ROMAN. C. Mamilius Limetanus. 82 BC. Silver Serrate Denarius (4.03g). Rome mint. Draped bust of Mercury right, wearing winged petasus; to left, I above caduceus / Ulysses, wearing pileus and mariner's dress, walking right, leaning on staff and extending his hand toward his dog, Argus, who advances toward him. Crawford 362/1; Sydenham 741; Mamilia 6; RBW 1370 var. (control). Old grey cabinet toning, with underlying lustre. gVF. This denarius celebrates the proud mythical lineage of the gens Mamilia, who claimed descent from Mamilia, daughter of Telegonus, himself the son of Ulysses and the sorceress Circe, and ultimately from Mercury. The reverse shows the poignant scene from the Odyssey in which the old hound Argus, after twenty years of waiting, recognises Ulysses disguised as a beggar and greets him with a last flicker of devotion before dying. By choosing this image, the moneyer evokes both the heroic ancestry and the enduring loyalty associated with his family's legendary forebear. (P)

Estimate: AUD 1000