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TROAS, Ilium. Commodus. AD 177-192. Æ (36mm, 20.23 g, 7h). Struck circa AD 180-182. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / Hector, helmeted, driving galloping quadriga right, holding transverse spear in right hand and shield in left. Bellinger T184; RPC IV.2 Online 120; von Fritze, Ilion 78. Brown surfaces, slight porosity, small edge nick. Near VF. Extremely rare, only four known to RPC.
For nine years in the Trojan War, the fortunes of both sides ebbed and flowed. During the tenth year, Achilles, upset over the loss of the woman Chryseis to Agamemnon, the commander of the Greeks, withdrew to his tent and refused to fight. The loss of the greatest of the Greek warriors allowed the Trojans under the command of Hector, the eldest son of Priam, to gain the upper hand. At that point, Patroclus then offered to put on Achilles’ armor in order to rouse the Greeks to fight. Thinking that Achilles had returned to battle, Hector dashed out on to the field of battle in his chariot (Hom. Il. 16. 367-369): Ἕκτορα δ᾽ ἵπποι // ἔκφερον ὠκύποδες σὺν τεύχεσι, λεῖπε δὲ λαὸν // Τρωϊκόν, οὓς ἀέκοντας ὀρυκτὴ τάφρος ἔρυκε. (“But the swift-footed horses did carry forth Hektor with his equipage, and he left behind the Trojan host, whom unwilling the excavated trench held back”). Hector killed the clearly ill-matched Patroclus, and, in order to avenge his friend, Achilles returned to the field to slay Hector.
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 127 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 17-18 September 2024. This lot is in Session Two, which will begin 17 September at 2 PM ET.
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