Rome - The Republic
| Moneyer: | L. Lucretius Trio |
| Held Office: | 76 BC |
| Denomination: | AR Denarius |
| Mint: | Rome |
| Obverse: | Laureate head of Neptune right, trident over shoulder, control numeral, "IIXX" behind. |
| Reverse: | Winged boy (deified Palaemon?) riding on back of dolphin right. "L•LVCRETI / TRIO" below. |
| Reference: | RCVM 322, RSC Lucetia 3, RRC 390/2 |
| Weight: | 3.9 gms |
| Diameter: | 18.1 mm |
| Comment: | Palaemon was the son of Athamas and Ino, was originally called Melicertes. When his mother, who was driven back by Hera, had thrown herself with her boy, into the sea, both were changed into marine divinities, Ino becoming Leucothea, and Melicertes Palaemon. According to some, Melicertes after his apotheosis was called Glaucus, whereas, according to another version, Glaucus is said to have leaped into the sea from his love of Melicertes. The body of Melicertes, according to the common tradition, was washed by the waves, or carried by dolphins into the port of Schoenus on the Corinthian isthmus or to that spot on the coast where the altar of Palaemon subsequently stood. There the body was found by his uncle Sisyphus, who ordered it to be carried to Corinth, and on the command of Nereides he instituted the Isthmian games and sacrifices of black bulls in honour of the deified Palaemon. |
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R04201