Pontos, Amisos AE29, 18.8g Amisos, 109-89 BC or 85-65 BC Head of Athena (Parthenos?) r., wearing triple crested helmet decorated with griffin AMI-ΣOY, Perseus standing facing, harpa in r. hand, Medusa’s head in l. Medusa’s body at his feet, monograms across fields Sear 3637, BMC 32 Die match: http://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotviewer.php?LotID=84547&AucID=90&Lot=621 Perseus is one of the most famous Greek heroes of mythology. Tasked with the epic quest of retrieving the head of the Gorgon Medusa, Perseus was given three gifts from the gods - a sword from Hades, a helmet of invisibility from Mercury, and the shield Aegis from Athena. On this coin we see a tired Perseus, stumbling victoriously from battle with the monster, bearing her head in his left hand. The head of Athena on the obverse is described by the seller as Athena Parthenos, referring to the colossal chryselephantine statue of the goddess erected in the Parthenon of Athens in 447 BC. Accurate modern replica of Athena Parthenos in Nashville, TN, completed 1990. Perseus by Antonio Canova, 1801
