Classical Numismatic Group > Electronic Auction 63 | Auction date: 23 April 2003 |
Lot number: 39 | |
Lot description: Roman Provincial THRACE, Deultum. Philip I. 244-249 AD. Æ 22mm (6.96 gm). Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right / Perseus, holding Gorgon's head and harpa, climbing rock left and holding Andromeda, standing right, by the arm as she attempts to free herself from chain her chains. Yurokova, Deultum 445; BMC Thrace -; SNG Copenhagen -. Near VF, dark brown patina. Rare. According to Apollodorus, Cassiopeia, the wife of Cepheus, the king of the Æthiopians, had boasted that she outshone the Nereids. As a result, Poseidon, in sympathy, sent a flood-tide and a sea monster to plague the land. The oracle of Ammon prophesied an end to the trouble if Cassiopeia’s daughter Andromeda were sacrificed to the sea monster; Cepheus, compelled by the Æthiopians, tied his daughter to a rock. When Perseus, returning from his slaying of Medusa saw her, it was love at first sight, and he promised to kill the sea monster and rescue the girl in return for her hand. Perseus faced and slew the sea monster, set Andromeda free, and the two lived happily ever after. Estimate: $300 |