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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Sallent, post: 3192439, member: 76194&quot;][USER=82880]@Buffo Marinus[/USER]&nbsp;&nbsp; The discouri brothers Castor and Pollux...an old legend dating back to Greek times.</p><p><br /></p><p>The discouri representation in Roman coinage goes back a long way. The first denarii had Castor and Pollux on horseback, and it was a popular theme repeated throughout Republican times.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]824484[/ATTACH]</p><p>The star above Pollux in my denarius here represents Zeus (Jupiter) and marks Pollux as the one who possessed immortality, while his half brother Castor was mortal (being the son of a human). Eventually both brothers would be awarded immortality for their deeds as argonauts, and also for saving Helen of Troy, and were worshiped by Romans and Greek alike, and were a popular theme in Greek and Roman coinage.</p><p><br /></p><p>And Castor and Pollux continued to be represented as either stars or caps in Roman imperial and provincial coinage all the way to the 4rth Century.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]824485[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking of the discouri in Greek coinage, here is a drachm of Istros from the 4rth century BCE with Castor and Pollux. Note also that the Gemini constellation is also supposed to be them.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]824489[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>And if you are a space buff, the Gemini project also gets its name from the gemini twins (the discouri). Note the two stars in the project&#039;s logo. This was America&#039;s first capsule to carry more than one astronaut (it carried two crew members).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]824492[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]824493[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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