Zeus, and Ryro's, abduction of Europa

[Ryro]

It's true that as Zeus liked pretty young ladies, I like getting a good deal on ancient coins depicting mythological scenes. 

I've been attempting to get a good example of Zeus' abduction of Europa but they usually go for more than I'm willing to pay. I was pleasantly surprised to get this beauty for considerably under what I was planning to pay.

(I guess I'll just keep these diamonds and bud)

 Zeus/Jupiter even has his tail in an "R" shape, clearly for Ryro! But why do they always describe it as Europa on bull?? We know who she's really riding... even if she hasn't figured it out yet😉

L. Valerius Acisculus, moneyer. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.69 g) minted at Rome, 45 BC. Diademed head right of Apollo; above, star; to left, pickaxe. Reverse: Europa riding bull (it's Jupiter/Zeus as a bull that's she's riding) right, holding billowing veil.

Europa's parentage is up for debate. Though, most stories have her as a descendant of Io and that she was from Phoenicia. This is where Zeus found her playing in the waves with her friends. 

Zeus was surely inspired by the Muses when he turned himself into an ivory white bull with emerald horns and hid in king Agenor's (or her other reputed dad, King Phoenix, for whom Phoenicia was named) cattle. Sticking out, like the hard on he was, Zeus got the young princesses attention and she began to pet him. Playing coy, Zeus would let her touch him and then move away. Making her move in closer each time. She thought she was earning the animals trust, while he was enjoying her caresses. Until she thought she'd tamed the beast enough and got on his back... and like a flash the Zeussian bull took off with the most beautiful woman the world had known on top!

Now they call it the abduction or even rape of Europa, but every image you see is off a young woman having fun on a bull. Wishful artistic thinking? Or maybe a difference in translation making it into a more Disneyified rendering?

Well, you guessed it, Zeus made it to Crete, showed his true self, and then he really showed his TRUE self and they made it 😘

Hidden far away on Crete, Europa was now the first queen of Crete and pregnant!

Europa would give Zeus at least 3 reported children.

Ironically, Europa was the mother of king Minos of Crete, who's wife would famously cheat on him with a, you guessed it, bull! This creating the Minotaur of the maze Theseus would have to kill:

CRETE, KNOSSOS.

AE (2.54 g), approx. 200-67 BC BC: head of the bearded Zeus to the right. Back: Labyrinth between ΚΝΩΣΙ / ΩΝ. Svoronos, Crete 116.2.00, Lindgren. Nice. Ex BAC Numismatics 2/9/20201

Europa had many overlapping stories throughout the ancient world and would later marry Asterios, very close to Astarte, and also the name of the Minotaur her daughter inlaw would mother. And with him she would bare more children, including daughter Crete!

If you made it this far, thanks. Now get out there and "Shake Eu-ropa"!

Please post your coins of Europa, bulls, Zeus, thoughts, or whatever rides your bull!

[Curtisimo]

Great new addition Ryro. Yes, the bull tail R ensures it was meant to be!

Here is my Europa example. See my write up here.

Crete, Gortyna
AR stater, struck ca. 330-270 BC
(27.5 mm, 11.58 g)
Obv.: Europa seated right in leafless plane-tree, holding branches of tree with both hands
Rev.: Bull standing right, head turned back, scratching muzzle with hoof.
Ex Karl Kress (1969†), inventory from 1950s - 1960s with original envelope, Gorney & Mosch Auction 241, lot 2989 (part of)(Oct. 9, 2016); Ex Minotaur Coins, private purchase February 6, 2021

19 minutes ago, Ryro said:

 

 

Funnily enough, Zues does lust pretty hard after Hera but in typical Zeus fashion he manages to do so while still pissing her off immensely. In the Illiad he tries to tell her how attracted he is to her by describing all the other women he’s fathered children with… yikes.

[Roman Collector]

Most entertaining write-up, as we have come to expect from @Ryro productions! I have just a couple of coins with a woman riding a bull motif, each from Amphipolis. If the Faustina one looks familiar, to you, Scooby, you were kind enough to let me know it was for sale on eBay through NumisFitz. 

Augustus, 27 BCE - 14 CE.
Roman provincial Æ 23.3 mm, 10.25 g, 1 h.
Macedon, Amphipolis.
Obv: ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΘΕΟΥ ΥΙΟΣ, bare head, right.
Rev: ΑΜΦΙΠΟΛΙΕΙΤΩΝ, Artemis Tauropolos with inflated veil, riding on bull galloping right.
Refs: BMC 5, p. 52, 73; Sear Greek Imperial 29.

Faustina II, 147-175 CE.
Roman provincial Æ 16.6 mm, 3.90 g, 12 h.
Macedon, Amphipolis, 161-175 CE.
Obv: ΦΑVϹΤЄΙΝΑ ϹЄΒΑϹΤΗ, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: ΑΜΦΙΠΟΛΙЄΙΤΩΝ, Artemis Tauropolos riding on bull, right, holding bow and drawing arrow from quiver at shoulder.
Refs: RPC IV.I, 6619 (temporary); SNG Cop 197. 

Now, the iconography -- especially on the Augustus one -- looks a lot like your coin.

Both show a woman with a billowing veil riding a bull advancing right. If one wasn't familiar with the sum-total of Amphipolis coinage with this reverse type, one might think the Augustus coin depicted the abduction of Europa. But the Faustina coin depicts the woman with a bow and arrow, which are attributes of Artemis, hence we know the iconography depicts Artemis Tauropolos. The etymology of the epithet, Tauropolos, is unclear, but connected to bulls. 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I really dig the Arisculus, a type which one doesn't see as much.  What a great acquisition!

[TIF]

  

Thanks bunches for the fun post, @Ryro!  I even learned some things 😄.

 

CILICIA, Seleucia ad Calycadnum. Julia Domna
AE 22 mm, 7.3 gm
Obv: IOVΛIA ΔOM CЄBACT; draped bust right
Rev: CЄΛЄVKЄΩN KΛAVKA; Europa, holding billowing veil, riding bull right being guided by a flying Eros; below, Triton with crab headdress, holding rudder and dolphin
Ref: SNG BN 984; SNG Levante 742
Ex Dr. P. Vogl collection; ex Bankhaus Aufhäuser (sold 18.09.1992, with dealer's ticket)

PHOENICIA, Arados. Trajan
CY 375 (CE 116/7)
Æ22, 9.65 g
Obv: draped bust of Astarte-Europa right; before, small laureate and draped bust of Trajan
Rev: bull charging left
Reference: SNG Copenhagen 81; BMC 374

[expat]

Great post @Ryro , very entertaining and educational. The witty write up was fun to read. Great coin addition for you, and wonderful examples posted by everyone. I have to content myself for now with the image on a modern coin.

 

[Qcumbor]

1 hour ago, expat said:

That's the easiest and cheapest way I know myself to get a proper "abduction of Europe"

Other than that the following Gordian III wasn't expensive at all

Gordien III (29/07/238-25/02/244) - Bronze (22mm) - Seleucia ad Calycadnus, ca 238-244 CE
ΑΝΤΩΝΙΟϹ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟϹ ϹƐΒΑϹ,   Buste radié, drapé et cuirassé à droite, vu par l'avant. Une contremarque sur le cou.
ϹƐΛƐΥΚƐΩΝ ΤΩ ΠΡΟϹ ΤΩ ΠΡΟ, Europe assise en amazone sur un taureau bondissant à droite, tenant un voile au dessus de sa tête. Entre les pattes du taureau, un dauphin allant a droite
22 mm - 5,51 gr, 
Ref : RPC vol VII.2 # 2930, SNG France -, SNG von Aulock # 5843

Q

[kirispupis]

Nice writeup @Ryroas always! I wish I had anything better to show, but this is my only coin depicting Europa.

Crete, Gortyna
Circa 250-221 BCE
Æ 17mm 4.1g
Europa seated right in tree, lifting her drapery; to left, eagle standing left, head right; border of rays /
Europa seated right, lifting her drapery, on bull running left; all within wreath.
Jackson pl. 12, 2; Svoronos, Numismatique 109; Joy 466; SNG Copenhagen 447; BMC 45

[Ryro]

WoWiE! Thanks for all the kind and funny words and beautiful coins! Sorry for the late response. Busy week. 

 

Man, I love that Gortnya Europa of yours @Curtisimo. It looks like an ancient silver surrealist dream. 

Also, nice reference to the Iliad. I just finished reading The Odyssey again. Always fun. Zeus is both so basic and perplexing to me. For the father of all, he sure doesn't communicate well and his understanding of the opposite sex ends with sex. Eh, I suppose he reminded the Greek men of themselves if given ultimate power. 

I'm glad you picked that fantastic Faustina ll @Roman Collector. One of my favorite auction houses right there. But don't tell anyone.

And agreed, you could have told me that was Europa and I would have thought, of course it is! Holly smokes, I had no idea Artemis had so many epithets! But after reading up on the Etymology of Tauropolos, "the bull was probably the ancient symbol of the bloody and savage worship of the Taurian divinity." I've found my new savior!

Thanks @Nerosmyfavorite68

Ooh, as always wonderful stuff @TIF! That Domna is a stunner🤩. And glad that I could make you laugh while forcing you to learn something new. 

Cool modern coin @expat Goes to show how much cooler Europe is compared to conservative America. We would never be allowed to have a bar chested lady with a cannabis leaf next to her on our coins:

Now I gotta get one!

Nice Gordy tri @Qcumbor. Zeus looks particularly randy on that coin. Oh my. 

Cool Cretan Europa @kirispupis! That's where Zeus took her after abducting her, and where the pretty great serial fillanderer was born.