THRACE. Pautalia. Commodus (177-192). Ae. Caecilius Maternus, legatus Augusti pro praetore

THRACE. Pautalia. Commodus (177-192). Ae. Caecilius Maternus, legatus Augusti pro praetore.

Obv: ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΜΑΡ ΑΥΡ ΚΟΜΟΔΟϹ.
Laureate head right.
Rev: ΗΓЄ ΚΑΙ ΜΑΤЄΡΝΟΥ ΠΑΥΤΑΛΙΑϹ.
Athena standing right, holding spear, feeding from patera a serpent entwined in olive-tree; shield to inner left.

RPC IV.1 online 11157 (1 specimen); Ruzicka, Pautalia -.

Extremely rare

The scene depicted on the reverse side may refer to the birth of Erichthonius, an Athenian hero with a monstrous appearance. According to the myth, the god Hephaestus was rejected by the virgin goddess Athena and spilled his semen onto the earth (Gaia), giving rise to Erichthonius, who was born with snakes in place of his feet or with an entire serpent’s body. Athena decided to raise him in secret, entrusting him to the daughters of Cecrops (king of Athens) and strictly ordering them never to open it. But the girls, driven by curiosity, disobeyed and were killed by the snakes. Left alone with the infant, Athena raised and nurtured him inside her temple on the Acropolis, the Erechtheum. From that moment on, the serpent became an inseparable sacred symbol of the goddess. Once he had grown up, Erichthonius succeeded Cecrops and became king of Athens; he is considered the inventor of the chariot race and the founder of the Panathenaic Games.

Condition: Very fine; edge faults.

Weight: 12.87 g.
Diameter: 30 mm. Estimate: € 200