Seleukeia (AD 253-268) AE 26 - Gallienus

Gallienus, 253-268 AD. AE26 (ca 10.00g). AVK ΠΛK ΓAΛΛIHN / OC, draped, cuirassed and laureate bust right, seen from behind / C[E]ΛEVK - E - ΩN K / AΛVK / AΔN / Ω, Athena stg. right, shield in left hand, stabbing with spear a Giant with snakelike feet, who kneels before her; he grabs her spear with left hand and has a rock in his raised right hand. Rare, about VF. Hoeft coll.

The reverse shows a scene of the Gigantomachia. After Zeus has locked up the Titans in the Tartaros, Gaia sets her sons, the Giants, on the Olympic gods. They are human shaped with snakelike feet. The battle occurred at Phlegra. The Giants throw rocks and mountains. They couldn't be killed by gods, only by humans. So Herakles came into play. He shot a poisoned arrow on Alkyoneus and dragged him over the frontier where he died. Athena threw the island of Sicily on another Giant, where he was buried. His fire breathing comes out of the Aetna until today.