THRACE, Perinthus. Caracalla. AD 198-217. Æ Medallion (41.5mm, 49.08 g, 6h). Herakles’ Third Labor. Laureate and cuirassed bust right, holding spear over left shoulder, seen from the front, gorgoneion on breastplate / Herakles standing right, grasping the antlers of the Cerynean Hind with both hands and leaning on its back with his knee, lion’s skin draped behind him. Schönert-Geiss, Perinthos 612 (same dies); Varbanov 262. Rough brown patina with green deposits. Near VF. Very rare, only one other in CoinArchives.
Ex Triton II (1 December 1998), lot 620 (hammer $2,400).
Perinthus apparently put on a grand display for Caracalla as the emperor made his way eastward to confront the Persians. The city staged a dual festival, hosting both Actian and Pythian Games for the visitors, and in recognition of the honor Caracalla bestowed upon the city the neocorate. Medallions were struck to celebrate the emperor’s visit, of which many share the same obverse die.
For his Third Labor, Herakles was required to capture the Cerynean Hind, with its brazen hooves and golden horns, alive and bring it from Oenoe to Mycenae. Herakles chased the stag for one full year before it finally tired, finally capturing it.
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