Bithynion-Hadriana (AD 130) AE 38 - AntinoÃ¼s

AntinoÃ¼s, favorite of Hadrian, died 130 AD. AE38 - Medallion (45.49g, 6h). ANTINOON Î˜EÎ©N H Î ATRIC, bare-headed and draped bust right / BEIÎ˜YNEIÎ©N AÎ”PIANÎ©N, AntinoÃ¼s, as Hermes Nomios, standing facing right, wearing short chiton, chlamys, and winged sandals, holding pedum in left hand, the right raised protectively over the forepart of a grazing cow standing left beside a tree; star above. Good VF, matte dark brown patina. One of the finest unaltered AntinoÃ¼s bronzes known. Ex Dowdy Coll. Ex Leu 30 (4/1982), lot 367; Sternberg 7 (11/1977), lot 644.

In Egypt, the cult of AntinoÃ¼s saw him as an avatar of Hermes-Thoth, a messenger between mortals and the gods. Elsewhere, he was seen in another guise, as Hermes Nomios, or the "Herdsman." As defender of the herd or flock, Hermes brought forth fecundity and prosperity, just as AntinoÃ¼s would bring good fortune to those who did him honor.

File information
Filename:	680717.jpg
City/Mint name:	Bithynion
Rating (8 votes):
Keywords:	roman / bronze
References:	Blum p. 44, 8; RG pg. 270,15; BMC Pontus p. 117, 3
Valuation:	CNG Triton VIII (1/2005), lot 717 ($20,000 + comm)
Photo courtesy of:	Classical Numismatic Group - www.cngcoins.com
Filesize:	60 KiB
Date added:	Jul 23, 2008
Dimensions:	500 x 229 pixels
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