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Banner Astarte XXIII
Lot # 326
Egypt. Alexandria. Hadrian, 117-138. Tetradrachm (Billon, 23.99 mm, 14.81 g) dated RY 5 (= 120-121) ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ ϹЄΒ Laureate bust of Hadrian right, slightly draped on the left shoulder, crescent to right. Rev. Asklepios? draped bare chest, seated left on throne, the right leg forward, the left one bent backwards, holding the right hand on altar to left surmounted by vexillum and entwined by serpent and resting the left hand with drapery on the chair, L Є (date) above across fields. RPC III, 5269 (this coin, no. 4). Dattari-Savio 7376 (this coin). Milne - . BMC - . Emmett 816. Cf. Savio, Tetradrammi alessandrini, pp. 77-81. Nice tone. Good Very Fine. Ex Giovanni Dattari Collection 7376. Ex Emporium Hamburg 66, 2011, lot 252. Giovanni Dattari had opportunely chosen this curious and extremely rare coin for his collection. In fact, the unusual image on the reverse aroused more than one discussion, which eventually focused on the identification of the ‘togatus’ sitting on a throne between Serapis and Asklepios, where the symbols doctrine makes choose Asklepios both for the presence of the serpent around the vexillum and for the absence of the modius on the head, for the beard on the face and the canid Kerberus at feet.