Nomos AG
obolos 16 11 Oct 2020
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M. Herennius, 108-107 BC. Denarius (Silver, 18 mm, 3.95 g, 1 h), Rome. PIE(TA)S Diademed head of Pietas to right. Rev. M · HERENNI One of the Catanaean brothers running right, bearing his father on his shoulders; in right field, C. Babelon, (Herennia) 1a. Crawford 308/1b. Sydenham 567a. Lightly toned, well centered and clear. Very fine.
The brothers Amphinomus and Anapius from Catania in Sicily are said to have carried their aging parents upon their shoulders during an eruption of Mt. Etna. The familial devotion in doing this at the sacrifice of all their worldly possessions delighted the gods, who caused the fires around them to be parted, thus allowing the family to escape unharmed. Familial piety was most sacred to the Romans, a people who worshipped their ancestors (the familial lares) and who considered themselves the descendants of Aeneas who likewise carried his family to safety from the devastation of Troy during its sack by the Greeks.
The brothers Amphinomus and Anapius from Catania in Sicily are said to have carried their aging parents upon their shoulders during an eruption of Mt. Etna. The familial devotion in doing this at the sacrifice of all their worldly possessions delighted the gods, who caused the fires around them to be parted, thus allowing the family to escape unharmed. Familial piety was most sacred to the Romans, a people who worshipped their ancestors (the familial lares) and who considered themselves the descendants of Aeneas who likewise carried his family to safety from the devastation of Troy during its sack by the Greeks.