Naville Numismatics Ltd.
Auction 35 29 Oct 2017
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Egypt, Alexandria. Dattari. Antoninus Pius, 138-161 Drachm circa 144-145 (year 8), Æ 35.5mm., 21.30g. Laureate head r. Rev. zodiac, Mars in Scorpio: bust of Ares, l., wearing helmet and cuirass; below, scorpion, l.; before, star; in field, LH. RPC Online 13551. Dattari-Savio Pl. 155, 2972
Lovely dark brown tone, Very Fine.
From the Dattari collection.
According to Hesiod, Skorpios was a monster scorpion sent by Gaia to the Earth to kill the giant Orion when he planned to kill every animal in the world. After the giant was annihilated, at the request of Artemis and Leto, Zeus put him among the stars. Orion and the Scorpion were a while later set among the stars with a similar name. The two litigants are never found in the sky together - for as one star rises, the other one sets. The old Greek Skorpios initially had two groups of stars: Skorpios shaped its body and Libra its claws. In another Greek story about Skorpios, Phaeton, the son of Helios, went to his father, who was earlier told by the River Styx to give Phaeton anything he desired. Phaeton wanted to drive the Sun Chariot for a day, although Helios tried to deter his son, Phaeton was immovable. However, when he had to drive the chariot, he lost control of the horses, and as he flew too high and was close to the deadly scorpion, its venomous sting was ready to strike. Terrified, he moved the chariot too close to the earth, causing the vegetation to burn. As a consequence Phaeton turned most of Africa into a desert and darkened the skin of the Ethiopians until it turned to black. Eventually, Zeus was required to intervene by blocking the chariot and hit Phaeton with a thunderbolt to put an end to its turmoil.
Lovely dark brown tone, Very Fine.
From the Dattari collection.
According to Hesiod, Skorpios was a monster scorpion sent by Gaia to the Earth to kill the giant Orion when he planned to kill every animal in the world. After the giant was annihilated, at the request of Artemis and Leto, Zeus put him among the stars. Orion and the Scorpion were a while later set among the stars with a similar name. The two litigants are never found in the sky together - for as one star rises, the other one sets. The old Greek Skorpios initially had two groups of stars: Skorpios shaped its body and Libra its claws. In another Greek story about Skorpios, Phaeton, the son of Helios, went to his father, who was earlier told by the River Styx to give Phaeton anything he desired. Phaeton wanted to drive the Sun Chariot for a day, although Helios tried to deter his son, Phaeton was immovable. However, when he had to drive the chariot, he lost control of the horses, and as he flew too high and was close to the deadly scorpion, its venomous sting was ready to strike. Terrified, he moved the chariot too close to the earth, causing the vegetation to burn. As a consequence Phaeton turned most of Africa into a desert and darkened the skin of the Ethiopians until it turned to black. Eventually, Zeus was required to intervene by blocking the chariot and hit Phaeton with a thunderbolt to put an end to its turmoil.