Perseus and AndromedaI couldn't resist to add this coin to my
collection because of its important mythological theme.
Cilicia, Coropissos,
Maximinus I AD 235-238
AE 32, 15.62g
obv. AVT KG IOVH - MAXIMEINOC
bust, draped and
cuirassed, seen from behind, r.
rev. KOROPICCEWN THC KHTWN MHTROPOLEW
Perseus, nude except
chlamys, stg. l., holding
harpe and
head of
Medusa in
his l. hand,
clasping
hands with Andromeda, stg. r. in long
chiton, holding with her l. hand fold of her
garment under her chin; below
Perseus the sea-monster
Ketos.
SNG
Levant 590;
SNG Levante Supp. 157 (this ex.);
SNG France 770; this
obv. die was used in
Philadelphia too, see
SNG Levante 580
rare, about VF, brown-green
patinaThe myth of
Perseus is one of the most beautiful myths of ancient times. From all of
his several adventures here only the detail of the freeing of Andromeda should be of interest. This subject was very popular already in ancient times as could be seen on ancient wall paintings and mosaics. Naturally many artists have adopted this theme too since Renaissance until present days. I think it is very attractive to depict a nude defenceless young girl saved by a strong heroe.
Perseus, the heroe of Argolis, was the son of
Zeus and Danae. After defeating the Gorgo
Medusa helped by
Athena and cutting her
head he was on the way back to Argos. Besides the
head of
Medusa which turned everyone into
stone who looked at it, he
had several other magic things: The
harpe, a adamantine sickle from
Hermes, golden sandals from the
nymphs by which he was able to flight, a helmet of invisibility from Hades and the
kisibis, a bag for Medusa's
head.
When he was just above
Phoenicia he beheld from
his height a nude young girl chained to a rock at the seaside. That was Andromeda, daughter of the Aethopean
king Kepheus of Joppe and
his wife Kassiopeia. Because Kassiopeia regarded herself for more beautiful than the ocean
nymphs, the nereids, and was bragging with that, Poseidon was revenging
his daughters by inducing big floods in
Phoenicia and sending the terrible sea-monster
Ketos. The oracle of
Ammon promised rescue from these menaces only if the innocent Andromeda would be sacrificed to
Ketos. Kepheus even though reluctant let chain Andromeda at a rock on the beach of the ocean. When
Perseus saw her he fell in in love with her and promised to save Andromeda if she was given to him as
his wife. When
Ketos appeared
Perseus went up in the sky so deceiving
Ketos by the shadow on the water-surface, then jumped at him and cut
his head with
his sickle-knife.
When after Andromeda's rescue a great wedding ceremony took place Phineus, brother of Kepheus, her uncle, appeared and declared older rights on Andromeda. Probably he was called by Kassiopeia who didn't wish to see
Perseus as her son-in-law. An awfull massacre of the party guests started until finally
Perseus transformed all enemies to stones using the
head of
Medusa.
After that
Perseus and Andromeda lived in Argos. By one of their sons, Elektryon, they became ancestors of
Herakles. Another of their sons, Perses, became ancestor of the Persian kings, a fact which was used for propaganda when the Persians attacked
Greece under Dareios.
Ketos is Greek for whale. So this sea-monster reminds on the whale which swallowed Hiob in the Old Testament. It is reported that the bones of
Ketos were found near Joppe (todays
Jaffa) by the
Romans and
Marcus Aemilius Scaurus
had brought them to
Rome.
The story of
Perseus is put together by several different strings of fairy tales. Many motives resemble the stories of Thousand-And-One-Nights. They are full of orientalic narrating pleasure. Already
Homer mentioned
Perseus in
his Ilias (
XVI 319f.) and Hesiod reports the death of
Medusa in
his Theogonia (270-286). There is an
amphora from the 7th century BC with the motiv of
Perseus and Andromeda too (Eleusis, museum).
Andromeda, like
Perseus, Kassiopeia and
Ketos were set to the sky already by hellenistic poets, Kassiopeia in a basket which in some
seasons is shown upside-down as punishment for her betrayal.
Sources:
Ovid
Met. IV, 663-752
Apollod. 2, 4, 3
I have added two pics:
1) The most beautiful picture in my opinion with this motiv, a wall painting from the 1st century BC found in the Casa dei
Dioscuri in Pompeji (Naples, Museo Nazionale). It is a copy of an original from the 4th century BC.
2) Then the pic of a mosaic from Zeugma in
Anatolia. Zeugma somtimes is called a second Pompeji because of its wonderful mosaics. Perhaps it is new for some Forum's
members: Zeugma now is disappearing - despite the massive protest of scientists and the public of the whole world - under the water of a huge storage lake which was built by
Turkey at the upper Euphrat.
Best regards