Birding with Herakles

[kirispupis]

Although I wouldn't label myself as a "birder", the pastime of going into the field and identifying birds goes back further than the texts describing it. One such avid birder was none other than the Greek hero Herakles. Here he's depicted on this coin along with his favorite bird.

Arkadia, Stymphalos
Circa 350-345 BCE
AR Obol 11mm, 0.66g, 6h
Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress
Rev. ΣΤ[ΥΜ]ΦΑΛΙΟΝ (retrograde) Head of crestless water bird to right
BCD Peloponnesos 1703. SNG Copenhagen 286
Ex Collection of Jonathan H. Kagan

 

We don't know today exactly what type of bird was at Stymphalos, but per Pausanias (who never saw one), they were about the size of a crane but with a body shape closer to an Ibis, only the beak was straight. Their beaks were of bronze and capable of piercing the armor and shields of any foolish hunters. If that wasn't enough, they could launch their metallic feathers at people like daggers.

The Stymphalian birds made their home at Lake Stymphalos, near the city of Stymphalos that minted this coin. There, they fed on fish, rodents, stray dogs, and children. Clearly they were a problem for the villagers, who put out an ad for a hero to rid them of this scourge. Enter Herakles.

The hero took out his binoculars and astutely remarked that the birds made their home in the center of the lake, which bode poorly for his chances against them. So, he pulled out his phone, went to Athena.com (then under a different owner), and found a cool rattle forged by Hephaistos himself. After delivery by an Amazon, he lumbered up to high ground and used his new contraption to scare the daylights out of the flock.

They took flight, but to ensure they didn't return, he pulled out his trusty Ares & Wesson compound bow, dipped the arrows in the blood of the Hydra he'd conveniently brought along, and took out a good number of them. The remainder were rumored to head to the Black Sea (then called the Euxine) where they later tangled with the Argonauts (before they moved to Toronto).

This coin has long been at the top of my wish list, and I counted seven failed bids before I finally acquired this one. Although it's chipped, which I suspect was caused by an ill-fated visit to the birds themselves, the important pieces are all there and I really love the detail on the bird, the toning, and that most of the inscription is present and legible.

It comes from the collection of Jonathan Kagan, who from what I can tell is an investment manager who started collecting ancient coins and then moved to 19th century paintings. The painting collection was recently auctioned by Christie's.

Lake Stymphalos is still a good location for viewing migratory birds, so who knows, perhaps someday a birder will receive a most unexpected lifer. In the meantime, I checked Ebird and found no sightings. Of the ancient city, an aqueduct from the time of Hadrian and the scattered remains of a few buildings remain, but on my trip to the Peloponnese I didn't stop. When I look at photos now, that seems a bit of a shame, since the expanse does look scenic.

Feel free to share any coins with Birds, Herakles, or others you lost many times at auction before acquiring!

Edited October 7, 2024 by kirispupis

[Kali]

Wonderful coin, love the reverse.

 

[CPK]

Beautiful little coin and entertaining writeup! 😄

[Deinomenid]

1 hour ago, kirispupis said:

from the collection of Jonathan Kagan, who from what I can tell is an investment manager

Kagan (I think) is a strong source as a prior owner. He's  published some  interesting articles in top relevant  journals, is fairly well-known (married to Ute Wartenburg of the ANS etc) and is  still active. He was on the discussion on Lycian coins with the ANS last week for example. Just fwiw.

Here's recently acquired similar coin to yours.

I suppose Kamarina is one of the most famous for  images of  birds (though I hear Athens has a few) but all I have from there is this slightly freakish Nike with a sorry-looking swan.

Sicily, Kamarina AR Litra. Circa 461-435 BC. Nike flying l; below, swan l; within wreath / KAMAPINION, Athena standing l, holding spear; shield on ground.

This modern die can churn out much nicer ones!

 

[kirispupis]

6 minutes ago, Deinomenid said:

Here's recently acquired similar coin to yours.

 

Ah, I see you beat me on one of my previous attempts. 🙂 I couldn't bid live on it because the auction was on my wife's birthday and we were in Vegas. I was very sad at the time but I'm glad that it's gone to a good home and I'm happy with the example I finally obtained.

[Deinomenid]

11 minutes ago, kirispupis said:

I'm glad that it's gone to a good home

Sorry! I would gladly have stepped away if I'd  known. I'll make sure it's well-fed 🙂

[Sulla80]

Great coins @kirispupis & @Deinomenid! I enjoyed the coin and the post on the Stymphalian birds  from Arkadia, Stymphalos & The Nike from Sicily, Kamarina is outstanding.

Of course, Pliny the Elder wrote about 75 chapters on birds in his Natural History (most of Book X) which has many interesting facts on Romans and birds:

"Ravens are the only birds that seem to have any comprehension of the meaning of their auspices; for when the guests of Medus were assassinated, they all took their departure from Peloponnesus and the region of Attica. They are of the very worst omen when they swallow their voice, as if they were being choked."

 

Here's a favorite bird : a triobol from Eion, Macedonia

Notes here: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/a-bird-in-the-hand

and a Roman Republican bird, that comes with a story of bad luck:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/birds-and-bad-luck

The Romans were big into bird watching - hence our word auspices has Latin roots that derive from the word auspex, which refers to an ancient Roman official who interpreted omens by observing the behavior of birds.

    "Avis" – meaning "bird."
    "Specere" – meaning "to look" or "to observe."

When combined, auspex literally means "bird-watcher," or someone who watches birds for divinatory purposes. This practice was used to predict the outcomes of future events, especially important state decisions - like "should we fight a battle today?", based on how birds flew or behaved.

This coin was issued by Caecillius Metellus a longtime ally of Sulla (Lucius Cornelius) :

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/q-caecilius-metellus-supporter-of-sulla

[Ryro]

Wahoo! Way to go nabbing this hard to find coin of Herakles 6th labor! Lovely detail and toning. Class acquisition as always @kirispupis

I stopped making posts of Herakles labors in fear of creating my own competition. 

Mine is a bit more rare, though not as lovely, with the left facing Herakles. It initially sold on ebay, I was the under bidder on, for just above 200€. That bidder must not have paid, as it was up again a month later... and I won it for much less at 101€ (almost a third of my max bid this time around)!

I'm over the moon to finally have one with the pesky birds, and from Stymphalia! And the chip couldn't have happened in a better spot:

ARKADIA, STYMPHALOS

Silver Obol. Circa 370-350 BC.

11 mm, 0,64 gr.

Obv: Head of youthful Herakles to left, wearing lion's skin headdress.

Rev: ΣTYMΦA Head and neck of crested water-bird to right. 

BCD Peloponnesos 1694. BMC 4-5.

Chipped, otherwise VF, Rare

 

The types of this fine coin directly refers to the Sixth Labor of Herakles. The obverse depicts the hero and demigod himself, wearing the pelt of the Nemean lion on his head. The reverse shows the fearsome head of a Stymphalos marsh-bird, said to be have been raised by Ares and which were sacred to Artemis. After fleeing from wolves, the birds had infested a swamp in Arkadia and were terrorizing the countryside by destroying crops as well as people. Their beaks were of bronze, and they had sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims, as well as poisonous dung. Herakles used a krotala (similar to a castanet) made by the god Hephaistos specifically for this purpose to scare the birds into flight, which he then shot with his arrows which had been dipped in the poisonous blood of the Hydra he had slain earlier. He killed many, and the rest flew away, leaving Arkadia at peace once again.

 Purchased from Numisfitz GmbH

Edited October 8, 2024 by Ryro