SKOTUSSA in THESSALY 300BC Ares Horse Authentic Ancient Greek Coin i49475

Item: i49475

Authentic Ancient 

Coin of:

Greek city of 

Thessaly
Bronze 20mm (5.32 grams) Struck 300-200 B.C.
Reference: HGC 4, 615; Sear 2223
Head of Ares right, in close-fitting helmet ornamented with plume.
ΣKOTOYΣ / ΣAIΩN 
above and below horse prancing right.

Near the source of the river Onchestos, Skotussa was situated 
between Pherai and Pharsalos. The great Roman victory over Philip V of Macedon, 
in 197 B.C., took place close by, at Kynoskephalai.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured, 

Authenticity.

Ares  is the
Greek god

of war
. He is one of the
Twelve Olympians
, and the son of

Zeus and Hera
. In
Greek literature
, he often represents the 
physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored
Athena
, whose functions as a
goddess of intelligence
include
military strategy
and
generalship
.

The Greeks were
ambivalent
toward Ares: although he embodied 
the physical valor necessary for success in war, he was a dangerous force, 
“overwhelming, insatiable in battle, destructive, and man-slaughtering.” Fear
(Phobos) 
and Terror (Deimos) 
were yoked to his battle
chariot
. In the
Iliad
his father Zeus tells him that he is 
the god most hateful to him. An association with Ares endows places and objects 
with a savage, dangerous, or militarized quality. His value as a war god is even 
placed in doubt: during the
Trojan War
, Ares was on the losing side, while 
Athena, often depicted in
Greek art
as holding
Nike (Victory)
in her hand, favored the 
triumphant Greeks.

Ares plays a relatively limited role in
Greek mythology
as represented in literary 
narratives, though his numerous love affairs and abundant offspring are often
alluded
to. When Ares does appear in myths, he 
typically faces humiliation. He is well known as the lover of
Aphrodite
, the goddess of love who was married 
to Hephaestus
, god of craftsmanship, 
but the most famous story involving the couple shows them exposed to ridicule 
through the wronged husband’s clever device.

The counterpart of Ares among the
Roman gods
is
Mars
, who as a father of the Roman people held 
a more important and dignified place in
ancient Roman religion
for his agricultural and
tutelary
functions. During the
Hellenization
of
Latin literature
, the myths of Ares were
reinterpreted
by Roman writers under the name 
of Mars. Greek writers under
Roman rule
also recorded
cult practices
and beliefs pertaining to Mars 
under the name of Ares. Thus in the
classical tradition
of later
Western art and literature
, the mythology of 
the two figures becomes virtually indistinguishable.

Thessaly 
was home to extensive
Neolithic
and
Chalcolithic
cultures around 6000–2500 BC (see
Cardium Pottery
,
Dimini
and
Sesklo
).
Mycenaean
settlements have also been 
discovered, for example at the sites of
Iolcos
,
Dimini
and
Sesklo
(near
Volos
). In Archaic and
Classical
times, the lowlands of Thessaly 
became the home of baronial families, such as the
Aleuadae
of
Larissa
or the Scopads of Crannon. In the 4th 
century BC
Jason of Pherae
transformed the region into a 
significant military power, recalling the glory of Early Archaic times. Shortly 
after,
Philip II of Macedon
was appointed Archon 
of Thessaly, and Thessaly was thereafter associated with the Macedonian Kingdom 
for the next centuries. Thessaly later became part of the
Roman Empire
as part of the province of
Macedonia
.