circa 350-300 BCE
Æ 10 mm, 0,97 g
Crested helmet left
Civic monogram
SNG Ashmolean –; SNG Copenhagen 64
Way before Captain America tangled with terror, there was Achilles, son of a sea nymph and a king.
Although a large mouse corporation will attempt to insist they own the copyright, it was Achilles who first started the Avengers, as is evidenced by this ancient coin.
These relatively rare bronzes clearly show the ancient Avengers logo. Where exactly they were minted is still debated, with most attributions stating a small town in the Troad where Achilles’ tomb was located. Recent studies have offered another town called Achaion. For this debate, it doesn’t matter, since the coin clearly demonstrates the Avengers logo and proves that Achilles was truly an Avenger.
Indeed, Achilles was a major hero in those days along with his Robin-like sidekick Patroklos. Together, they pillaged their way across the Troad until Patroklos was killed in a case of mistaken identity by Hector, which led Achilles to kill the Trojan hero in retribution and drag his body from a chariot around Troy. After that, everyone was merry and sat around the camp fire singing songs while Hector’s body was incinerated.