AZILISES 85BC INDO SKYTHIAN King Horse Hercules Ancient Greek Coin India i47068

Item: i47068

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Azilises – King, circa 85-43 B.C.
Square Bronze 20mm (6.02 grams) Uncertain mints in the Paromisadai or
western Gandhara

Reference: HGC 12, 593 (R2); ISCH 2, 59.1, 59.2 and 59.5
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ /
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩN /
ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ / ΑZΙΛΙΣΟΥ, Armored Skythian king advancing
 right on horseback with
lowered spear.
(Maharajasa rajarajasa mahatasa Ayalishasa [of Great King, King of Kings
Azilises the Great]),
Hercules seated left on rock, holding club and resting
hand on seat; monogram and Kharoshthi letter to left.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

Authenticity.

Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek
divine

hero Heracles
, who was the son of

Zeus (Roman equivalent
Jupiter
) and the mortal
Alcmene
. In
classical mythology
, Hercules is famous for his
strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.

The
Romans adapted the Greek hero’s iconography and myths for their literature and
art under the name Hercules. In later
Western art
and literature and in
popular culture
, Hercules is more
commonly used than Heracles as the name of the hero. Hercules was a
multifaceted figure with contradictory characteristics, which enabled later
artists and writers to pick and choose how to represent him. This article
provides an introduction to representations of Hercules in the
later tradition
.

Labors of Hercules

Hercules is known for his many adventures, which took him to the far reaches
of the
Greco-Roman world
. One cycle of these
adventures became
canonical
as the “Twelve Labours,” but the list
has variations. One traditional order of the labours is found in the
Bibliotheca
as follows:

1. Slay the
   Nemean Lion
   .
2. Slay the nine-headed
   Lernaean Hydra
   .
3. Capture the
   Golden Hind of Artemis
   .
4. Capture the
   Erymanthian Boar
   .
5. Clean the Augean
   stables in a single day.
6. Slay the
   Stymphalian Birds
   .
7. Capture the
   Cretan Bull
   .
8. Steal the
   Mares of Diomedes
   .
9. Obtain the girdle of
   Hippolyta
   , Queen of the
   Amazons
   .
10. Obtain the cattle of the monster
    Geryon
    .
11. Steal the apples of the
    Hesperides
    .
12. Capture and bring back
    Cerberus
    .

The Latin
name Hercules was borrowed through
Etruscan
, where it is represented variously as
Heracle
, Hercle, and other forms. Hercules was
a favorite subject for
Etruscan art
, and appears often on
bronze mirrors
. The Etruscan form Herceler
derives from the Greek Heracles via
syncope
. A mild oath invoking Hercules (Hercule!
or Mehercle!) was a common
interjection
in
Classical Latin
.

Hercules had a number of
myths
that were distinctly Roman. One of these
is Hercules’ defeat of
Cacus
, who was terrorizing the countryside of
Rome. The hero was associated with the
Aventine Hill
through his son
Aventinus
.
Mark Antony
considered him a personal patron
god, as did the emperor
Commodus
. Hercules received various forms of
religious veneration
, including as a
deity concerned with children and childbirth
,
in part because of myths about his precocious infancy, and in part because he
fathered countless children. Roman brides wore a special belt tied with the “knot
of Hercules“, which was supposed to be hard to untie. The comic
playwright Plautus
presents the mythd, physical strength, and political power just
aren’t good enough.

Azilises was an
Indo-Scythian
king who ruled in the area of
Gandhara
.

Coinage

Azilises issued some joint coins with
Azes
, where Azes is presented as king on the
obverse (“BASILEOS BASILEON MEGALOY AZOY”), and Azilises is introduced as king
on the obverse in
kharoshthi
(“Maharajasa rajarajasa mahatasa
Ayilisasa”, “The great king, the king of kings, the great Azilises”).

See also

• Yuezhi
• Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
• Indo-Greek Kingdom
• Indo-Parthian Kingdom
• Kushan Empire