Here is a new Tetradrachm of Claudius II I picked up for just $20. I couldn't pass up the price nor did I have any coins featuring Hermanubis. Claudius II (268 - 270 A.D.) Egypt, Alexandria Billon Tetradrachm O: AVT K KLA-VDIOC CEB, laureate cuirassed bust right. R: Bust of Hermanubis right, wearing modius, lotus blossom to right, LB ( Year 2 = 268/269 A.D.) to left. 20mm 7g Milne 4239 Curtis 1701, Koln 3037
What an excellent deal! That's a very crisp portrait of Hermanubis. Like many deities shown on coins of Roman Egypt, Hermanubis is a syncretic god. He is the blending of Greek Hermes and Egyptian Anubis. Both are conductors of souls to the afterlife, among other roles. I have one of him standing: EGYPT, Alexandria. Philip II as Caesar Regnal year 4 of Philip I, CE 246/7 billion tetradrachm, 22 mm, 12.8 gm Obv: MIOVΦIΛIΠΠOCKCEB; cuirassed bust right, bare head Rev: Hermanubis standing facing, head right, winged caduceus in right arm and palm branch in left hand; jackal (looking more like Disney's Pluto) left at feet; L-Δ Ref: Emmett 3592.4(Caesar); Milne 3676; Dattari-Savio pl. 264, 5079
Anubis "weighed" the heart of the departed on a scale and if the deceased were of good character they would rise, whereas if they were not they would fall. The feather represents Ma'at. The feather was the measure that determined whether the souls (considered to reside in the heart) of the departed would reach the paradise of the afterlife successfully.
My Hermanubis is also standing but a Commodus LKH. I always consider Egyptian coins showing Egyptian gods premium items over those with Greek gods.
Nice one @Mat . I think $20 was an excellent price for that one. Thanks for reminding me too that I desperately need to upgrade my Claudius II or acquire another for him that's a little more impressive. I'll probably keep this one, but I do need another that's not on such a shrunken flan. A provincial tet is a tempting option in light of all the nice provincial tets you guys have shared on this thread. Who doesn't love those hefty chunky 3rd Century tets? Claudius II Gothicus, AD 268-270. Æ Antoninianus, 17mm, 3.3g, 12h; Rome mint. Obv.: IMP C CLAVDIVS AVG; Radiate and draped bust right. Obv.: IOVI VICTORI; Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt and scepter. Reference: RIC Va 54, p. 215 Ex: YOC Collection
haha..well, i knew who Anubis was and i knew who Hermes was ..but until now i didn't know there was a blend...learn sumpin neu ever day
And Hermaphrodite is a blend of Hermes and Aphrodite. Interesting coin of Marcus Aurelius from Augusta Traiana, Varbanov 847. It portrays a very famous statue, now in the Louvre, Sleeping Hermaphrodite, which was copied and widely distributed in the Greco-Roman world. You may read more about the statue and see additional images at the Louvre website.
o wow RC!..super Kool!..(+ another one i wasn't aware of as being a god/goddess. altho i've known and heard the term used several times for many years) i really like that coin..Moesia Superior isn't it?
Wow, nice catch, Mat. That Hermanubis bust is great. You've all seen my Festival of Isis coin many times before, but here it is again. When depicted in this series, Hermanubis gets to keep his jackal face and wears a Roman military uniform. How cute is that! FESTIVAL OF ISIS. Anonymous. Rare. AE. 0.79g, 12mm. Rome mint, mid-4th Century (time of Julian II). Alföldi, Festival pl. VIII, 11; Vagi 3393. O: [ISIS F-A]RIA, draped bust of Isis right, wearing hem-hem crown and necklace. R: [VOTA P-]VBLICA, Hermanubis standing left, holding sistrum and caduceus.
Here's my Hermanubis: Tetradrachm Maximinus I (235-238), Alexandria. Year 3 (=237/8). Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Maximinus right. Rev. Bust of Hermanubis right, slight drapery, wearing modius; L Γ (date) to left, caduceus surmounted by palm frond to right. 22 mm, 11.81 gr.
