Deities and Personifications A-Z

River God Achelous?

SICILY, Gela
AR Tetradrachm
480 - 475 B.C.
17.18 gms, 25-26 mm
Obv: Charioteer driving walking biga
right, Nike flying above, crowning
horses.
Rev: Forepart of man-headed bull right.
C-E-Λ-AΣ (C mostly off flan)
Grade: Good Very Fine overall with
claim to a higher grade bar an old
reverse scratch and obverse radial
flow marks possibly due to a
slightly deteriorated die. Near EF.
Other: Jenkins 139 similar to the BodeMuseum example. Ex David Murray of Tyche Numismatics from AncientNoob August 2016.

We've done two days on "A". This makes it time for "B" right?
Alphabetically, I suspect the first B might be Ba'al or Baal. Here are a couple with Ba'al seated:

Ba'al:

CILICIA, Tarsos
AR Stater
379 – 374 B.C.
9.86 gms, 22 mm
Obv: Baal of Tarsos enthroned L holding
scepter with Aramaic Legend to right
Rev: Helmeted head Left with Aramaic
legend to left & right
Grade: good VF or better with attractive
light toning on original rough
surfaces. Good centering and strike.


Ba'al:

BABALONIA, Babylon
AR Stater (or Dishekel)
328-321 B.C.
16.08 grams, 22 mm x 5.5 mm thick
Obv: Ba’al seated left holding scepter
Rev: Lion walking left, control mark
Г above.
Grade: good Fine to a Very Fine
nicely toned & centered.
Other:Good silver 5.5 mm thick. Anonymous mintage of Eastern Alexandrine empire under the successors of Mazaeus (Stamenes 328-323 B.C., Archon 323-321 B.C.) See BMC.34, BMC.184/36. Babylonian stater coin sometimes called a tetradrachm according to the Attic standard due to its 16 gram weight. Ex Pegasi auction #19 lot 181 November 18, 2008. From private sale January 11, 2014.

 

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Aurora (although some books say the reverse figure is Victory)


Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome, L. Plautius Plancus
47 BCE
AR Denarius, 3.79 gm
Obv: L. PLAVTIVS; facing mask of Medusa, serpents at either side of face; banker's mark on cheek
Rev: PLANCVS; Aurora (or Victory?) flying right and conducting the four horses of the sun. Banker's mark in left field.
Ref: Plautia 15b Sear 429, Cr453/1b; Syd 959a.
formerly slabbed by NGC

 

Beautiful!

 

Agathodaemon


EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian
billon tetradrachm, 22.5 mm, 12.9 gm
regnal year 5 (CE 120/1)
Obv: laureate head right, crescent in right field
Rev: Agathodaemon serpent standing erect right; L-E
Ref: Dattari-Savio plate 71, 1532 (this coin); RPC 5270; Emmett 803.5
ex Dattari Collection

From GreekMythology.com:

"In Greek mythology, Agathodaemon or Agathos Daimon was the spirit of vineyards and fields, providing luck, health and wisdom. He was one of the daemons in the classical sense of the term, which should not be confused with the modern-day use of the word. In classical mythology, daemons were benevolent nature spirits similar to ghosts that also served as guardian spirits. Although Agathodaemon did not have any significant part in Greek mythology, he was quite popular in Greek folk religion, honouring him in feasts and symposia."

 

Bacchus, anyone??

 

We have been on "A" for 2 solid days. I'd say we open the flood gates & watch the "B"s pour-in.

 

Ba'al:


Makedon Alexander - Alexandrine Babylonia Di-Shekel LIFETIME 328-311 Baal-Lion

 

Athena:

Calabria Tarentum AR Drachm 18mm 3.1g 3rd C BCE Athena Corinthian Scylla OWL olive TAP ZOP HN Italy 975 Vlasto 1052

 

Beautiful coins, randygeki! I like the blue background on your images. It's your trademark and I can always spot your coins without reading your screen name.

 

Thanks! Hopefully I never loose it lol. I wouldn't want re-shoot all my coins to make them match if I had to use a different one.

 

Bellerophon:

Achaea. Corinthia, Corinth. Marcus Aurelius Æ 26mm. Bellerophon.
Obv: Laureate head right.
Rev: CLI COR Bellerophon riding Pegasos flying right, attacking a chimaera, facing right.
BCD 706; SNG Copenhagen -.

Bellerophon in Greek mythology was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles", whose greatest feat was killing the Chimera. The replacement of Bellerophon by the more familiar culture hero Perseus was a development of Classical times that was standardized during the Middle Ages and has been adopted by the European poets of the Renaissance and later.

 

Baby Jesus?!? Anyone?!?


Norman Italy - Calabria
Roger I, r. 1072-1101 (1098-1101)
Mileto Mint AE Trifollaro, 28.04 mm x 8.3 grams
Obv.: ROG [ERVS] COME +S. Roger, mounted left wearing Norman helm, holding kite shield and striped banner
Rev.: + MARIA [MATE]R DNI (’N’ retrograde). Enthroned nimbate Virgin Mary holding on lap Christ child, nimbate and in swaddling clothes right
Ref.: NCKS 131var., De Wit 3789, [MEC 14, 93]

 

Some more Baals

 

Shall we move on to C? There aren't many that begin with B and this thread is about to fall off page two.

C is for Ceres!


Faustina Sr, AD 138-141
Roman AR Denarius; 2.70g, 19mm, 6h
Rome, after AD 141
Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right
Rev: AVGVSTA, Ceres, veiled, standing right, holding scepter and corn ears.
Refs: RIC 358; BMCRE 389; Cohen 93; RCV 4581

 

Do deified humans count? Was going to post, but seem to kind of seems to go against the spirit of the thread.

How about Cupid?

 

Concordia (and Venus Cloacina, although I guess she should be filed with the Vs)


Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome
L. Mussidius Longus, 42 BCE
AR denarius, Rome mint.
Obv: Diademed and veiled head of Concordia right; CONCORDIA upwards behind; star in right field below chin
Rev: Shrine of Venus Cloacina: Circular platform surmounted by two statues of the goddess, each resting right hand on cippus, the platform inscribed CLOACIN and ornamented with trellis-pattern balustrade, flight of steps and portico on left; L • MVSSIDIVS • LONGVS around above.
Ref: Crawford 494/42b; Bab. 6; BMC 4244; Crawf. 494/42 b; Syd. 1093 a

 

Cupid, even though he has already been posted:


moneyer L. Julius L. f. Caesar, 103 BCE
AR denarius, 17mm, 3.9 gm
Obv: Helmeted head of Mars left; CAESAR; ・retrograde C or L above
Rev: Venus Genetrix in chariot left, drawn by two Cupids; lyre to left; ・retrograde C or L above
Ref: Crawford 320/1
Jencek E-auction 26, lot 58, 14 October 2014. Ex CNG XXXI lot 699, September 1994; ex RBW Collection


Roman Republic, C. Egnatius Cn. f. Cn. n Maxsumus
75 BCE
AR denarius, 19 mm, 3.82 gm
Obv: bust of Cupid right, with bow and quiver over shoulder; behind, MAXSVMVS downwards
Rev: distyle temple with figures of draped Jupiter and Libertas standing facing within; C EGNATIVS CN F below, CN N upwards to right, control to left
Ref: Crawford 391/2; Sydenham 788
ex Andrew McCabe
ex Vecchi Auction 15, 15 June 1999, lot 738

And Ceres again


Nero
struck in Rome, CE 63
Orichalcum sestertius, 34 mm, 26.7 gm
Obv: NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P IMP PP; laureate head right, wearing aegis
Rev: ANNONA AVGVSTI CERES; Ceres, veiled and draped, seated left, holding corn ears and torch, her feet on stool, facing Annona standing right, holding cornucopia; between them, modius on garlanded altar; in background, stern of ship
Ref: RIC 98. Cohen 24

 

Imperial Rome
Caracalla, r. 198-217 A.D. (203 A.D.)
Rome Mint, AR Denarius, 20.4mm x 3.21 grams
Obv.: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate and draped bust right
Rev.: INDVLGENTIA AVGG, IN CARTH in ex, Dea Caelestis seated facing on lion galloping right over rushing waters, holding thunderbolt and scepter
Ref.: RIC IV-1 Caracalla 130a, p. 231.


Provincial Rome - Phrygia
Caracalla, r. 198-217 A.D.
Hieropolis, AE30, 30 mm x 12.36 grams
Obv.: AV K M AVP ANTΩNΕINO/C. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: ΙΕ POΠ ΛEITΩN. Nemesis, wearing polos, standing facing, head right, holding rein or halter. To right Serapis, enthroned left with Cerberus at feet.
(I suspect this coin will make a couple appearances n I he coming weeks...)

 

D'OH! Cerberus. Man I need to catch up on database entries.

Also, even though Fitzy snuck him in under the Bs, I'm filing this deity under C

Christ


Romanus IV Diogenes, 1068-1071
AE Follis
10.57 g
Constantinople
Obv: IC-XC over NI-KA to left and right of bust of Christ facing, dotted cross behind head, wearing pallium and colobium, holding book of Gospels with both hands
Rev: C-R P-Δ in the four angles of a cross with globe and two dots at each extremity, X in the centre. Ref: Sear 1866, DO-8

Does anyone else change "Cerberus" to "Fluffy" in their head because of the Harry Potter books? Here's my best Cerberus although he's still not very distinct.


EGYPT, Alexandria. Julia Mamaea
year 13, CE 233/4
tetradrachm, 24 mm, 14.36 gm
Obv: IOVMAMAIACEBMHTECEKCTPA; Draped bust right, wearing stephane
Rev: Serapis enthroned left, holding scepter, extending his right hand toward Cerberus seated at his feet; on throneback, Nike standing right, holding wreath and palm frond; L IΓ (date) to left, palm frond to right
Ref: Emmett 3226.13 (R4); Köln 2540; Dattari (Savio) 4517; K&G 64.119

 

C is for Cybele:


Septimius Severus, AD 193-211
Roman provincial AE 27.38 mm, 12.46 g, 1:00
Moesia Inferior, Marcianopolis. Magistrate Julius Faustinianus
Obv: AV Λ CЄΠΤΙ CЄVHPOC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind
Rev: VI ΦAVCTINIANOV MAΡKIANOΠOΛITΩN, Cybele enthroned left, holding patera, resting left arm on drum, a lion reclines at each side of throne
Refs: AMNG Ia 565; Varbanov 780; Hristov & Jekov Marcianopolis 6.14.31.15; Moushmov 382.


Julia Domna, AD 193-211
Roman AR denarius, 3.43 gm, 18.8 mm
Rome, AD 198
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right
Rev: MATER DEVM, Cybele enthroned left, flanked by two lions, holding a branch and scepter, resting on drum
Refs: RIC 564; Sear 6593; BMCRE 51; Hill 340