ANONYMOUS. Triens (Circa 217-215 BC). Rome.

Obv: Diademed head of Juno right; four pellets (mark of value) to left.
Rev: ROMA.
Hercules standing right, holding club and grasping a centaur by the hair of his head; four pellets (mark of value) to right.

Crawford 39/1; RBW 104.

Centaurs are a recurrent feature in stories about Hercules, so much so that the hero's death was caused by one of them, Nessos. He was one of Hercules' victims, who shot him with one of his arrows when, carrying his wife Deianira on his back, Nessos fell in love and tried to kidnap her. At the moment of death, he tricked Deianira, advising her to collect a few drops of his blood and dip it on a shirt, in order to revitalize Hercules' romantic interest. Deianira naively accepted Nessos' suggestion, whose blood proved to be a powerful poison that ended Hercules' life amid atrocious suffering.

Condition: Fine.

Weight: 47.95 g.
Diameter: 38 mm.