Monsters on ancients: Post em and let's toast to em...let's get Kraken!

This thread not meant for the weak, wimpy, whiny, any other descriptors that start with "W" or anyone with a heart condition...

With it being a full six months traveling forward or backwards through time until Halloween I thought it important to do a monster thread. Herein you'll witness terrors from griffins to gorgons to Gallienus (talk about straight up old school Gs).
I've got coins with beasts from the east, naughties from the north and even one eyed monsters
Couldn't resist this little snack that nobody else wanted on account of its clearly being a kin of old Nessy:

Ionia. Phokaia circa 350-250 BC.
Bronze Æ
10 mm, 0,69 g

(The evidence is undeniable)

Of course I've got a soft spot for mythical beasts...

IONIA, Phokaia(?).
Circa 6th-5th century BC. AR Hemidrachm or Diobol (10mm, 1.57 gm). Head of griffin left / Quadripartite incuse square. BMC Ionia pg. 215, 82; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG Kayhan 514; SNG von Aulock 2116 var. (seal right). Good VF, porous, small flan. Ex-Savoca
Similar pieces with a seal behind the griffin's head are clearly Phokaian (as von Aulock 2116). Coins without the seal are possibly from Teos. Depending on the weight standard that might apply, this coin could be either a hemidrachm or a diobol.


THRACE, Abdera
Tetrobol (311-280 BC).
Obv: Griffin crouching left on club.
Rev: ΑΒΔΗΡΙΤΕΩΝ.
Laureate head of Apollo right within linear square.
SNG Copenhagen 366.
Ex European auction as VF, I call it a nice AVF, well centered, good metal with lt tone Ex: Frank Robinson

The Ketos monster says, "You get em high. I'll get em low."
From the briny depths of ancient Greek nightmare. A monster from another dimension (stare at the reverse for too long and it'll transport you there!):

CARIA, Halikarnassos (more like hell-ikarnassos)
(reassigned from Kindya)
499-497 BCE
AR hektai, 1.78 gm, 11 mm, Milesian standard
Obv: head of ketos right
Rev: geometric pattern within incuse square
Ref: Konuk

We've got monsters in the sea, monsters in the air, how about nightmare fodder. Like, oh, IDK, a GORGONS HEAD!

THRACE, Apollonia Pontica
After 450 BCE. AR Reduced Drachm (14.38 MM 2.31 gm). Head of Gorgon facing, tongue protruding / Anchor with crayfish and A at sides. SNG.BM.162. aXF

Of course the Romans had monsters as well... besides the Emperors!

Another underwater monster. Anyone notice a theme here with our aquaticly afraid ancients?

Gallienus
253-268 CE AE-Antoninianus (3.13g), Roma 267-268 AD Av.: GALLIENVS AVG, Head with Radiation Crown No.r.: NEPTVNO CONS AVG/N (in the Section), Hippocampus No.r.--. RIC 245, C 667, MIR 743b.


(Now, that guys hung like a half man half horse. Oh, and there's a centaur on the reverse. You're welcome Gallienus fans)
Gallienus
253-268 CE. AE antoninianus (20 mm, 2.98 g, 1 h). Gallienus Zoo series. Rome mint, A.D. 267/8. GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head of Gallienus right / APOLLINI CONS AVG, centaur walking left, raising left front hoof and holding globe and rudder // H. RIC 164; RSC 98.



So please, scare me! Post your ancient creeps, crawlies and MONSTERS!

 

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The photo under which you cited " undeniable evidence " is an old trick made by a photographer. He got a wealth from this photo which was thought to be an irregular beast in the lake. After long years it turned to be a prow of a ship. I read an article about this maybe 15 years ago.

 

Another centaur here


Gallienus AE Antoninianus. GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right / APOLLINI CONS AVG, Centaur walking left, holding globe and trophy. Mintmark H. Cohen 74, RSC 74. Sear5 10177.



... a charming gorgon



Thrace. Apollonia Pontica circa 425-375 BC.
Drachm AR 14 mm., 3,02 g.
Circa 480/78-450 BC
SNG Apollonia Pontica 106-112.



... how about a dog with 3 heads?



Egypt. Alexandria. Hadrian AD 117-138.
Billon-Tetradrachm
25 mm, 12,71 g
RPC III, 5871
Dating AD 133/4
Obverse inscription ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹ ΤΡΑΙΑΝ - ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟϹ ϹƐΒ
Obverse design laureate draped and cuirassed bust of Hadrian, r., seen from rear
Reverse inscription L ΙΗ
Reverse design Sarapis seated, l., holding sceptre; to l., Cerberus

... and this is not a monster but a clear proof that pigs can fly. I think it would have made a wonderful pet



Ionia. Klazomenai circa 480-400 BC.
Diobol AR
10 mm., 1,04 g.
Klazomenai, Ionia, AR diobol. 499-494 BC. Forepart of winged boar right / Quatripartite incuse square. BMC 14; SNG von Aulock 1983; SNG Copenhagen 6-8; Sear 3503.


.... and who can forget the good old MFB?


5.70 g 19.04 mm
Campania, Suessa Aurunca
268 – 240 BC
OBV:Laureate head of Apollo, L, O at right
REV: SVESANO, Man-headed bull, Nike flying above, crowning bull with laurel branch or wreath. SNG Cop 586 SNG ANS 606

 

A scary set @Ryro, I especially like the CARIA, Halikarnassos. I don't know if this guy is a monster - but i would rather be the one he is defending, not the one he is coming after:

Argolis, Argos, circa 90-50 BC, AR Triobol, Hieron (IEPΩNOΣ), magistrate
Obv: Forepart of wolf at bay left
Rev: Large A; I-E/P-Ω/NO-Σ in three lines around; below crossbar, eagle standing right on thunderbolt; all within incuse square
Size: 14mm, 2.43g
Ref: BCD Peloponnesos 1177-8
Notes: For more on this coin - see my note on "Greek wolves & Cleopatra?"

 

If flying pigs aren't monsters and wouldn't scare the H E double hockey sticks out of anyone passing by, then I'm not a "functioning" alcoholic
Loads of great coins!
Wonderful example of the flying pig type
And thanks for the man faced bull reminder:

 

A couple that haven't been shown:



L. Valerius Acisculus. Denarius, Rome, 45 BC. Obv: Laureate head of Jupiter right, pickax and ACISCVLVS behind, all within laurel wreath. Rx: Anguipedic giant facing, right hand grasping thunderbolt which has pierced his side, left hand raised; L VALERIVS in exergue. Crawford 474/4. Sydenham 1003 (R9). Sear, Imperators 93. RSC Valeria 21



Sextus Pompey. Denarius, Sicily, 42-40 BC. Obv: The Pharos of Messana surmounted by a statue of Neptune; in foreground, galley left adorned with legionary eagle, scepter, and trident. Rv. The monster Scylla l. wielding a rudder as a club. Crawford 511/4a-c. Sydenham 1348. Sear, Imperators 335.

I'll resist the temptation to post a portrait of Octavian in a monsters thread.

Phil Davis

 

Gallienus with a hippocamp. When I first showed this to my girlfriend, she was convinced it was a monkey with a curled tail...

 

..kool coins..ok, how 'bout this lil charm(yeah, it was worn as such for quite a while)?! monster on one side, angels on the other.. Plautius Plancus, mask of Medusa/ flying Victory with horses 47BC 18mm, 3.65gms

 

A variety of mythical beasts, some part human and some not.

Apollonia Pontika -- Gorgoneion (Medusa):


L. Plautius Plancus - Medusa (obverse only):



T. Carisius - Sphinx:



Divus Vespasian, half-Capricorns:



Julia Paula, Mysium, Paria, Capricorn playing water polo:



Gallienus, zoo series, Centaur:



Pantikapaion, Pan/Griffin



L. Papius - Juno Sospita/Griffin



Philip II, Tetrassarion, Moesia Inferior, Tomis, Griffin with Wheel ( = Nemesis)



Gallienus, zoo series, Griffin

 

Talk about a scary pooch!


I've wanted one of these for so long. But after seeing yours, what is the point?
Perfection!

 

Metus of Etruria



Etruria Populonia 3rd C BCE AR 20 As 8.1g Metus Blank HN 152

 

Nice idea for a topic @Ryro ! I was hoping someone here would post a coin with the gigantomachy on ther reverse...! Those are really great coins! Don't think i'll ever be able to get one of those :-(

All i can contribute is a coin already shown here, but I really love it so i'll happily show it too. It shows Scylla, a true creature which strikes fear in the hearts of even the most brave of sailors! She will slap you with the rudder of your own ship!


Then again, when i look at the image of Scylla shown on this beautiful vase, I only see happy, cuddly puppies. Not really monstrous, is it?


So, perhaps this is more realistic:

 

My contribution: a diobol of Klazomenai.

In 'On Animals' the Roman writer Aelian mentions this fierce creature, known as Hus Klazomenaios:

‘I have heard that on Klazomenai there was a sow with wings, and it ravaged the territory of Klazomenai. And Artemon records this in his ‘Annals of Klazomenai:
’ That is why there is a spot named and celebrated as the ‘Place of the Winged Boar’, and it is famous. But if anyone regards this as myth, let him do so’.

Definitely a real monster, this one. Don't let the wings fool you. Said by some to be the offspring of Chryasor (the brother of Pegasus, and also born out of Medusa). Whatever it is, it's the product of a gene pool I wouldn't want to dip my toe in...

 

Sometimes both sides of the coin show a different monster. Another "Klazomenai":


AR Obol. 8mm, 0.58 g. Classical Numismatic Group, e-Auction 148, September 2006, lot 162 (David Herman collection)

"Klazomenai" in quotes because winged boar coins are known for Klazomenai, Mytilene, Kyzikos, Ialysos/Rhodes, Carian Chersonesos, Kisthene (satrapal), Lycia (dynastic). There are no die links between the boar/gorgon coinage and any boar coinage with the letter K. There are no documented findspots for the boar/gorgon coinage.

Barclay Head said “The distinctive badge of the city appears from the later inscribed coins to have been a winged boar; cf. Aelian (De Natura Animalium, xii. 38), who relates, on the authority of Artemon, that such a monster once infested the Clazomenian territory.” Head himself is unsure of the attribution, writing “These … coins can be only conjecturally attributed to Clazomenae.”

All the cities using the winged boar have a similar-looking boar, which makes me doubt that that the coins of Klazomenai depict the specific boar Aelian wrote about.

Klazomenai was originally located on the mainland, but probably during the early fifth-century BC Ionian Revolt from the Persians, moved to the Karantina Island just off the coast. Alexander the Great eventually connected Karantina island to the mainland with a causeway, the remains of which are still visible.

 

Fascinating and unique image of a gorgon.
And that's a freaky excellent archaic that leaves chills down the spine no matter which way you hold it!
Very interesting synopsis. And wonderful coin!
I do agree, with the amount of land/distance we are dealing with making it seem that we should rethink that it appears to be the same boar, so what's the true origin story? What legend did Aelian's come from?
... now I cannot except anything less than a full pig and gorgon type... wish me good luck.
And it's startling that we don't have one single find spot for the type?! And maybe more so strange to me, than the flying boar, is the uniqueness of the gorgon!...Until now!
As some may know, I'm a bit of a horror/creature feature aficionado and have found the link.
That is no gorgon! But clearly the love child of the creature from the black lagoon and creature from the haunted sea!!!

 

THE MONSTER CARACALLA


RI Caracalla 198-217 AR Denarius MONETA

 

If you look closely you will see the boar is a forepart. The coins might illustrate a rhyton, not this one but something like it.

Aelian has a single paragraph, you can read it here.

There is a winged boar in the Medusa myth, Khrysoar. It could also be part of a myth that hasn't come down to us. Or the wings might be symbolic of speed, rather than actual flight wings.

These are too early to show the flaming pigs that Antigonas Gonatas used to terrify the elephants at the seige of Megara in 266 BC.

The winged boar / gorgon coinage is scarce. I have looked hard for the drachm and found 11 specimens total. There are more obols, and especially diobols. But not a lot, and none known to coinhoards.org. Especially not a lot in museum collections.

It must have been a big coinage. The 11 drachms come from 5 obverse and 5 reverse dies.

 

Ionia Klazomenai 480-400 BC AR Drachm Pentobol 3.5g 13mm Forepart winged boar r gorgoneion incuse sq Cf SNG Copenhagen 12 Scarce