this is a topic i have been pondering for some time, and a new coin in my
collection (from
Akragas) has me looking for more details.
Zeus Hellanios may be translated as ‘
Zeus worshipped by all Hellenes‘, and this supports the theory that He was originally a pre-Dorian god of the Hellenes, and so was probably worshipped in the region of
Thessaly or perhaps even at Dodona. the cult seems to have been centered at Aigina, where a sanctuary existed on Mt. Oro.
however the epithet Hellanios refers specifically to
Zeus’ aspect of ‘Bringer of the Rains’. this epithet seems to have begun after
Zeus answered a prayer by Aiakus,
King of Aigina and grandfather of
Achilles and
Ajax, to “avert drought and barrenness from the land of
Greece”. in appreciation he built the mountaintop sanctuary.
numismatically this reference occurs almost exclusively in
Sicily during the early 3rd century BC, or more specifically circa 290-260. here the god was typically depicted without a beard, and so is often mistaken for
Apollo.
below are a few examples...
the first is a Syracusan bronze from my
collection depicting
Zeus Hellanios, and is from the reign of Hiketas II (288-279).
the second coin, also from my
collection, is from
Akragas and was struck around the same time (275-240).
and a brief
search of
Forvm yielded the third example, issued by the
Mamertini at
Messana circa 288.
so it appears that at least three separate sections of the Sicilian population during the early third century embraced this particular aspect of
Zeus at just about the same time, an aspect virtually ignored until then. but why?
was there a drought in
Sicily during this period? this would not be an uncommon occurrence even in modern times, so the odds are pretty
good. however i was thinking of a more specific event, possibly recorded into
history. if that is the case then perhaps this was simply a propitiation to the god.
or is it evidence of an emerging cult at
Sicily, possibly introduced by immigrants from Aigina?
nothing definitive has turned up yet in my research, but the investigation continues. i would appreciate any further information anyone might be able to provide.
