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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ryro, post: 8086435, member: 91461&quot;]I am always happy to get a coin featuring a different labor of Herakles, as witnessed by my latest article on the man/God: <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/whos-that-guy-with-like-eleven-labors-that-pixar-made-a-movie-about-post-em-up.386593/#post-7896060" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/whos-that-guy-with-like-eleven-labors-that-pixar-made-a-movie-about-post-em-up.386593/#post-7896060">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/whos-that-guy-with-like-eleven-labors-that-pixar-made-a-movie-about-post-em-up.386593/#post-7896060</a></p><p>But then he also had some serious labors inside of his labors (he was a meta mega man) and I don&#039;t think any beat all of the labors he had in his 11th (on most accounts) labor, <b>The Golden Apples of the Hesperides!</b></p><p><b>[ATTACH=full]1404903[/ATTACH] </b></p><p>(The Nymphs of the evening and sunset tend to the garden...and could tend my garden anytime<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />)</p><p><br /></p><p>In that last post I talked all about the many things he labored while sharing my, then, latest coin of Herk&#039;s labors:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1404904[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Gordianus III</b> (238-244 AD). AE34 (21.86 g). Cilicia, Tarsus.</p><p>Obv. AVT K M ANTΩNIOC ΓOPΔIANOC CEB / Π Π, Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right, holding spear and shield decorated with gorgoneion between two serpents.</p><p>Rev. TAPCOV MHTPOΠOΛEΩ, A / M in left field, K / Γ / B in right field, Herakles standing left holding club in right hand, apples of the Hesperides in left hand, lion skin hanging from left forearm, to left dead serpent in tree.</p><p>SNG Paris 1669 (same dies).</p><p>Light green patina. Fine/almost very fine.</p><p>See Voegtli, Heldenepen, pp. 42-44: this scene appears on the provincial coins of Tarsus and ten other cities.</p><p><i>From the François Righetti Collection.</i></p><p><br /></p><p>So, this is just going to be about Antaeus the <b>GIANT </b>opponent (his name literally translates to opponent or opposer in Greek) of Herakles and my new coin featuring their Earth shattering battle:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1404905[/ATTACH]</p><p>CILICIA, Tarsus. Philip I. 244-249 AD. Æ 33mm (21.1 g). Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / Herakles and Antaeus: Herakles standing facing, head left, leaning right and wrestling Antaeus; he lifts Antaeus up into the air by the waist while Antaeus tries to break his grip.</p><p><br /></p><p>*My ID is far from certain and any help is appreciated. I couldn&#039;t find any coins where their legs and postures aligned like this. Philip I is just the closest. And ALL the Philip I coins have him with a radiate bust. If anyone reads Greek well, pointers are appreciated as this coin appears to lack the 2 table top looking ΠΠ = PP that would be in &quot;Philippus&quot; ΦIΛΙΠΠON as we see in the example I&#039;ve borrowed from CNG here:</p><p>&nbsp;[ATTACH=full]1404907[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1404910[/ATTACH]</p><p>(Note Antaeus temple of skulls<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie95" alt=":vamp:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />behind the combatants. More to come)</p><p><br /></p><p>As many know Antaeus was invincible, so long as his feet touched the Earth. And why was that? Well, Antaeus mother was none other than Gaia herself. THE personification of the Earth. Meaning, so long as he was in his mother&#039;s embrace nothing could hurt him (no Oedipal jokes please). Adding a tinge of humanity to the beyond human story. Oh, and his father was Poseidon. Talk about a dude not to be messed with!</p><p>Antaeus would challenge all unlucky enough to come along to a wrestling match...to the death! He&#039;d killed so many men that, &quot;he built a temple to his father using their skulls.&quot; Spine tingling stuff<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie67" alt=":nailbiting:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p>After getting his Heraklass handed to him time and again, Herakles realized that he would need to improvise. So he lifted the mighty son of immortals into the air and bear hugged him to death <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie53" alt=":hungover:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1404911[/ATTACH]</p><p>(talk about keeping your enemies closer<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie85" alt=":smuggrin:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />)</p><p><br /></p><p>Just out of his mother&#039;s touch their was nothing Antaeus could do but die by being crushed to death in Herakles arms.</p><p><br /></p><p>Post script:</p><p>Antaeus &quot;bones&quot; were located in a sacred place in Tangier (named after Antaeus&#039; wife Tinge). Probably old dinosaur bones, but their story crops up several times in the ancient record. Some stories even have Herakles getting <i>involved </i>with Tinge after the death of Antaeus. Stating that she bore him a son, Sophax, who would go on to do great things including being the one to name Tingis after his mom.</p><p>Antaeus survives to this day though, as his story has been commemorated in art through the ages. From ancient times, to the renaissance and up to the modern day:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1404912[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1404921[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1404919[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]6dOwHzCHfgA[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>So please share any of your labors of Herakles coins, favorite stories, thoughts on my coins identification or anything that lifts you up into the air<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie52" alt=":hilarious:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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