Ancient Greek - AR Drachma - Hercules - BCE
$1,450
Denomination: AR Drachma
Date: Circa: Mid 4th to early 3rd Century
Weight: 4.01 gm
Mint: Erythrae
Grade: NGC 8568995-014 - VF
Mount: Sterling Silver
Description: Obverse: Head of Herakles (Hercules) right, wearing Lion-skin headdress with paws tied beneath his neck. Reverse: The ethic letters EPY (for Erythrae) accompanied by a club and a bow in quiver. Magistrates name between bow and amphora.
History: The city of Erythrae held a significant reputation for prophecy. It was the birthplace of the famous Erythraean Sibyl named Herophile, a prophetess who presided over the local Apollonian oracle. Her prophecies were so renowned that they were later collected and consulted by the Romans. Culturally, the city featured a grand Temple of Athena Polias on its acropolis, as well as a highly unusal, ancient temple dedicated to Hercules that Pausanias noted was tied to traditions from Crete and Tyre.
In 334 BCE, Alexander the Great liberated the city from Persian dominance. Alexander was famously confirmed as the "son of Zes" by the Erythraean oracle during his visit. The city continued to florish under later Hellenistic rulers, including the Attalids of Pergamon, before eventually trasnsisitioning into a free city with the Roman Empire.
8568995-014
