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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:     77000158      [UNVERIFIED] Type:     Greek Region:     BOEOTIA City:     Thebes Metal:     Gold Denomination:     Drachm Struck / Cast:     struck Date Struck:     BC Circa 395 Weight:     6.11 g Die Axis:     1 h Obverse Description:     Bearded head of Dionysos left, wearing ivy wreath Reverse Legend:     ΘE Reverse Description:     The Herakliskos Drakonopnigon: The infant Herakles seated facing, strangling two serpents; ΘE to right, club above; all within incuse concave circle Primary Reference:     Unpublished Photograph Credit:     Classical Numismatic Group Source:     http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=114581 Grade:     Good VF, minor scrapes on obverse Notes:     Sale: Triton XI, Lot: 158 Well centered strike Herakles was the son of Zeus and Alkmene. This union and the child it produced enraged Zeus’ wife, Hera, who tried to kill Herakles. Shortly after his birth, she sent two serpents one night to strangle the infant as he lay sleeping in his crib. The following morning, the nurse discovered Herakles playing with their lifeless bodies: during the night he had strangled one in each hand. This early example of his renowned strength earned him the name Herakliskos Drakonopnigon, or “the serpent-slaying infant Herakles.”Before the appearance of the present piece, the precious metal issues were known only in electrum fractions (see, e.g., BCD 470 [EL hemidrachm] and A. Hess, 14 April 1954, lot 111 [EL trihemiobol]).

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