Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 469 3 Jun 2020
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THRACE, Hadrianopolis. Caracalla. AD 198-217. Æ (26.5mm, 11.68 g, 6h). Laureate head right / Ganymede standing right, wearing Phrygian cap and holding shepherd's crook over shoulder; before him, an eagle standing left on low column. Jurukova 314 (V164/R305); Varbanov 3522. Dark green to black patina with some lighter highlights. Fine. Rare type.
Ganymede was the son of Tros, the founder of Troy. A youth of great beauty, he was abducted by Zeus while the young man was tending his flocks on Mt. Ida. Carried to Olympus either by an eagle, or Zeus himself in aquiline form, Ganymede served as the god's cupbearer in place of Hebe, as well as his eromenos. To compensate Tros for the loss of his son, Zeus provided him with a pair of horses so swift that they could cross over water, and were the ancestors of the horses for which the Trojans were renowned.
Ganymede was the son of Tros, the founder of Troy. A youth of great beauty, he was abducted by Zeus while the young man was tending his flocks on Mt. Ida. Carried to Olympus either by an eagle, or Zeus himself in aquiline form, Ganymede served as the god's cupbearer in place of Hebe, as well as his eromenos. To compensate Tros for the loss of his son, Zeus provided him with a pair of horses so swift that they could cross over water, and were the ancestors of the horses for which the Trojans were renowned.