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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ryro, post: 6285860, member: 91461&quot;]More and more lately my favorite ancient coins are &quot;artistic&quot; or coins with eye appeal, over coins with major historical significance (though, I&#039;m still a sucker for any and all things rhyming with Shmalexander the shmate).</p><p>Many of these beauties feature young, long haired, pouty lipped faces with contours that would make 1990&#039;s runway models jealous<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie60" alt=":kiss:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248975[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>How many times is the prettiest obverse in the room not Aphrodite nor Artemis... but Apollo!?</p><p>My latest Roman Republic (or is it imperatorial?)coin, despite being a fouree, fits (or should I say, breaks?) this mold.</p><p>1 Muse down. 8 to go:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248971[/ATTACH]</p><p>Q. POMPONIUS MUSA. Fourrée denarius (56 BC). Rome.</p><p>Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right; sceptre to left.</p><p>Rev: Q POMPONI MVSA.</p><p>Melpomene standing left, wearing sword and holding club and mask.</p><p>Cf. Crawford 410/4 (for prototype).</p><p>Condition: Fine.</p><p>Weight: 2.95 g.</p><p>Diameter: 17 mm.</p><p><br /></p><p>And who didn&#039;t think those lovely locks, with flowing flowers intertwined, of Dionysus weren&#039;t from some fair Goddess and not a god when you first saw them?</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248974[/ATTACH]</p><p>MOESIA. Kallatis. 3rd-2nd centuries BC. Tetrachalkon (Bronze, 21 mm, 7 g), Poly..., magistrate. Head of Dionysos right, wearing wreath of ivy; on neck, countermark: head of Artemis to right, with bow and quiver over her shoulder. Rev. ΠΟ/ΛY within wreath; above, KAΛΛA. AMNG I 221.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sometimes it seems us moderns have confused the matter, or at least muddied the waters by having to have a name/category for everything and everyone, and due to our predetermined conceptions of sexuality.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1249005[/ATTACH]</p><p>Sex ed in Utah schools in the 80&#039;s was hilariously confusing (NEVER have Sex before marriage or you will simmer in Hades! But if you do then wear this and it&#039;ll be safe. Wait! What?), and just some 30 years later, incredibly misguided and out dated. Now times that passage of time by about a hundred and that&#039;s how far back we&#039;d have to travel in time to ask someone to please define beauty and sexuality to us.</p><p>Please don&#039;t check my math, nerds:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1249006[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>For the Greeks sexuality was much more fluid and hard for our modern minds (at least mine) to wrap our heads around.</p><p>Our modern media:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248960[/ATTACH]</p><p>(No, not that. That&#039;s ancient Medea)</p><p><br /></p><p>tells us men should be rugged, dominant and not feminine. While women are supposed to be beautiful, docile and never masculine. Really feels like a regression.</p><p>For example, look at the &quot;young, long haired, pouty lipped, face with contours that would make 1990&#039;s runway models jealous<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie98" alt=":wacky:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />&quot; on</p><p>Steven Tyler.</p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]nf0oXY4nDxE[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr. Arrowsmith himself has an utter look of self disgust at the top of the video when he realizes he has been ogling a GUY!?</p><p>But why? Societies predetermined conception of sexuality. Though, his reaction is considered tasteless now, again, it wasn&#039;t 30 years ago. You wonder, did Steven even realize how feminine he looks and dresses?<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie31" alt=":cat:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p>He doesn&#039;t look a lot different than...</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248978[/ATTACH]</p><p>Antiochos II</p><p>261-246 BCE Æ (18mm, 3.9g, 12h). Tralles. Laureate head of Apollo r. R/ Tripod; monogram to outer l., ? to r., anchor in exergue. SC 599; HGC 9, 253b. Green patina</p><p><br /></p><p>Or:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248977[/ATTACH]</p><p>LYDIA, Sardes</p><p>133 BC-AD 14. Æ.</p><p>Laureate head of Apollo right. / Club within laurel wreath; monogram above.</p><p>SNG Copenhagen 470-482. BMC 238</p><p>17 mm, 4,62 g</p><p><br /></p><p>Sadly, during the couple passing millennia woman&#039;s societal expectations haven&#039;t changed that much. Same &quot;beautiful, docile and never masculine&quot; rule applies then as now... except in the curious case of Athena<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie58" alt=":jimlad:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie78" alt=":punch:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie60" alt=":kiss:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p>Though, sometimes curvaceous and voluptuous, Athena can be portrayed as very masculine. </p><p>&quot;Because all my life I&#039;ve learned to suffer in silence&quot; - Athena</p><p>As her role in The Iliad and these coins show:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248986[/ATTACH]</p><p>Mysia, Pergamon Æ19. Circa 133-27 BC. Helmeted head of Athena right; star on bowl of helmet / Owl standing facing, wings displayed, on palm branch; monogram below left wing, A below right. SNG France 1900-29 var. (controls); SNG Copenhagen 383-92 var. (same). 2.37g, 18mm, 2h.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do you suppose Athena confused the ancient male Greeks near as much as Steven Tyler is in the music video?</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248985[/ATTACH]</p><p>Is Athena singing Queen???</p><p><br /></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]Z3w5gVM_4y8[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>I would love to see more androgynous ancients (any other gods, goddesses or people that I&#039;ve missed?), any and all of Musa&#039;s muses, thoughts and insights into ancient Greek sexuality (with coins of course) and or anything else that bends your gens<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie101" alt=":woot:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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