Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction X 27 September 2015
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Etruria, Populonia AR Didrachm. 4th century BC. Head of Turms left, wearing winged petasos, around Etruscan legend 'poepl', dotted border / Blank. EC I, 11 (O1, this die); HN Italy -; Sambon -; Vicari -; Vecchi -. 8.32g, 22mm.
Good Extremely Fine. In incredible state of preservation, and one of the very finest of all surviving Etruscan coins. Of the Highest Rarity - one of only three known examples, and the only one in private hands.
From the VCV Collection.
There is a general consensus that the Etruscan deities were not originally envisioned in human form, but instead as generalised, aniconic and fairly mysterious forces which manifested themselves through their effects. Several observations support this hypothesis, such as the lack of clarity regarding the sexes of the deities, some of whom are variously portrayed as both male and female. It is also apparent that the depiction of the Etruscan gods broadly follows those of Greek deities, but only in so far as a comparable Greek god could be found for an Etruscan one. Gods for whom a Greek counterpart could not so easily be found were thus not assimilated with Greek mythology.
The Etruscan god Turms generally fulfilled the same functions as his Greek and Roman counterparts Hermes and Mercury, being the god of commerce and the messenger between mortals and the immortal gods. In a uniquely odd way however, the Etruscans divided the Greek Hermes into two gods - Turms, who was associated with Tinia (Zeus), and Turms Aitas, associated with Aita (Hades). The latter appears to fulfil the role of a psychopomp, (from the Greek word psychopompos, literally meaning the 'guide of souls'), thus indicating at least a partial syncretism of the Greek Charon and Hermes. Meanwhile the Etruscan Charun, confusingly, is perhaps best seen as a death daimon and a guardian of the dead and of the underworld.
Turms therefore cannot be understood to be simply a local form of Hermes as he is in the Roman pantheon; while he inarguably retains all of the visual attributes of the Greek source of his depiction like the winged cap, Turms (like the other Etruscan gods) more importantly represents specific functions or myths from archaic Etruscan belief which are still poorly understood.
Good Extremely Fine. In incredible state of preservation, and one of the very finest of all surviving Etruscan coins. Of the Highest Rarity - one of only three known examples, and the only one in private hands.
From the VCV Collection.
There is a general consensus that the Etruscan deities were not originally envisioned in human form, but instead as generalised, aniconic and fairly mysterious forces which manifested themselves through their effects. Several observations support this hypothesis, such as the lack of clarity regarding the sexes of the deities, some of whom are variously portrayed as both male and female. It is also apparent that the depiction of the Etruscan gods broadly follows those of Greek deities, but only in so far as a comparable Greek god could be found for an Etruscan one. Gods for whom a Greek counterpart could not so easily be found were thus not assimilated with Greek mythology.
The Etruscan god Turms generally fulfilled the same functions as his Greek and Roman counterparts Hermes and Mercury, being the god of commerce and the messenger between mortals and the immortal gods. In a uniquely odd way however, the Etruscans divided the Greek Hermes into two gods - Turms, who was associated with Tinia (Zeus), and Turms Aitas, associated with Aita (Hades). The latter appears to fulfil the role of a psychopomp, (from the Greek word psychopompos, literally meaning the 'guide of souls'), thus indicating at least a partial syncretism of the Greek Charon and Hermes. Meanwhile the Etruscan Charun, confusingly, is perhaps best seen as a death daimon and a guardian of the dead and of the underworld.
Turms therefore cannot be understood to be simply a local form of Hermes as he is in the Roman pantheon; while he inarguably retains all of the visual attributes of the Greek source of his depiction like the winged cap, Turms (like the other Etruscan gods) more importantly represents specific functions or myths from archaic Etruscan belief which are still poorly understood.