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<p>[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 3005912, member: 75937"]The Greek goddess Nemesis appears on numerous ancient coins. On Roman imperial coins, she is typically depicted as winged, holding a caduceus or olive-branch and sometimes with a snake at her feet. On Roman provincial coins, she often appears without wings, wearing a chiton, holding a bridle, scales, or cubit-rule, and with a wheel at her feet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Post your coins that portray her!</p><p><br /></p><p>In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis was the goddess who enacted retribution against those who succumb to hubris. The best description of her role and attributes, in my opinion, is a hymn to the goddess written by Mesomedes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mesomedes of Crete was a Roman-era Greek kitharode and lyric poet. He was a freedman and favorite of Emperor Hadrian, who made him his chief musician; he also served under Hadrian's successor, Antoninus Pius.</p><p><br /></p><p>Only 15 of his poems have come down to us, but four of them have survived along with musical notation! His "Hymn to Nemesis" is one of of these. As such, modern musicologists are able to recreate what it may have sounded like:</p><p><br /></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]jkTgkoOouhY[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>Here's another interpretation (instrumental):</p><p><br /></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]U7DnGQqlVsI[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is the full Greek text[1] It's in a Doric accent, so long alpha is used where Attic would use eta. It's not hard to follow along with the singer in the first video:</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ύμνος εις Νέμεσιν</b></p><p><font size="3">Μεσομήδης ὁ Κρής</font></p><p><br /></p><p>Νέμεσι πτερόεσσα βίου ῥοπά,</p><p>κυανῶπι θεά, θύγατερ Δίκας,</p><p>ἃ κοῦφα φρυάγματα θνατῶν,</p><p>ἐπέχεις ἀδάμαντι χαλινῷ,</p><p>ἔχθουσα δ’ ὕβριν ὀλοὰν βροτῶν,</p><p>μέλανα φθόνον ἐκτὸς ἐλαύνεις.</p><p>ὑπὸ σὸν τροχὸν ἄστατον ἀστιβῆ</p><p>χαροπὰ[2] μερόπων στρέφεται τύχα,</p><p>λήθουσα δὲ πὰρ πόδα βαίνεις,</p><p>γαυρούμενον αὐχένα κλίνεις.</p><p>ὑπὸ πῆχυν[3] ἀεὶ βίοτον μετρεῖς,</p><p>νεύεις δ’ ὑπὸ κόλπον ὀφρῦν ἀεὶ[4]</p><p>ζυγὸν μετὰ χεῖρα κρατοῦσα.</p><p>ἵλαθι μάκαιρα δικασπόλε</p><p>Νέμεσι πτερόεσσα βίου ῥοπά.</p><p><br /></p><p>Νέμεσιν θεὸν ᾄδομεν ἄφθιτον,</p><p>Νίκην τανυσίπτερον ὀμβρίμαν</p><p>νημερτέα καὶ πάρεδρον Δίκας,</p><p>ἃ τὰν μεγαλανορίαν βροτῶν</p><p>νεμεσῶσα φέρεις κατὰ Ταρτάρου.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is my translation, illustrated with coins:</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hymn to Nemesis</b></p><p><font size="3">Mesomedes of Crete</font></p><p><br /></p><p>Nemesis, <b>winged</b> tipper of the <b>scale of life</b> ...</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]744728[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Nemesis holding scale and short staff (cubit rule?); (torture) wheel at her feet. Julia Domna, AD 193-211, Thrace, Pautalia, Æ 22.3 mm, 5.97 g; Ruzicka 482, Moushmov 4222.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>... dark-faced goddess, daughter of Justice</p><p>who <b>bridles</b> with an adamantine bit</p><p>the vain whinnying of mortals,</p><p>and hating the destructive hubris of humans,</p><p>you drive out dark resentment.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]744742[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Nemesis holding arshin (cubit rule?) and bridle; (torture) wheel at feet. Gordian III and Tranquillina, A.D. 238-244, Moesia Inferior, Tomis, Æ 4.5 assaria, 28.92 mm, 15.89 g, 7 h; AMNG I 3537, Varbanov 5701, Moushmov 2279, Cf. SNG Cop 305.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>By your unceasing <b>torture-wheel</b>, leaving no tracks,</p><p>mankind's grim fortune turns</p><p>and, unnoticed, you come in an instant,</p><p>bending the haughty neck.</p><p>With your <b>cubit-rule</b> you always measure the lifespan</p><p>and you nod always with a furrowed brow,</p><p>seizing the yoke with your hand.</p><p>Be gracious, blessed dispenser of justice,</p><p>Nemesis, <b>winged</b> tipper of the scale of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]744744[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Winged Nemesis advancing right, hand bent and plucking chiton at her neck, holding bridle in left hand. Pseudo-autonomous issue, time of Septimius Severus, AD 193-211, Ionia, Smyrna, Æ 26.5 mm, 8.03 g, 6 h; SNG Cop 1304.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>Of Nemesis we sing, imperishable goddess,</p><p>mighty Victory with <b>long wings</b>,</p><p>infallable and sharing the throne with Justice,</p><p>Who, with righteous anger at the haughtiness of humans,</p><p>casts them down into Tartarus.</p><p><br /></p><p>~~~</p><p><br /></p><p>Notes:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. E. Heitsch: <i>Die griechischen Dichterfragmente der römischen Kaiserzeit, i</i> (Göttingen, 1961, 2/1963), 24ff</p><p><br /></p><p>2. χαροπός ή όν nom.sg.f. grim?, fierce?; blue-grey, grey; the meaning of this word is uncertain.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. πῆχυς εος ὁ forearm; cubit. However, when used as an epithet of Nemesis it means "cubit-rule" (s.v. <a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dph%3Dxus" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dph%3Dxus" rel="nofollow">πῆχυς εος ὁ V. 2</a>, Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. <i>A Greek-English Lexicon</i>. revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940).</p><p><br /></p><p>4. νεύω incline; nod, nod assent. κόλπος ὁ lap, bosom; fold of a garment. ὀφρῦς ύος ἡ eyebrow, brow; with νεύω often to nod as a sign. The text of this line makes no sense if taken literally. From context, and taking κόλπος metaphorically in the sense of "furrow" (it can mean fold of a garment or any grooved or hollowed out thing; s.v. <a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dko%2Flpos" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dko%2Flpos" rel="nofollow">κόλπος ὁ II and III</a>, Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott, ibid), I have translated as "nod with a furrowed brow."[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 3005912, member: 75937"]The Greek goddess Nemesis appears on numerous ancient coins. On Roman imperial coins, she is typically depicted as winged, holding a caduceus or olive-branch and sometimes with a snake at her feet. On Roman provincial coins, she often appears without wings, wearing a chiton, holding a bridle, scales, or cubit-rule, and with a wheel at her feet. Post your coins that portray her! In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis was the goddess who enacted retribution against those who succumb to hubris. The best description of her role and attributes, in my opinion, is a hymn to the goddess written by Mesomedes. Mesomedes of Crete was a Roman-era Greek kitharode and lyric poet. He was a freedman and favorite of Emperor Hadrian, who made him his chief musician; he also served under Hadrian's successor, Antoninus Pius. Only 15 of his poems have come down to us, but four of them have survived along with musical notation! His "Hymn to Nemesis" is one of of these. As such, modern musicologists are able to recreate what it may have sounded like: [MEDIA=youtube]jkTgkoOouhY[/MEDIA] Here's another interpretation (instrumental): [MEDIA=youtube]U7DnGQqlVsI[/MEDIA] Here is the full Greek text[1] It's in a Doric accent, so long alpha is used where Attic would use eta. It's not hard to follow along with the singer in the first video: [B]Ύμνος εις Νέμεσιν[/B] [SIZE=3]Μεσομήδης ὁ Κρής[/SIZE] Νέμεσι πτερόεσσα βίου ῥοπά, κυανῶπι θεά, θύγατερ Δίκας, ἃ κοῦφα φρυάγματα θνατῶν, ἐπέχεις ἀδάμαντι χαλινῷ, ἔχθουσα δ’ ὕβριν ὀλοὰν βροτῶν, μέλανα φθόνον ἐκτὸς ἐλαύνεις. ὑπὸ σὸν τροχὸν ἄστατον ἀστιβῆ χαροπὰ[2] μερόπων στρέφεται τύχα, λήθουσα δὲ πὰρ πόδα βαίνεις, γαυρούμενον αὐχένα κλίνεις. ὑπὸ πῆχυν[3] ἀεὶ βίοτον μετρεῖς, νεύεις δ’ ὑπὸ κόλπον ὀφρῦν ἀεὶ[4] ζυγὸν μετὰ χεῖρα κρατοῦσα. ἵλαθι μάκαιρα δικασπόλε Νέμεσι πτερόεσσα βίου ῥοπά. Νέμεσιν θεὸν ᾄδομεν ἄφθιτον, Νίκην τανυσίπτερον ὀμβρίμαν νημερτέα καὶ πάρεδρον Δίκας, ἃ τὰν μεγαλανορίαν βροτῶν νεμεσῶσα φέρεις κατὰ Ταρτάρου. Here is my translation, illustrated with coins: [B]Hymn to Nemesis[/B] [SIZE=3]Mesomedes of Crete[/SIZE] Nemesis, [B]winged[/B] tipper of the [B]scale of life[/B] ... [ATTACH=full]744728[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]Nemesis holding scale and short staff (cubit rule?); (torture) wheel at her feet. Julia Domna, AD 193-211, Thrace, Pautalia, Æ 22.3 mm, 5.97 g; Ruzicka 482, Moushmov 4222.[/SIZE] ... dark-faced goddess, daughter of Justice who [B]bridles[/B] with an adamantine bit the vain whinnying of mortals, and hating the destructive hubris of humans, you drive out dark resentment. [ATTACH=full]744742[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]Nemesis holding arshin (cubit rule?) and bridle; (torture) wheel at feet. Gordian III and Tranquillina, A.D. 238-244, Moesia Inferior, Tomis, Æ 4.5 assaria, 28.92 mm, 15.89 g, 7 h; AMNG I 3537, Varbanov 5701, Moushmov 2279, Cf. SNG Cop 305.[/SIZE] By your unceasing [B]torture-wheel[/B], leaving no tracks, mankind's grim fortune turns and, unnoticed, you come in an instant, bending the haughty neck. With your [B]cubit-rule[/B] you always measure the lifespan and you nod always with a furrowed brow, seizing the yoke with your hand. Be gracious, blessed dispenser of justice, Nemesis, [B]winged[/B] tipper of the scale of life. [ATTACH=full]744744[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]Winged Nemesis advancing right, hand bent and plucking chiton at her neck, holding bridle in left hand. Pseudo-autonomous issue, time of Septimius Severus, AD 193-211, Ionia, Smyrna, Æ 26.5 mm, 8.03 g, 6 h; SNG Cop 1304.[/SIZE] Of Nemesis we sing, imperishable goddess, mighty Victory with [B]long wings[/B], infallable and sharing the throne with Justice, Who, with righteous anger at the haughtiness of humans, casts them down into Tartarus. ~~~ Notes: 1. E. Heitsch: [I]Die griechischen Dichterfragmente der römischen Kaiserzeit, i[/I] (Göttingen, 1961, 2/1963), 24ff 2. χαροπός ή όν nom.sg.f. grim?, fierce?; blue-grey, grey; the meaning of this word is uncertain. 3. πῆχυς εος ὁ forearm; cubit. However, when used as an epithet of Nemesis it means "cubit-rule" (s.v. [URL='http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dph%3Dxus']πῆχυς εος ὁ V. 2[/URL], Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. [I]A Greek-English Lexicon[/I]. revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940). 4. νεύω incline; nod, nod assent. κόλπος ὁ lap, bosom; fold of a garment. ὀφρῦς ύος ἡ eyebrow, brow; with νεύω often to nod as a sign. The text of this line makes no sense if taken literally. From context, and taking κόλπος metaphorically in the sense of "furrow" (it can mean fold of a garment or any grooved or hollowed out thing; s.v. [URL='http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dko%2Flpos']κόλπος ὁ II and III[/URL], Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott, ibid), I have translated as "nod with a furrowed brow."[/QUOTE]
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