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Search Advanced Search Search By Coin ID     Home ANCIENT/BYZANTINE Ancient Spain (872) Byzantine (753) MEDIEVAL/EARLY WORLD Germany (30) MODERN WORLD COUNTERFEITS AND IMITATIONS   Submit New Coin(s)   Sponsors page Terms of Service Contact Us About Us FAQ Page Coin Detail Click here to see enlarged image. ID:     733450      [UNVERIFIED] Type:     Roman Provincial Region:     MOESIA INFERIOR City:     Nicopolis ad Istrum Issuer:     Geta Date Ruled:     AD 209-211 Metal:     Bronze Denomination:     AE 20 Date Struck:     AD 209-211 Diameter:     20 mm Weight:     3.95 g Obverse Legend:     AV K Π CE-Π ΓETA C Obverse Description:     Laureate and draped bust right Reverse Legend:     NIKOΠΟ−ΛΙΤΩΝ Reverse Description:     Winged Thanatos standing right, leaning on inverted torch Primary Reference:     Apparently unpublished type for Geta, but cf. AMNG I 1366 (Septimius Severus) for reverse type Photograph Credit:     Classical Numismatic Group Source:     http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=27095 Grade:     VF, dark green patina Notes:     Rare The winged figure with an inverted torch symbolizes Thanatos, or the personification of Death. The figure sometimes also holds a poppy, associated with forgetful sleep, or Hypnos. He represents not a morbid preoccupation with death, which would seem a peculiar subject for a coin, but rather the ultimate fate of warriors. The two brothers appear in the Iliad (book xvi) when Sarpedon, the heroic king of Lycia falls in battle against the Greeks besieging Troy. His bravery impels Zeus to order Apollo to rescue the body, and Thanatos and Hypnos carry it back to Lycia for a hero's burial. Such a fate would resonate with the Council of Young Men - Cynedrion Neon, which was probably an organization of ephebes, or young men in training for military duties.

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