Hercules’ Fifth Labor - The Augean Stables//Ex Dattari Collection

Sale: Triton XI, Lot: 535. Estimate $3000.  Closing Date: Monday, 7 January 2008.  Sold For $6250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (33mm, 20.72 g, 12h). Labor of Hercules type. Dated RY 10 (AD 146/7). AVT K T AIL ADR ANTWNEINOC CEB EYC, laureate head right / Hercules standing right, lion skin over left shoulder, attempting with both hands to turn rock outcropping from which water flows through a human-headed protome into a basin below; leaning against Hercules’ left knee, a muck rake set on edge of basin; L DE KATOV (date) around. Köln 1540; Voegtli type 12r; Dattari (Savio) 8497 = Ramage 129 (this coin); BMC 1047; Dattari 2606; Milne 1912 = Emmett 1539.10. VF, brown patina with areas of green.

From the James E. Cain Collection. Ex David Simpson Collection (Triton V, 15 January 2002), lot 1784; Spink Numismatic Circular XCI.3 (April, 1983), no. 1794; Dattari Collection.

For his Fifth Labor, Hercules was to muck out the stables of Augeas, king of Elis, in a single day. Eurystheus hoped that by doing this, the dirtiest of all the Labors, Hercules would be demeaned; and, as the stables had never been cleaned, the completion of the task would be impossible. However, Hercules succeeded by rerouting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus to wash out the filth. Augeas became irate because he had promised Hercules one-tenth of his cattle if the job was finished in one day. He refused to honor the agreement. Hercules therefore slew Augeas; in his place, he installed Augeas' son, Phyleus, as king because the boy had supported the hero.