Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 470 17 Jun 2020
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MYSIA, Kyzikos. Circa 450-330 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (11.5mm, 2.49 g). The Herakliskos Drakonopnigon: the Infant Herakles crouching right, strangling a serpent coiled around each arm / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 160; Boston MFA 1517 = Warren 1476; SNG BN –. Light scuff on obverse. VF. Very rare.
Herakles was the son of Zeus and Alkmene. This union and the child it produced enraged Zeus' wife, Hera, who tried to kill Herakles. Shortly after his birth, she sent two serpents one night to strangle the infant as he lay sleeping in his crib. The following morning, the nurse discovered Herakles playing with their lifeless bodies: during the night he had strangled one in each hand. This early example of his renowned strength earned him the name Herakliskos Drakonopnigon, or "the serpent-slaying infant Herakles."
Herakles was the son of Zeus and Alkmene. This union and the child it produced enraged Zeus' wife, Hera, who tried to kill Herakles. Shortly after his birth, she sent two serpents one night to strangle the infant as he lay sleeping in his crib. The following morning, the nurse discovered Herakles playing with their lifeless bodies: during the night he had strangled one in each hand. This early example of his renowned strength earned him the name Herakliskos Drakonopnigon, or "the serpent-slaying infant Herakles."