Megaris, Megara
Caracalla 198-217 CE
AE 24.25mm 6.99g
Obverse: Bare-headed and draped bust right
Reverse: Similar to the statue of Zeus of Artemision (now in the Athens National Archaeological Museum) standing right, preparing to hurl thunderbolt in his right hand, eagle perched on his left forearm
LHS 96 BCD lot 58.1 (this coin); NCP page 5, 4
Ex Frank Kovacs
Ex BCD collection
Ex LHS Numismatik 96. Coins of Peloponnesos. The BCD Collection (8 May 2006)
Ex Thomas Olive Mabbott Collection
Ex Hans M. F. Schulman Gallery Auction
Pausanias wrote:
“And in the neighboring temple, Lysippos has made the Muses and a bronze Zeus. A roofless temple of Zeus Konios (dusty).”
The epithet “Konios” can either mean “dusty” or “who makes dust”. The temple itself had no roof, thus allowing the wind and the rain to kick up the dust. Unfortunately, we don’t know any more of the story – such as what happened to cause the construction of this temple.
Lysippos, born in Sikyon in 390 BCE, was a major Greek sculptor in the 4th century BCE.