Asia Minor, Pontos, city of Amisos,
AE 21 (85-65 BC)
minted under Mithridates Eupator (ca. 132 BC - 63 BC)
Obv.: Head of Perseus with Phrygian cap r.
Rev.: Pegasus l. standing, head inclined downwards
Own a coin of the Mithridatic ruler who challenged Rome!
Historical
Mithridates VI came from the Persian family of the Mithridates. According to legend, he had to flee from his mother at the age of 11 after the murder of his father and spent 7 years isolated in the mountains. Upon his return, he took power and began to expand his empire. In the course of his conquests, the Pontian also attacked the Roman province of Asia, which ended in three Mithridatic wars. The coin offered was minted during all three wars. In the end, Mithridates was defeated by Pompey in 63 BC and eventually deposed by his family in favor of his son. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown.
Mithridates VI was also a pioneer in coinage. A new type of alloy was developed under him. He was also the first ruler to introduce bimetallic systems based on copper. Thus, in several mints, effigies of Perseus were minted in "pure" copper, as well as effigies of Dionysus in brass. All other types of coins, as well as the offered AE coin were made of bronze with a small amount of lead.
Perseus was the son of Zeus and the mortal Danaë, and the half-brother and great-grandfather of Heracles. Along with Kadmos, Bellerophon and Heracles, he is one of the most famous Greek heroes. In Greek mythology, he is also the legendary founder of Mycenae and the Perseid dynasty.
His most outstanding deeds include beheading the Gorgon Medusa for Polydektes and saving Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus.
Pegasos is the famous winged horse of Greek mythology. It was the child of the sea god Poseidon and the gorgon Medusa. According to legend, Pegasos jumped out of Medusa's neck with her twin brother Chrysaor during Medusa's beheading. Another tradition reports that Pegasos and Chrysaor came into being with the first drop of blood that touched the earth.
This special horse was not only a friend and helper to the Greek heroes, but also to the muses and the goddesses of the arts. Through his hoofbeat, a spring, the so-called Hippocrene, sprang from a rock, the water of which encouraged a person drinking from it to write poetry. This is why Pegasus was later called the poet's horse. One of these springs is said to be in the Helicon, another near the city of Troizen.
Immortalised as a constellation: Because of his faithful service, Pegasus was moved to the sky by Zeus and transformed into a constellation. This constellation can still be seen in the sky at night.
The origins of Pegasos as a hybrid being are probably of oriental origin. In Cretan and Asia Minor art, he was frequently depicted on the reverse of Roman coins, even as late as the third century AD.
