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<p>[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 2964677, member: 75937"]Now, [USER=88401]@Mike Margolis[/USER] may have hit the nail on the head, but I'd like to offer an alternative explanation.</p><p><br /></p><p>I don't think it's a crazy idea that the young boy riding the goat on your coin may be Jupiter. The Jupiter conjecture arises out of the possibility that the goat depicted is Amalthea. If you'll bear with me, I'd like to conjecture a bit more.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some mythological and astronomical background:</p><p><br /></p><p>Amalthea was the she-goat who nourished Zeus with milk in a cave on Mount Dicte in Crete. When the god reached maturity he created his thunder-shield (the <i>aigis</i>) from her hide and the cornucopiae or <i>keras amaltheias</i> from her crown. In classical art, the aigis-shield of Zeus is often depicted as a tasseled goat hide slung across his arm. It's also important to note that Zeus (think thunderbolts) was believed to be responsible for stormy weather; there is a connection between the goat-skin shield and such weather.</p><p><br /></p><p>After her death, Amaltheia was placed among the stars<span style="color: #000000">*</span> as the constellation Capra (<i>goat</i> in Latin)--the stellar group surrounding Capella on the arm of the Auriga the Charioteer. Now, αἴξ (aix) means <i>goat</i> in Greek and the Greek name for the star Capella, αἴξ ὠλένιος, means <i>goat in the elbow</i> because that star lies <i>in the elbow</i> of Auriga. This term for the star as a goat appears in Aratus, <i>Phaenomena</i> 162-164 (Greek astronomical poem 3rd century B.C.), which begins, "The holy Goat (Aix), that, as legend tells, gave the breast to Zeus ..." (trans. Mair).</p><p><br /></p><p>The rising of Capella marked the onset of stormy weather for the Greeks. The word αἰγίς (aigis) means both "stormy weather" and "goat-skin" in ancient Greek, which explains the close connection between the two in myth.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]726307[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Now, here's where I engage in conjecture. Suppose that <i>is</i> Amalthea on your coin. What is she doing near the Dioscuri? Remember, the Dioscuri are the twins (Gemini) Castor and Pollux. Remember that Auriga, the charioteer who holds the sacred goat Amalthea (the star Capella) in his elbow, is right next to the Dioscuri in the sky:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]726312[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Now, what's that thyrsus doing in the exergue of your coin? Well, the thyrsus is the symbol of Bacchus, who is <i>the ruler of Taurus</i>, and Taurus lies below Gemini and Auriga in the night sky, as the above star map shows.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, the reverse of your coin may depict Gemini, Auriga and Taurus.</p><p><br /></p><p>I don't think this is too farfetched, though it's unlikely we'll ever know the true meaning of the iconography on your coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>~~~</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="3"><span style="color: #000000">*</span>Antoninus Liberalis, <i>Metamorphoses</i> 36 (trans. Celoria): "When Rhea, fearing Kronos (Cronus), hid Zeus in the Kretan (Cretan) cavern, a goat [Amaltheia] offered her udder and gave him nourishment. By the will of Rhea a Golden Dog (<i>Kuon Khryseos</i>) guarded the goat. After Zeus drove out the Titanes and deprived Kronos (Cronus) of power, he changed the goat into an immortal, there is a representation of her among the stars to this day. He ordered the Golden Dog to guard this sacred spot in Krete (Crete)."</font>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 2964677, member: 75937"]Now, [USER=88401]@Mike Margolis[/USER] may have hit the nail on the head, but I'd like to offer an alternative explanation. I don't think it's a crazy idea that the young boy riding the goat on your coin may be Jupiter. The Jupiter conjecture arises out of the possibility that the goat depicted is Amalthea. If you'll bear with me, I'd like to conjecture a bit more. Some mythological and astronomical background: Amalthea was the she-goat who nourished Zeus with milk in a cave on Mount Dicte in Crete. When the god reached maturity he created his thunder-shield (the [I]aigis[/I]) from her hide and the cornucopiae or [I]keras amaltheias[/I] from her crown. In classical art, the aigis-shield of Zeus is often depicted as a tasseled goat hide slung across his arm. It's also important to note that Zeus (think thunderbolts) was believed to be responsible for stormy weather; there is a connection between the goat-skin shield and such weather. After her death, Amaltheia was placed among the stars[COLOR=#000000]*[/COLOR] as the constellation Capra ([I]goat[/I] in Latin)--the stellar group surrounding Capella on the arm of the Auriga the Charioteer. Now, αἴξ (aix) means [I]goat[/I] in Greek and the Greek name for the star Capella, αἴξ ὠλένιος, means [I]goat in the elbow[/I] because that star lies [I]in the elbow[/I] of Auriga. This term for the star as a goat appears in Aratus, [I]Phaenomena[/I] 162-164 (Greek astronomical poem 3rd century B.C.), which begins, "The holy Goat (Aix), that, as legend tells, gave the breast to Zeus ..." (trans. Mair). The rising of Capella marked the onset of stormy weather for the Greeks. The word αἰγίς (aigis) means both "stormy weather" and "goat-skin" in ancient Greek, which explains the close connection between the two in myth. [ATTACH=full]726307[/ATTACH] Now, here's where I engage in conjecture. Suppose that [I]is[/I] Amalthea on your coin. What is she doing near the Dioscuri? Remember, the Dioscuri are the twins (Gemini) Castor and Pollux. Remember that Auriga, the charioteer who holds the sacred goat Amalthea (the star Capella) in his elbow, is right next to the Dioscuri in the sky: [ATTACH=full]726312[/ATTACH] Now, what's that thyrsus doing in the exergue of your coin? Well, the thyrsus is the symbol of Bacchus, who is [I]the ruler of Taurus[/I], and Taurus lies below Gemini and Auriga in the night sky, as the above star map shows. So, the reverse of your coin may depict Gemini, Auriga and Taurus. I don't think this is too farfetched, though it's unlikely we'll ever know the true meaning of the iconography on your coin. ~~~ [SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]*[/COLOR]Antoninus Liberalis, [I]Metamorphoses[/I] 36 (trans. Celoria): "When Rhea, fearing Kronos (Cronus), hid Zeus in the Kretan (Cretan) cavern, a goat [Amaltheia] offered her udder and gave him nourishment. By the will of Rhea a Golden Dog ([I]Kuon Khryseos[/I]) guarded the goat. After Zeus drove out the Titanes and deprived Kronos (Cronus) of power, he changed the goat into an immortal, there is a representation of her among the stars to this day. He ordered the Golden Dog to guard this sacred spot in Krete (Crete)."[/SIZE][/QUOTE]
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