Ancient coins with rain, storms, or rain gods?

I was wondering today if there are any ancient coins featuring rain, storms, or rain gods?

This is because my house is inches from flooding from a no-name storm that has dumped 10-12 inches of rain in the last 8 hours here in Brevard, Florida. My wife and I spent hours digging drainage trenches around our house and using our pool pump to pump out our back yard. My house is the lowest on the block so all the water comes through my yard and splits around (and hopefully not through) my house. This seems worse than tropical storm Fay where we got 25 inches over 2 days. My drainage system seems to have silted up over the last 6-8 years. I think we have it under control now but I am afraid to go to sleep and the rain keeps coming.

Good luck to anyone else getting drenched by this system.

John

 

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I don't have any to share, but I sure hope you are victorious against that flowing water!

 

Thanks, when it stops raining, we catch up. When it is raining inches per hour we fall behind. Right now it has almost stopped, but more rain is on the way.

 

Well, there are plenty of 'river gods', and from Rome 'Tellus Stabil', but thats off the top of my head.

 

There is the Hindu/Buddhist/Jain god Indra, who was the god of "lightning, thunder, storms, rains and river flows" (according to Wikipedia). Doesn't seem to be on many coins though. This late period (800-832) 1/4 unit from the Kingdom of Srikshetra has a symbol of Indra on the left side of the reverse: a thunderbolt (vajra). Also water waves at the bottom:



This coin (not mine) of the Panchalas of Adhichhatra has Indra on the obverse:


Perhaps Fortuna, with her rudder, is more appropriate, though... Bonam Fortunam!

 

Just a little sporadic rain here in Broward. I had no idea it was that bad farther north.

 

Hope you are staying safe. I can add a wind god, Oado (also called Vata and many variants), a Hindu wind god who's shown on some Kushan coins. This photo is courtesy CNG:

 

My best offer is the Mercury associated with the 'Miracle of the Rain' where Mercury was credited with a fierce storm that aided the Roman army of Marcus Aurelius against the barbarians in 172 AD.
http://www.livius.org/sources/content/cassius-dio/dio-on-the-rain-miracle/

 

The Gemini twins are the calmer of storms and so were revered by sailors. This one is by the Roman moneyer Rufus with the Lady holding the balance of the elements on the reverse. Of course the big daddy Zeus/Jupiter is a storm deity and is perhaps the most featured on many ancients.

 

How did you fare?

 

This morning my house is still dry!

The rain has stopped for now and the water is running off.

More rain in the forecast all week, but hopefully not 10 inches in 8 hours like yesterday...

My little troubles are nothing compared to what so many have suffered at the hands of Zeus lately.

This one has waves:

Calabria, Tarentum
AR Nomos, 355-340 BC, 7.80g, 21mm, 9h.
Obverse: Warrior on horseback right, shield on left shoulder, |- below.
Reverse: Taras seated astride dolphin left over waves, holding seashell; P below, ΤΑΡΑΣ behind.
References: Vlasto 448; HN Italy 878; SNG France 1750; F.B. 673m.

John

 

I can't think of any classical coins with storms per se, but there are many with the perrenial favorite thunderbolt:




Good luck, and stay dry @Theodosius

 

Nice Elis, one of my favorite cities to collect.



Peloponnesus, Elis, Olympia
AR Drachm. 134th-143rd Olympiad. 244-208 BC.
Obverse: Eagle flying right, tearing at hare held in its talons.
Reverse: Vertical thunderbolt with volute above, wings below; F-A flanking.
References: Elis Hoard Group I, 1 (same dies); BCD Olympia 231; cf. SNG Copenhagen 426; Dewing 1902; Pozzi 4145. 4.74g, 18mm, 6h
Ex Dr. Arnold Saslow 1995

 

Another Elis that may be appropriate with Zeus hurling a thunderbolt.

Seller's photo and poor condition coin.



Elis. Olympia Æ20, 271-191 BC, 20.32mm, 6.71g
Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo right
Reverse: Zeus advancing right, hurling thunderbolt
References: SNG Copenhagen 437

 

Indeed, thunderbolts aren't particularly frightening unless they're being hurled by Zeus, or in the case of this Crawford 29/1 AR Didrachm - Quadrigatus, the Roman equivalent, Jupiter:

 

@Theodosius - good luck with everything. I hope it works out.

 

In ancient Ugarit (~15th to 11th centuries BC) Baal was the storm god, distinguished in art and lore by brandishing the thunderbolt. This aspect was taken over by the Phoenicians, from whom it came to the Greeks who associated it with Zeus the head of their pantheon. So I think it is entirely proper to infer that coins depicting the Greek and Roman equivalents of this god with the thunderbolt are picking up on his aspect as the power in the storm, one of the greatest displays of raw power they regularly encountered.

 

Thanks Gerard, things looking good now.

I am following your bag 'o ancients posts with interest.

I think I would have dropped dead to win something like that when I was starting out.

Now I think more about gifting some bags like that to new collectors.

 

@Theodosius - Glad to hear it's working out.

As for the bag o' ancients- I have a stack that I've identified but have yet to post. Although my batting average so far isn't great.

Out of the coins I have posted, three of them seem to be right. The Aurelian (which was the first one I figured out), and the two I posted to the FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO thread.

The Otho and Jovian/Valentinian were wrong.

This week, my wife is going on her annual trip to Las Vegas with the nurses she works with, so I will have a little more free time than usual. Maybe I will use the extra time to post the remaining coins I've identified. Not that I expect most to be right.

Either way, it's been a lot of fun.

 

I agree with the previous responses -- quite a few river gods here and there, and plenty of thunderbolts. Some of the Syracusan coins come to mind. If it makes you feel any better, it is pouring in New Orleans today and I am about to have to wade through the moat around my building to go to a meeting!