Megaris, Megara
Caracalla 198-217 CE
AE 23.64mm 6.22g
Obverse: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Reverse: Herakles standing right, head left, resting right hand on club, lion skin draped over left forearm
LHS 96 BCD lot 58.3 (this coin)
Ex Frank Kovac
Ex BCD collection
Ex LHS Numismatik 96. Coins of Peloponnesos. The BCD Collection (8 May 2006)
I found no mention of a Herakles statue in Megara, even though he spends some time describing it. However, I believe there was such a statue and this coin depicts it. Clearly Herakles had some significance to Megaris, since they named two of their colonies after him.
I’m also curious based on Herakles’ pose, where his head seems to be turned toward the viewer. Although the exact pose mirrors the Farnese Herakles, the head seems different than other coinage, and I found no similar instance – though Herakles depictions are so common I may have missed one.