Thyateira (AD 177-192) AE 43 - Commodus

Commodus, 177-192 AD. AE43 - Medallion (49.61g, 6h). T. Aurelius Barbarus, strategus. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right; c/m: laureate and draped bust right within oval incuse / Hephaestus seated left on wreathed cippus, putting finishing touches with hammer on a Corinthian helmet set on low column, while Athena, standing left, holding spear and shield, touches top of column; ΕΠΙ CΤPΑ ΤΙΤ−ΟV ΑVP−ΗΛΙΟV ΒΑPΒΑPΟ in legend. Fine, black olive and brick-red patina with lighter gray-green overtones. Rare and attractive mythological type. As related by Homer (Iliad 18), Achilles' armor was lost when, still sulking in his tent, he allowed his companion Patroclus to wear it while he spurred the Greeks into a battle on the plains below Troy. Overconfident, Patroclus met Hector in single combat. Mistaking Patroclus for Achilles, the Trojan hero Hector brutally killed him and dragged off Patroclus' still-armored corpse as a war prize. Achilles' mother, the sea nymph Thetis, persuaded the god Hephaestus to construct a new set of armor, among which a highly decorated shield was included.