Some new Hermes acquisitions

[kirispupis]

While many who don't follow Greek mythology are more familiar with Hermès, which according to my Aunt is French for "he pays", before the Gauls took to haute couture Hermes was the Greek form of the Internet.

Whenever Zeus wanted to send a message to Artemis or just wanted to relay a cease-and-desist to some mortal that wasn't worth personally threatening him, he'd call over Hermes, who would zip over in his winged Uggs and deliver the note.

Recently, I acquired several coins depicting him. This one in particular caught my eye.

Cilicia, Korykos
ca 1st Century BCE
Æ 21mm, 5.7g
Turreted head of Tyche r.; ΛN behind.
R/ Hermes facing, head left, with purse in right and caduceus in left; to left, ΕΓ / ΠΟ / ΕΓ
SNG France 1086-1093 var. (monograms). SNG Levante 791-4 var (same)

 

The type is extremely common, but the condition is not. Here you can clearly see Hermes with all of his kit.

• A flat petasos on his head. This protected him from the sun and rain as he ferried from place to place
• His caduceus, which was a sort of scepter. It was differentiated by the famous one of Asklepios in having two snakes instead of the one.
• His patented winged sandals.
• A traveler's cloak, because he traveled around

Interestingly, while researching Hermes' association with Korykos, I came across this Hymn to Hermes.

Hear me, Hermes, messenger of Zeus, son of Maia.
Almighty is your heart, O lord of the deceased and judge of contests.
Gentle and clever, O Argeiphontes, you are a guide whose sandals fly,
And a man-loving prophet to mortals.
You are vigorous and you delight in exercise and in deceit.
Interpreter of all, you are a profiteer who frees us of cares,
And who holds in his hands the blameless tool of peace.
Lord of Korykos, blessed,
helpful and skilled in words, you assist in work,
You are a friend of mortals in need,
And you wield the dreaded and respected weapon of speech.
Hear my prayer and grant a good end to a life of industry,
gracious talk and mindfulness.

 

While at first I thought this referred to the same city of Korykos, I now doubt that. Instead I understand it refers to Mount Korykos in Ionia. Indeed, this poem was written well before records of Korykos in Cilicia exist. The city was originally the port for Seleukeia ad Kalykadnon and was the location where Antiochos' fleet was defeated by the Romans in 191 BCE. I do wonder if the locals named their city from the Ionian mountain, or perhaps had a local legend that their promontory was the actual home of Hermes.

A paper by Hamdi Şahin (Rural Settlements, temples and inscriptions of Eastern Rough Cilicia) mentions the excavations of a temple at the ruins of Korykos that, based on an extant inscription, may be a temple to Hermes. Regardless, he was widely worshipped in the area, and is depicted on another recent acquisition from nearby Elaiussa Sebaste.

Cilicia, Elaiussa Sebaste
ca 1st century BCE
Æ 18,3mm, 4.6g
Turreted bust of Tyche r.
R/ Hermes standing left, holding phiale and caduceus
SNG Levante Suppl. 222 . cf. SNG France 1153

 

This version of Hermes has everything except for his petasos, which must have blown off on the short trip over.  He wasn't just worshipped in Cilicia, but all over Magna Grecia (because he flew all over the place). Here's a rare bronze from Ainos in Thrace that was purchased with the above two.

Thrace, Ainos
after 323 BCE
Æ 18,5mm, 4.20g
Head of Hermes left, wearing petasos.
R/ Hermes seated left on throne, holding purse and scepter.
SNG Copenhagen 421; BMC 42

 

This is a much different depiction of Hermes, who must have been engraved during a rare period when he was resting. Supposedly the throne was made of stone and the arms were cut to rams' heads. According to Herototus, Hermes was also worshipped by the kings of Thrace, who traced their lineage from him.

The purse he is holding signifies his eventual role in trade. This comes down to us today in the words "commerce" and "merchandise" which are derived from Mercury, the roman version of Hermes. That depiction is also shown on another recent acquisition from Achaia in the Peloponnese.

Achaia, Bura
Geta, as Caesar
198-205 CE
Æ Diassarion 23 mm, 4,92 g
ΛO CЄΠTIMIOC ΓЄTAC K, bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right /
BOYPA-ЄωN, Mercury standing right, holding purse and caduceus
Cf. BCD Peloponnesos 468 (Hermes within distyle shrine); NCP –; Dura –; BMC –

 

This is a much later coin minted during Roman times, by which time he'd renamed himself Mercury and had just sold his winged sandals - evidenced by the purse he's holding that contained the proceeds. Already he was proceeding down the path that would lead to overpriced scarves.

So, I've now built up a nice little collection of Hermes. I have several other coins, but these four were added in the last few weeks.

Feel free to show your coins of Hermes!

 

[TIF]

Very nice array of Hermes coins!   

I'd like to have a full-body Hermes with all his accoutrements, including winged heels.  Looks like I only have this headshot of Hermes looking like a 19th-century US newsboy:

THRACE, Sestos (sometimes spelled Sestus)
c. 3rd-2nd century BCE
AE 16.6, 2.35 gm
Obv: Head of Hermes left, wearing petasos; dotted border
Rev: chelys; ΣH downward in right field; dotted border
Ref: von Fritz, Nomisma 1, 15 (coin 29 on plate 1 in that book)
ex Stevex6 Collection

Totally looks like this 19th century newsboy:

Or maybe Andy Capp:

 

Here's a semi-Hermes coin-- an ancient mashup of Hermes + Anubis.  Syncretism flourished in Roman Egypt.


EGYPT, Alexandria. Philip II as Caesar
Regnal year 4 of Philip I, CE 246/7
billion tetradrachm, 22 mm, 12.8 gm
Obv: MIOVΦIΛIΠΠOCKCEB; cuirassed bust right, bare head
Rev: Hermanubis standing facing, head right, winged caduceus in right arm and palm branch in left hand; jackal (looking more like Disney's Pluto or a balloon dog) left at feet; L-Δ
Ref: Emmett 3592.4(Caesar); Milne 3676; Dattari-Savio pl. 264, 5079

[CPK]

Just now, TIF said:

Very nice array of Hermes coins!   

I'd like to have a full-body Hermes with all his accoutrements, including winged heels.  Looks like I only have this headshot of Hermes looking like a 19th-century US newsboy:

THRACE, Sestos (sometimes spelled Sestus)
c. 3rd-2nd century BCE
AE 16.6, 2.35 gm
Obv: Head of Hermes left, wearing petasos; dotted border
Rev: chelys; ΣH downward in right field; dotted border
Ref: von Fritz, Nomisma 1, 15 (coin 29 on plate 1 in that book)
ex Stevex6 Collection

Totally looks like this 19th century newsboy:

 

I can't unsee this now. 😆

[Ryro]

Lmao! Winged uggs!! Thanks for sharing some really fun examples. That first coin is in great shape, and I LOVE that Hermes portrait from Ainos.

Here's my Herm:

And a quinarius of his implements:

 

[taja1948]

THRACE, Ainos. Circa 398/7-396/5 BC. AR Tetradrachm (22mm, 15.58 g, 12h). Head of Hermes facing slightly left, wearing petasos with pelleted rim / Goat standing right; AINION above, laurel wreath to right; all within incuse square. May, Ainos, Group LVI, 404a (A244/P286) = AMNG II 328.11 = Consul Weber 870 (this coin); HGC 3, 1278; Berlin 30; Dewing 1273; McClean 3932 = Rhousopoulos 536. Dark find patina. VF.

From the Grand Haven Collection. Ex Roma XI (7 April 2016), lot 262; Daniel Koppersmith Collecton (Classical Numismatic Group 94, 18 September 2013), lot 145; Lanz 151 (30 June 2011), lot 12; Consul Eduard Friedrich Weber Collection (J. Hirsch XXI, 16 November 1908), lot 870.

[taja1948]

 

DIE SAMMLUNG DR. GUY SYLVAIN PAUL BASTIN. THRACIA. AINOS.  Specimen from the Comtesse de Béhague collection, Vinchon sale, Paris, April 14, 1984, no. 82; the stock list of coins & medals AG 554, Basel 1992, no. 5 and the auction NAC 23, Zurich 2002, no. 120.

The reverse of this issue shows a xoanon of Hermes, an Archaic wooden sculpture, whose discovery is reported by Kallimachos in his Iambus 7. A product of Epeios, the sculptor of the Trojan horse, the xoanon was carried down into the sea by the Skamander river and found by fishermen from Ainos, who tried to hack the god up and use him as firewood. However, the god would neither break nor burn, and when they threw him back into the sea, he reappeared in their fishing nets again. Eventually, they recognized him as a god and brought the xoanon to Ainos, where, on the order of Apollo, it was set up in the sanctuary shown on the reverse of this coin.

[Alegandron]

Meainon, Sicily (Subject to Syracuse)

AE  ,  g  Hexas

210-150 BCE

Obv: Hermes in petasos

Rev:  ΜΕΝΑΙ/ΝΩΝ, kerykeion (caduceus), two pellets lower left

Sear-Greek 1131 AE Hexas; BMC 2.4; Calciati III p. 189, 13; BMC Sicily p. 97, 4; SNG ANS -; SNG Cop -; SNG Morcom

Hard to find

 

Thrace, Deultum.

Tranquillina. Augusta, AD 241-244.

Æ 22mm 6.6 gm.

Diademed and draped bust right /

Hermes standing left, holding purse and caduceus.

SNG Bulgaria 1504-8; Youroukova 400; Varbanov 2932.

[-monolith-]

 

I just purchased this one for my tripod collection, but it has a nice portrait of Hermes on the obverse as well:

 

Province, City - Reign:  Thrace, Philippopolis - Pseudo-autonomous 

Denomination:  AE Unit

Mint:  Philippopolis (117-192 AD)

Size:  14.10 mm 

Weight:  2.04 g

Obverse: Bust of Hermes, right, wearing winged petasus; border of dots

 Reverse: ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΠΟΛ,  Tripod with branches hanging from each side; border of dots

 References: Varbanov, The Coinage of Philippopolis. Vol. II Catalogue 2, Bourgas 2019 p. 12, nr. I.4.5;
Peter, Die Münzen ohne kaiserliches Porträt von Philippopolis Thraciae p. 931, nr. 3 

 

I forgot that I also purchased this Hermes from the same auction; man that was a good auction:

Province, City - Reign:  Thrace, Sestos

Denomination:  AE Unit

Mint:  Sestos (Late 2nd century BC)

Size:  11.78 mm 

Weight:  1.31 g

Obverse: Head of Hermes left, wearing petasos; border of dots

 Reverse: ΣA; Amphora; herme to right

 References: Unpublished

Edited September 2 by -monolith-