately, despite their bravery in the face of the Macedonian conqueror, the Sagalassians were defeated and Alexander stormed the city. Later, in 189 BC, the Roman consul Cn. Manlius Vulso attempted to repeat the victory of Alexander at Sagalassos during his campaign against the Galatians of Asia Minor. In this he failed, but by devastating the surrounding territory of the city, he was able to force the inhabitants to come to terms, paying 50 talents of silver and providing large quantities of wheat and barley to feed his army. In 40 BC, Mark Antony granted Sagalassos and the rest of Pisidia to Amyntas, the Roman client-king of Galatia, as a reward for the withdrawal of his military support from Caesar’s assassins at the Battle of Philippi. Antony expanded Amyntas’ kingdom still further in 36 BC in gratitude for his role in hunting down Sextus Pompey. Nevertheless, when the final showdown came between Antony and Octavian at Actium in 31 BC, Amyntas wisely abandoned his former patron and sided with Octavian. This rare didrachm was struck at Sagalassos while Pisidia was part of Amyntas’ kingdom. The Nike reverse has led to the suggestion that it might have been produced in the immediate aftermath of Octavian’s victory at Actium as a means of sharing in the triumph of the man who was on the cusp of becoming the first Roman Emperor. A little flattery never hurts. However, it should be noted that the Nike type is also very similar to that employed for the silver coinage of Side, which circulated in Pisidia and was imitated by Amyntas.

[apollonia]

Testa di Zeus sul diritto di uno statere d’argento di Mallo, in Cilicia, con la testa di un satrapo con copricapo persiano sul rovescio (Stack's Bowers Galleries, August 2011 Chicago ANA Auction).

GREEK
Mallus
CILICIA. Mallus. AR Stater (10.00 gms), ca. 385-333 B.C.
SNG Levante-pl.9#153 (plate coin). Head of heracles facing right, lion skin around neck; Reverse: Head of Satrap right wearing Persian Headdress.
VERY RARE uninscribed type. Attractive old cabinet toning. EXTREMELY FINE.
Estimated value: 8000 USD.

[apollonia]

Poseidone su una dramma di Poseidonia di fine VI secolo a. C. (NAC 114).

Poseidonia. Drachm circa 530-500, AR 3.34 g. fiis in Archaic Greek; Poseidon advancing r., naked but for chlamys over shoulders, brandishing trident. Rev. fiis in Archaic Greek; the same type partially incuse. Traité 2136 and pl. LXVIII, 20 (these dies). Pozzi AIIN 9-11, 1962-1964, 13 pl. I, 8 var. (with ΠOMES). De Luynes 530 (these dies). Historia Numorum Italy 1008.
An extremely rare variety of a rare type. Good very fine / about extremely fineδδδδδδEx Tkalec sale 19 February 2001, 9.

[apollonia]

Testa laureata di Zeus su questo argento siracusano della Quinta Democrazia, 214-212 a. C. (Triton XIII).

Among the Finest Known

SICILY, Syracuse. Fifth Democracy. 214-212 BC. AR 16 Litrai (13.58 g, 7h). Head of Zeus left, wearing laurel wreath / Nike, holding kentron in right hand, reins in both, driving fast quadriga right; ΣYPAKOΣIΩN above, ΞA below horses. BAR issue 83; Burnett 3; Gulbenkian 358 = Bement 560 = J. Hirsch XXXII (Virzi), lot 397 (same dies). EF. Great metal. Very rare issue, one of only two known of this variety, with the other in a public collection.

The Syracusan ruler Hieron II, a loyal ally of Rome, died in 215 BC while the Romans were locked in a life-and-death struggle with Hannibal of Carthage. Hieron’s son, Gelon, had predeceased him so the throne of Syracuse passed to his grandson, Hieronymos, a youth of only fifteen. The Carthaginian faction in Syracuse persuaded the new ruler to renounce the Roman alliance which his grandfather had so steadfastly maintained, but this soon resulted in a revolution at Syracuse in which Hieronymos and all the members of his family perished. The young king had reigned for a mere thirteen months. Democratic government was reestablished, but the following year the Romans laid siege to the city, and it was sacked following its fall in 211, thus bringing to an end almost three centuries of Syracusan preeminence in the affairs of Greek Sicily.

The three-year period of the restored democracy saw a surprisingly large and varied output of coinage, all the more remarkable as the city was under siege by the Romans throughout most of this episode. The coinage was quite diverse in its denominations, and used all metals: gold, silver, and bronze. Gold is only known in 60 litrai (represented by the present coin), an extremely rare issue, which is only known today from two examples that share a common reverse die. In contrast, the Fifth Democracy silver is exceptionally diverse, with multiples of 2½, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 16 litrai. The bronze also has multiple denominations, with average weights of 1.69, 2.30, 6.66, and 11.28 grams. Throughout the series, the types featured nearly all of the deities who ever graced a Syracusan coin, perhaps in an attempt to appeal to as many of the Olympian gods as possible while the city was imperiled.

This coin is the largest denomination of silver of the Fifth Democracy, the 16 litrai. On previous issues at Syracuse, Zeus had been relegated to bronze issues, and only during the previous democracies. Here, Zeus is fittingly represented on the most prestigious silver coin in the series. Although he has no epithet on this issue, in the past he was given the names Eleutherios (The Liberator) and Hellanios (Greek), both of which would be suitable in light of the present threat of Roman domination. The portrait may also be of Zeus Strategos (The General), who was represented in full figure on the reverse of the silver 10 litrai pieces. The reverse, with Nike driving a chariot, is a traditional type appearing on various issues of Syracuse since the late 4th century BC.

The 16 litrai series comprises two types, distinguished by the movement of the quadriga, slow (Burnett 1) or fast (Burnett 2-3). Of the fast quadriga types, there are two varieties of control markings, ΞA (Burnett 2) or YA-Σ-Λ (Burnett 3). Including the present piece, there are 14 pieces known in the entire series, with 5 of the slow quadriga type, 2 of the fast-ΞA variety, and 7 of the fast-YA-Σ-Λ variety. Eight of the 14 coins are in public collections. This piece is among the very finest of the 14 known of all types.

[apollonia]

Poseidone con due tridenti su questo tetrassarion di Macrinus di Celenderis (Cilicia) nella prossima Leu 4 https://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=5960&category=198977&lot=4983624

CILICIA. Celenderis. Macrinus, 217-218. Tetrassarion (Orichalcum, 26 mm, 11.41 g, 7 h). AY K M OΠ CЄOYH MAKPЄINOC Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Macrinus to right, seen from behind. Rev. ΚЄΛЄNΔЄ-RITωN Poseidon standing front, head to left, holding dolphin in his right hand and trident in his left, and with another small trident at his feet to left. BMC -. SNG Copenhagen -. SNG Levante -. SNG Leypold -. SNG Paris -. SNG PFPS -. SNG von Aulock -. Apparently unpublished and unique. A beautiful coin with very attractive earthen highlights on a lovely green patina. About extremely fine.

From the collection of Dr. P. Vogl, ex Aufhäuser 4, 7 October 1987, 376 (with original ticket).

[apollonia]

Della stessa asta questo assarion di Anemurium con Poseidone che tiene un delfino nella mano destra.

A unique assarion from Anemurium dated to the 18th regnal year of the Graeco-Armenian King Antiochos IV
CILICIA. Anemurium. Pseudo-autonomous issue. Assarion (Orichalcum, 18 mm, 4.82 g, 7 h), RY 18 of Antiochos IV Epiphanes = 54/5 AD. Bust of Athena to right, wearing Corinthian helmet and aegis. Rev. ANЄMOYPЄωN - ЄT HI Poseidon standing front, head to left, holding dolphin in his right hand and trident in his left. RPC Supplement S2-I-3708B = R. Ziegler: Zum Geldumlauf in Asia Minor, in: C. E. King and D. G: Wigg (eds.): Coin Finds and Coin Use in the Roman World. Berlin 1996, p. 450, 6 (this coin). Apparently unique. A wonderful small coin of beautiful style and great interest. Extremely fine.


From the collection of Dr. P. Vogl, ex Aufhäuser 6, 5 October 1989, 201 (with collector's ticket).

What makes this coin particularly interesting, apart from its rarity and condition, is the fact that it is dated to the 18th regnal year of the Graeco-Armenian King Antiochos IV Epiphanes (38-72), to whose Kingdom the city of Anemurium belonged at the time.

[apollonia]

Emiassarion di Attaleia (Panfilia) con busto di Poseidone che tiene un tridente con un delfino attorcigliato (Nomos 18).

PAMPHYLIA. Attaleia. Pseudo-autonomous, 1st century AD. Hemiassarion (Bronze, 15.5 mm, 2.25 g, 7 h). Draped bust of Poseidon to left, holding trident entwined with a dolphin. Rev. ATTA-ΛEΩN Nike advancing to right, holding wreath and palm frond. SNG France 233 (2nd-1st c. BC). A surprisingly attractive coin, with a sharp, very well-made portrait of Poseidon and a dark green patina. About extremely fine.

[apollonia]

Zeus sul diritto e sul rovescio di un tetradramma di Antioco IV Epifane, re di Siria (NAC 72).

Greek Coins 
Seleucid Kings of Syria, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, 175 – 164. 
Tetradrachm, Seleucis Syriae Summer-Autumn 168, AR 16.74 g. Laureate head of Zeus r. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIO XOY - ΘEOY EΠIΦANOY Zeus seated l. on throne, holding Nike about to crown him on his outstretched r. hand and sceptre in his l.; in exergue, NIKHΦOROY. SMA 63. Houghton 106. Seleucid Coins 1398. Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A super portrait in the finest Hellenistic style, wonderful old cabinet tone and good extremely fine Ex Triton sale II, 1998, 476.

[apollonia]

Zeus su un bronzo di Siracusa (NAC 100).

Syracuse. Dilitron, circa 344-337 or 332, Æ 20.01 g. ΖΕΥΣ ΕΛ[ΕΥΘΕ]ΡΙΟΣ Laureate head of Zeus l. Rev. ΣΥΡΑ – K Horse prancing l., in exergue ΟΣΙΩ and to l., N. SNG ANS 534. AMB 500. SNG Morcom 718. Calciati II, 185-190.
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A spectacular portrait of magnificent style struck in high relief and a superb green patina gently
smoothed on reverse. Extremely fine.

[apollonia]

Poseidone sul rovescio di un rarissimo statere di Priansos, Creta (Leu 4).

A very rare and beautifully toned stater from Priansos
CRETE. Priansos. Circa 320-270 BC. Stater (Silver, 25 mm, 11.35 g, 11 h). Female deity (Demeter or Persephone?) seated left on throne, head facing, placing her right hand on a serpent rising erect in front of her; behind to right, palm tree with two date clusters. Rev. ΠPIAN-ΣIEΩN Poseidon standing front, head to left, holding dolphin in his right hand and transverse trident in his left. Le Rider pl. XXVI, 20 (same dies). Pozzi (Boutin) 4471 (same dies). SNG Copenhagen 545 (same dies). Svoronos 3 and pl. XXVIII, 22 (same dies). Very rare. A beautifully toned and unusually well struck example without the usual heavy die wear. The obverse a bit weak and with some faint scratches on the reverse, otherwise, good very fine.

From an old Viennese collection, formed in the 1950s and 1960s and in 3rd generation family possession since.

Priansos was one of the smaller Cretan poleis and little is known of its history other than a few mentions in Hellenistic and Roman inscriptions. The city lay on a hill on the eastern end of the fertile Messara Plain, some 6 km from the sea, with which it was connected through the small harbor of Inatos near today's Tsoutsouros. The very rare Hellenistic staters of Priansos bear the images of an uncertain female deity with a serpent and a date palm on the obverse and of Poseidon on the reverse. Svoronos identified the goddess as Hygieia, but the cult of Asklepios was not widespread on Crete and it has been suggested that the deity is Demeter or, perhaps more likely, Persephone, who is being seduced by Zeus in the form of a serpent. For a city such as Priansos, whose economy no doubt relied heavily on the overseas exports of agricultural products such as grain and fruits, the cults of Persephone and Poseidon certainly seem appropriate. Unfortunately, most of the very rare Priansian staters suffer from weak strikes and heavy die wear, with the obverses in particular being notoriously blurry and unattractive. The present coin, however, is a remarkable exception: not only has it never been cleaned and is hence beautifully toned, it is also unusually well struck.
 

[apollonia]

Testa barbuta di Poseidone su questo tetradramma di Antigono Gonata (JEAN VINCHON NUMISMATIQUE, 5 June 2019).

MACEDONIAN KINGDON - ANTIGONUS GONATAS 277-239 B.C
Tetradrachm
ANTIGONE GONATAS 277-239
Tête barbue de Poséidon couronnée d’algues. 
R/. Apollon nu assis sur une proue de galère.
Tétradrachme d’argent.(16,81 g)
Pozzi 968 ; de Luynes 1697 
Pièce intéressante. Très beau/T.B. 
Exemplaire Collection A. Trampitsch (13-15 novembre 1986) n° 136

[apollonia]

Zeus sul diritto di uno statere di Cierium inTessaglia (NAC 78).

Greek Coins 
Thessaly, Cierium 
Stater, circa 350, AR 11.88 g. Laureate head of Zeus r. Rev. [KIEΡEIΩN] Asclepius seated l. on rock, holding staff; before, snake coiled around tree. Traité IV, 508 and pl. CCLXXXIX, 21 (these dies). SNG Lewis 574 (these dies). Zhuyuetang 23 (these dies). BCD Thessaly, Nomos 1071 (these dies). Of the highest rarity, by far the finest of only four tetradrachms known for this mint. Struck on sound metal, the reverse from a worn die, otherwise extremely fine Ex Manhattan sale 2, 2011, Peter Gruber, 38. Local coinage would have been quite familiar to the people of Cierium, for it had been struck at Larissa since the early years of the 5th Century, and by the middle of the century it had been issued on a large scale by a few Thessalian cities. Furthermore, there were older and more substantial coinages from surrounding areas, notably Thrace, Macedon and Central Greece. However, it was not until the period c.400-360 B.C. that Cierium began to strike coins for local use, initially in the form of fractional silver and bronzes. Most of these coins depicted Zeus and the local nymph Arne, after whom Stephanus of Byzantium tells us the city was originally named. At some point in the mid-3rd Century, perhaps in about 350 B.C., Cierium produced an issue of silver staters that paired the head of Zeus with the seated figure of Asclepius. The purpose of the issue cannot be divined from any existing evidence, though it must be acknowledged as a singular effort that employed only one obverse and two reverse dies. Precious few examples survive to testify to its existence. BCD, whose expertise on Thessalian coins is unsurpassed, and who is loathe to exaggeration, described these staters as “...one of the great Thessalian rarities.” The masterful head of Zeus almost certainly copies the one then being used by the Macedonian King Philip II for his ubiquitous tetradrachms. These coins would have been quite familiar in Thessaly, where Philip had assumed leadership of the Thessalian Confederacy. The depiction of Asclepius seated on a rock (and, on one die, a throne) before a tree with a snake entwined around its trunk, is encountered on only one other coin of Cierium, a silver drachm struck about a century later that clearly was modeled after these staters. The cult of the healing god Asclepius appears to have originated in Thessaly, so the use of this distinctive type at Cierium is easily understood, even if the particulars of its selection are unknown.

[apollonia]

Zeus sul diritto di un nomos di Bruttium (NAC 72).

Greek Coins 
Bruttium, Locri 
Nomos circa 350, AR 7.68 g. Laureate head Zeus r.; beneath neck truncation, ZEYΣ. Rev. ΛOKΡΩN Eirene, holding caduceus, seated l. on cippus, decorated with bucranium; below, EΥΡENA. de Luynes 765 (these dies). SNG ANS 501 (this reverse die). Kraay-Hirmer pl. 102, 291 (this reverse die). Historia Numorum Italy 2310. Extremely rare and among the finest specimens known of this difficult issue. A portrait of superb style and a lovely light iridescent tone, minor traces of double-striking on reverse, otherwise about extremely fine Ex NAC sale 6, 1993, 54.. Why Locri Epizephyrii failed to strike coinage before the 4th Century B.C. remains a mystery, especially since several of its less-important neighbours produced large coinages in the Archaic and early Classical periods. Robinson proposed that the city’s coinage needs may have been met by nearby Caulonia, which had an inexplicably large output for a city of its size. Beyond its basic classification, little is understood about the coinage of Locri. However, numerous inscriptions dating from c.350-250 B.C. suggest that at least by the time Locri was issuing coins, the sanctuary of Zeus had become the city’s principal credit institution by granting loans by transferring sacred revenues to the public funds. Thus, it is hardly surprising that Zeus or his associated symbols dominate the major coin types of the city. This stater appears to be from the inaugural issue at Locri. Its style and composition are masterful, its type unique, and its rarity a strong indication that this was a small issue struck for a brief period. Yet, there is no consensus among scholars as to precisely when, or why, it was struck – only that it probably dates to between c.375 and 330 B.C. Head dated the issue to c.344-332 B.C., noting that the depiction of Eirene (peace) suggested it was struck in “an era of internal peace and prosperity.” He proposed that it was struck after the younger Dionysius was expelled from the city in 346 B.C. The son of the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius I, who had married a noble Locrian woman, Dionysius II was welcomed as an exile. When he behaved despotically he was forced to leave. This turned out to be an event of great importance since it caused the former oligarchic regime to be replaced by a moderate democracy. Most scholars had agreed with Head that this coinage was struck after c.350 B.C., though some associated it with the activities of Timoleon or Alexander the Molossian. However, Kraay favoured an earlier date of c.375 B.C., based upon a comparison with the introduction of the seated Nike on the staters of Terina (a design which is generally considered to be the prototype for the first coinage at Locri). In doing so, Kraay paid greater attention to style and fabric than to the possibility it was linked to an historical event. In defence of that approach, he suggested it is possible that the reverse inscription was meant to be read as ‘eirene of the Locrians’, thus making peace at Locri comparable to Nike at Terina. He added that “...if Eirene at Locri was a city-goddess like Nike at Terina, the issue need not be occasioned by any particular manifestation of peace, and the date in the first quarter of the century of the prototype at Terina for the seated figure suggests that the version at Locri should not be later than c. 375 B C.”

[apollonia]

Zeus sul diritto di questo tetradramma di Seleuco I Nicatore presentato nella prossima Münzen & Medaillen GmbH Auktion 48.

KÖNIGREICH DER SELEUKIDEN. Seleukos I. Nikator, 312-280 v. Chr. Tetradrachmon. Zeuskopf mit Lorbeerkranz n.r. im Perlenkreis. Rv. Athena in Elefantenquadriga n.r., oben Anker. Im Felde r. ΔΙ.ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ/ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ. 16,95 g. Newell, ESM 29 (31), S.198, SNG Spaer 95-6 Var.
Sehr schön

Aus Münzen & Medaillen GmbH, Weil am Rhein, Aukt. 42 (2015), 90.

https://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=6026&category=204122&lot=5057425

[apollonia]

Poseidone su un bronzo della Münzen & Medaillen GmbH   |   Auktion 48 

MAKEDONIEN. AMPHIPOLIS. Autonom. Bronze, nach 168 v. Chr. Bärtiger Poseidonkopf n. r. im Perlenkreis. Rv. ΑΜΦΙΠΟ- ΛΙΤΩΝ Keule im Eichenkranz, darunter Monogramm. 7,97 g. BMC 46,22. Lindgren 931.
Sehr schön

[apollonia]

Zeus su un didramma della Leu Numismatik   |   Auction 4  

Of superb late Classical style
LUCANIA. Metapontion. Circa 340-330 BC. Didrachm or Nomos (Silver, 22 mm, 7.52 g, 5 h). EΛEYΘEPIOΣ Laureate head of Zeus Eleutherios to right; behind, Δ. Rev. META Ear of barley with leaf to left; above leaf, crouching silenos; below leaf, ΔA. HN Italy 1557. Johnston Class A, 2.1 (same dies). SNG ANS 451 (same dies). SNG Lloyd 373 (same obverse die). An elegant and beautifully toned coin of superb late Classical style. Extremely fine.

From an important collection of coins from Magna Graecia and Punic Sicily, formed in the 1990s and early 2000s.

[apollonia]

Didramma ottenuto dalla stessa coppia di conii del precedente

A lovely and very attractive didrachm or nomos from Metapontion
LUCANIA. Metapontion. Circa 340-330 BC. Didrachm or Nomos (Silver, 24 mm, 7.47 g, 1 h). EΛEYΘEP[IOΣ] Laureate head of Zeus Eleutherios to right; behind, Δ. Rev. META Ear of barley with leaf to left; above leaf, crouching silenos; below leaf, ΔA. HN Italy 1557. Johnston Class A, 2.1 (same dies). SNG ANS 451 (same dies). SNG Lloyd 373 (same obverse die). A bright and attractive example struck on a very broad flan. About extremely fine.

From an important collection of coins from Magna Graecia and Punic Sicily, formed in the 1990s and early 2000s.

[apollonia]

Zeus su un tetradramma di Lykkeios nella Leu Numismatik   |   Auction 4   | 

Ex Elsen 124, 14 March 2015, 47 and Elsen 53, 14 March 1998, 601
KINGS OF PAEONIA. Lykkeios, circa 359-335 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 23 mm, 12.79 g, 7 h). Laureate head of Zeus to right. Rev.[ΛY]KK-EIOY Herakles standing left, strangling the Nemean lion; to right, bow and quiver; to left of Herakles' leg, Y. Paeonian Hoard 63 var. (without Y). SNG ANS 1019 var. (without Y). A rare variety. Sharply struck in high relief and nicely toned. Extremely fine.

From an American collection, ex Elsen 124, 14 March 2015, 47 and Elsen 53, 14 March 1998, 601.

[apollonia]

Zeus su un 12 litrae della Numismatica Ars Classica, Zurich   |   Auction 59  

Greek Coins 
Morgantina
12 litrae circa 214-212, AR 10.11 g. Laureate head of Zeus l. Rev. ΣIKEΛIΩTAN Winged thunderbolt; above, HΣ ligate. Sjöqvist -.
Of the highest rarity, only three specimens known. A fantastic portrait of excellent
Hellenistic style. Insignificant area of weakness on obverse, otherwise Fdc
Ex Gorny & Mosch 146, 2006, 79 and NAC 46, 2008, 202 sales.

[apollonia]

Il 25/4/2017 alle 17:23, apollonia dice:

Zeus escogitò un modo veramente singolare per dichiarare il suo amore ad Era, che viveva nella casa della nereide Teti, sull’isola di Eubea, con la sua nutrice Macris che vegliava assiduamente su di lei a causa della sua giovanissima età. Un giorno di un freddissimo inverno Era si trovava, per caso, sola e sperduta in una strada di campagna deserta e coperta dalla neve, quando un cuculo intirizzito e tremante dal freddo le si andò a posare su una spalla. La dea ebbe compassione e tentò di riscaldarlo coprendolo con la sua veste, stringendolo al seno e accarezzandolo. A questo punto il cuculo si tramutò in un giovane bello e attraente che si fece riconoscere per Zeus e dichiarò il suo amore alla fanciulla chiedendole di diventare sua moglie. Era accettò e le nozze vennero celebrate sull'Olimpo alla presenza di tutti gli dèi. Dal matrimonio nacquero Ebe, Ilizia, Ares ed Efèsto, anche se alcune leggende narrano che Era diede vita ai suoi figli da sola.

I due sposi mi piace immaginarli uniti come su questa replica in oro di Slavey (CNG 195).

TROAS, Tenedos. Circa 1995-2005. AV “Tetradrachm” (35mm, 19.89 g, 12h). Slavey replica in gold. Janiform head, male on left, female on right (Zeus and Hera?) / Double axe; monogram and grape cluster to left, Artemis with stag and monogram to right; all within laurel-wreath. Superb EF.

 

Nomos 5

Coins of the Greeks
Islands off Troas
Tenedos. Circa 100-70 BC. Tetradrachm (16.53 g 12). Janiform head composed of a laureate and bearded head of Zeus to left and a diademed head of Hera to right. Rev. TENEΔIΩN Double axe; to left, monogram of TE reversed and a bunch of grapes; to right, Artemis standing to left, holding a leaping stag by the horns; all within laurel wreath. Callataÿ, Tenedos 5 ( this coin ). A very rare early issue, nicely toned and with a fine pedigree. Flan flaw on the reverse, otherwise , nearly extremely fine. Ex Hess-Leu 31, 6 December 1966, 417 and from the collection of T. Prowe, Egger XLVI, 11 May 1914, 699.
The late silver coinage of Tenedos is uniformly quite rare - only about 120 pieces are known, including drachms, with at least 68 of those in museums. This piece has the advantage of having a very rare symbol, the figure of Artemis.

[apollonia]

Ade e Demetra (Galerie Numismatique Auction XXXIV)

Nysa, AE15 (4.05 g), 2nd - 1st Century BC
Jugate heads of Hades and Demeter right / Dionysos standing. Regling 15a. VF+

 

[apollonia]

Busto di Zeus sul diritto e statua di Afrodite sul rovescio (Künker 273).

GRIECHISCHE MÜNZEN 
AEGYPTUS 
Ptolemaios V., 204-180 v. Chr. Æ-Trihemiobelion, um 204/202 v. Chr., Salamis; 17,73 g. Kopf des Zeus Ammon r.//Aphroditestatue v. v. SNG Cop. 644; Svoronos 1005; Weiser 107.
Feine grüne Pa­tina, winz. Kratzer auf dem Avers, vorzüglich/fast vorzüglich

[apollonia]

Poseidone su un bronzo di Attaleia (LAC Auction P).

Pamphylia, Attaleia, c. 2nd-1st century BC. Æ (16mm, 3.39g, 12h). Laureate head of Poseidon r. R/ Poseidon standing l., holding trident; dolphin before. SNG BnF 226. Rare. Green patina, VF