EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (33mm, 26.48 g, 12h). Dated RY 10 (AD 146/7). Fine.

Electronic Auction 555
Lot: 452. Estimated: $ 750

Roman Provincial, Bronze

Sold For $ 650. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (33mm, 26.48 g, 12h). Dated RY 10 (AD 146/7). Laureate head right / Herakles and the Mares of Diomedes – Herakles standing right, club in raised right hand about to strike Diomedes who he holds by the hair, collapsed on one knee; to either side, foreparts of horses reclining; L ΔЄKATOY (date) around. Köln 1541; Dattari (Savio) 2614 (same rev. die); K&G 35.347; RPC IV.4 987; Emmett 1553.10. Red-brown surfaces, minor deposits. Fine. Rare.

The four mares of the giant Diomedes, king of the Bistones in Thrace, had a nightmarish taste for human flesh. It was Hercules’ task to steal them, and he set about doing so with a cortege including the Locrian youth Abderus, a beloved of the hero, who in the midst of the story is eaten by the horses. Hercules, according to some renderings, was so distraught he fed Diomedes to his own mares in revenge. The Thracian town of Abdera was founded nearby Abderus’ grave.

Closing Date and Time: 7 February 2024 at 12:30:20 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.