Naville Numismatics Ltd.
Auction 35 29 Oct 2017
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Egypt, Alexandria. Dattari. Antoninus Pius, 138-161 Drachm circa 141-142 (year 5), Æ 33mm., 24.65g. Laureate head r. Rev. Heracles and the Cretan bull: Heracles standing, l., grasping horn and muzzle of bull rearing, l., head, r.; in field, L-E. RPC 15221.2 (this coin). Dattari-Savio Pl. 131, 2609 (this coin). Dattari 2609 (this coin) and Pl XV (this rev. illustrated).
Extremely rare. Attractive brown tone, Very Fine.
From the Dattari collection. Illustrated in Dattari.
In Greek mythology, the Cretan bull (Κρὴς ταῦρος) was the bull Heracles had to capture as his seventh task. King Minos had made a promise to sacrifice to Poseidon anything that should come out of his watery realm, but when he saw the bull which rose from the sea, enchanted by his beauty, he sent it to his herd and sacrificed an ordinary specimen to the god. Angered by this deception, Poseidon made the bull go mad and it wreaked destruction all over the island of Crete. Apollodorus says that to subdue the bull, Heracles came to the island and when, in reply to his request for help, Minos told him to fight and catch the animal all by himself, he tamed it and brought it to Eurystheus, who wanted to dedicate it to Hera. However, Hera refused to accept it saying that the sacrifice would have been in Heracles' honour instead, she freed the bull which wandered to Sparta and all Arcadia, and crossing the Isthmus arrived at Marathon in Attica and attacked the inhabitants. Finally, the bull was captured and chained up by Theseus who offered it as a sacrifice to Apollo Delphinius. This specimen is the second of the three mentioned in the RPC Online ( 15221.2).
Extremely rare. Attractive brown tone, Very Fine.
From the Dattari collection. Illustrated in Dattari.
In Greek mythology, the Cretan bull (Κρὴς ταῦρος) was the bull Heracles had to capture as his seventh task. King Minos had made a promise to sacrifice to Poseidon anything that should come out of his watery realm, but when he saw the bull which rose from the sea, enchanted by his beauty, he sent it to his herd and sacrificed an ordinary specimen to the god. Angered by this deception, Poseidon made the bull go mad and it wreaked destruction all over the island of Crete. Apollodorus says that to subdue the bull, Heracles came to the island and when, in reply to his request for help, Minos told him to fight and catch the animal all by himself, he tamed it and brought it to Eurystheus, who wanted to dedicate it to Hera. However, Hera refused to accept it saying that the sacrifice would have been in Heracles' honour instead, she freed the bull which wandered to Sparta and all Arcadia, and crossing the Isthmus arrived at Marathon in Attica and attacked the inhabitants. Finally, the bull was captured and chained up by Theseus who offered it as a sacrifice to Apollo Delphinius. This specimen is the second of the three mentioned in the RPC Online ( 15221.2).