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THRACE, Perinthus. Gallienus. AD 253-268. Æ Hexassarion (31mm, 19.72 g, 7h). Labors of Herakles series. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust left, holding spear and shield; shield deocrated with gorgoneion / Herakles standing right, wrestling the Nemean lion; club in left field. Schönert, Perinthos 899; RPC X Online 63883 (this coin cited; Varbanov 599. Earthen green patina, light porosity. Near VF.
Ex AncientCoinArt, lot 1263, March 2002 - illustrated on Wildwinds.com.
For his first labor, Herakles was to slay the Nemean Lion and bring back its skin. The Nemean Lion, called thus as it had been terrorizing the area around Nemea, had a skin so thick that it was impenetrable to weapons. After making futile attempts to subdue it with his weapons, Herakles cast them aside and wrestled the lion to the ground, eventually killing it by thrusting his arm down its throat and choking it to death. Skinning the beast was no easy task, either. After Herakles spent hours trying unsuccessfully to skin the lion, Athena, in the guise of an old crone, appeared to him, and convinced him to use the creature’s own claws to cut the hide. Thereafter, the hide became the hero’s own impenetrable armor. When Eurystheus saw Herakles wearing his new fearsome outfit, he hid in a large bronze jar, and thenceforth commanded the hero through a herald.
Closing Date and Time: 17 July 2024 at 11:37:40 ET.
All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.
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