The "Twelve Labours" of Hercules

Hercules, Herakles, Jupiter(Roman), was the son of Zeus and famous for his "Twelve Labours" along with many other adventures. Here is the more common Nemean Lion type of Commodus from Marcianopolis.


Moesia, Markianopolis. Commodus AE20. Nemean Lion.
Obv: AVT KAI L AVP KOMODOC, laureate head right
Rev: MAPKIANOPOLEITWN, Hercules wrestling Nemean lion left.

The Twelve Labours:

1. Slay the Nemean Lion.
2. Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra.
3. Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis.
4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
5. Clean the Augean stables in a single day.
6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
7. Capture the Cretan Bull.
8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
9. Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.
10. Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon.
11. Steal the apples of the Hesperides.
12. Capture and bring back Cerberus.

Please share any coins related you may have.

 

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Great coin

 

C POBLICIUS QF ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS POBLICIA
AR Serratus Denarius
OBVERSE: ROMA, draped bust of Roma right, helmeted & decorated with corn ears, control mark letter above
REVERSE: C•POBLICI•Q•F, Hercules strangling the Nemean lion, club at his feet
Struck at Rome 80 BC
3.88g, 16mm
Cr380/1, Syd 768, Poblicia 9

 

My sestertius hercules/ 24.2g/ related hercules head

 

This one isn't as dramatic since it shows only half of the parties involved, but here's a representative of his third labor:


ARKADIA, Psophis
450-30 BCE
AR obol, 10 mm, 0.69 gm
Obv: forepart of Keryneian hind right
Rev: fish right, O above, archaic psi below, all within circle incuse
Ref: BCD Peloponnesos 1680 (same dies). Rare.
ex Frank James Collection
ex BCD Collection

The Keryneian hind was no ordinary female red deer. This golden-horned, bronze-hoofed hind was the sacred pet of Artemis; Herakles couldn't kill or harm the animal during lest he anger her. Capturing this fleet animal was not easy.

Herakles chased the hind for a whole year. Out of desperation he shot the deer as it was about to get away again. As he rushed the injured deer to King Eurystheus he came across Artemis. Upon hearing his woeful story of the required twelve labors she took pity on him, healed the deer, and Herakles brought the unharmed deer to Mycenae.

...

Wonderful examples of the Twelve Labors can be found on drachms of Antoninus Pius struck in Alexandria. Like his popular "Zodiac series" drachms, the Labors drachms get pretty pricey . Some nice ones have come to market recently. Emmett's book has a nice plate showing examples of these coins:

 

kool thread and posts peeps! i've just now been able to "see" the lion on the reverse.

 

Very cool coins! NICE Psophis TIF! I have a sweet spot for Peloponnesian coins.

 

Labor #2, slaying the Lernaean Hydra, can be seen on this type of Geta:

28 mm. Struck at Hadrianopolis.
AΛPIANOΠOΛITΩN
BMC Thrace 119. Sear Greek Imperial 2786.

 

i am working on beter pictures

 

A great coin with beautiful patina. Congrats!

 

Thank you David. Now if I could just take decent pictures.

 

Here’s a “Weary Hercules” early type for Constantine, with a reverse modeled on a popular sculptural motif, the best example of which is at the Archeological Museum in Naples. I’ve had the good fortune of visiting this museum a few times, as well as the Baths of Caracalla in Rome where this sculpture was found. It seems that the die engraver had this sculpture or one like it in mind when designing the coin reverse. For more on the coin, see Victor’s note below. For more on the sculpture, see this lovely Khan academy video: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanit...rt/late-classical/v/lysippos-farnese-hercules

About the coin:

312 A.D. AE (bronze) follis or nummus
20.17 mm. 4.16 g. 180°
IMP C FL VAL CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; laureate head facing right.
HERCULI VICTORI; Hercules in “Hercules Farnese” style standing, leaning on club, which is draped with a lion’s skin. * and Δ in left field.
SMN; Nicomedia. RIC VI Nicomedia 75c, *D
Ancient Treasures (Plamen Arsoff). eBay.

This issue rare for Constantine and Licinius. Notes: “This type is only listed in RIC VI for Maximinus, but examples are also known for Licinius and Constantine. It should be RIC VI Nicomedia 75c. Two of the tetrarchs, Maximianus and Constantius (the father of Constantine) were associated with Hercules. The other two, Diocletian and Galerius, were associated with Jupiter.”

“The depiction of Hercules on the reverse of this coin was modeled from a statue made in the third century A.D. by Glykon, which copied an original of Lysippos. The statue shows Hercules leaning on a club draped with the skin of the Nemean lion. He is resting after performing one of the last of the Twelve Labors, and he is holding the apples of the Hesperides behind his back…The statue was originally located in the baths of Caracalla, which were dedicated in 216 A.D. In 1546, the statue was recovered and moved to the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. Alessandro Farnese, who built the Palazzo Farnese, was the future Pope Paul III. In 1787, the statue was moved to Naples. It is currently displayed at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale.” –Victor Clark

 

Herakles and the Hydra...


GETA
AE27. 11.72g, 27.6mm. THRACE, Hadrianopolis, circa AD 209-211. Varbanov 3684. O: AVT K Π CEΠT-MIOC ΓETAC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: AΔPIANO-ΠOΛITΩN, Herakles holding club, opening a can of whoopass on the Lernean Hydra.

 

I just noticed from the Sayles page TIF posted that the Hydra on the A-Pi Alexandrian series resembles anguipeds (humanoid with serpentine limbs) rather than the traditional depictions of hydras.

Not my coin:

 

Herakles & Nemean Lion
317-289 BC



Hercules & Erymanthian Boar
78 BC

 

Cool... The only ones that I have would be the Lion and Boar


Syracuse Sicily Pyrrhus Epirus 278-276 BCE AE Litra 11.4g 23.3mm Herakles Nemaean Lion scalp - Athena Promachos thunderbolt shield SNG Cop 813, SNG ANS 852


RR Anon AE 28mm 19.2g Quadrans - Sicily mint 214-212 BCE Hercules-Erymanthian boar headress - Bull ex RBW Craw 72/7

 

#12 Cerberus is commonly found as a companion of Hades/Pluto.
Caracalla Rome

Septimius Severus Nikopolis


I have never seen a coin on which Hades/Pluto is named. Anyone?

 

Neither have I.

 

Not unless you count tokens from Disneyland.

 

I have the common Poblicius type below, showing Hercules killing the Nemean lion. As common as it is, I still managed to find a 1982 provenance for this coin, which positively thrilled me. The common types are ones I never expect to find among the endless examples in old catalogues.