Serpentarium Mundi by Alexei Alexeev The Ancient Ophidian Iconography Resource (Mundus Vetus, 3000 BC - 650 AD)
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Figure 004 of 189 GIANT (OPHIOPODE): GALLERY | LIBRARY | REGISTRY Figure 006 of 189
Figure III-2-gio-005. Ophiopode (serpent-legged) Giant (Porphyrion, Eurymedon, or Enceladus?) grasping a thunderbolt protruding from his right side with his lowered right hand and holding his raised left hand above the head (the gesture of self-protection, distress, or amazement?). | Opposite side (obverse): Jupiter's laureate head rightward; laurel wreath around.

● Artefact
Object Category: Coin
View: Reverse
Medium: Silver
Denomination: Denarius
Size/Diameter: ??? mm
Weight: 3.6 gm
● Context
Creator: Unknown
Mint: Rome
Region: Italy
Authority/Issuer: Lucius Valerius Acisculus (fl. c. 45 BC)
Sitter(s): Jupiter
Period: Late Roman Republican, Caesar's Civil War and Dictatorship
Date: 45 BC
Provenience: Unknown
● Collection
Ownership: British Museum
Location: London
Inventory №: 2002,0102.4662
 
● Iconographic Type: Hexagenic™ Nomenclature Summary
Type: III.2a.gio.1.rom·lva.0
Ontolocators
(Prefix):
volume: III. coins
chapter (part): 2. fantastic creatures (a. herpetomorphs)
Integrals
(Stem):
subject: gio. Giant (ophiopode)
feature: 1. grasping thunderbolt
Differentials
(Suffix):
idiosyncrasy: rom. Rome (lva. Lucius Valerius Acisculus)
variation: 0. Ø
● Iconographic Type: Formal Semantic Indicators™
Identifiers
(Beings):
deity: Ø
hero: Ø
mortal: Ø
notable: Ø
anonym: Ø
animal: Ø
creature.1: Giant (ophiopode) [Porphyrion?/
Eurymedon?/Enceladus?]
object.1: thunderbolt
object.2: groundline
symbol: Ø
pair: Ø
duplet: Ø
group: Ø
set: Ø
cluster: Ø
artwork: Ø
label: Ø
Descriptors
(Properties):
epithet: Ø
syncretism: Ø
prosopon: Ø
morphology.1: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] (general: composite; anthropoherpetomorphic; ophiopodeᴿᴰ) (head: human; male; with long, matted hair; bearded) (upper·body: human; male; muscular; torso with two arms and two hands) (lower·body: ophidian down from genitofemoral area; with vegetative, polyphyllous skirt and two squamous serpent-protomes instead of legs)
morphology.2: "object.1" [thunderbolt] (composite; four lightning strokes bundled together)
morphology.3: "object.2" [groundline] (homogeneous; straight; slender; full-span)
aspect.1: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] (general: upright; standing frontward; unclad) (head: upright; frontward) (upper·body: upright; frontward; right·arm bent, lowered, with right·hand grasping; left·arm bent, raised, with left·hand open downward?, in head's proximity [self-protection?/distress?/
amazement? gesture]) (lower·body: upright; frontward; vegetative skirt with leaves hanging downward; two serpent-protomes extended laterally, addorsed; right·serpent swirling, rearing leftward-upward, with head? pointing leftward; left·serpent swirling, rearing rightward-upward, with head? pointing rightward)
aspect.2: "object.1" [thunderbolt] (horizontal)
aspect.3: "object.2" [groundline] (horizontal)
vector.1: "main composition" (center → periphery)
Operators
(Relations):
contact.1: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] ⟨standing ⟨upon⟩⟩ "object.2" [groundline]
conflict.1: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] ⟨grasping ⟨with right·hand⟩⟩ "object.1" [thunderbolt]
conflict.2: "object.1" [thunderbolt] ⟨protruding ⟨from right·side of⟩⟩ "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)]
context: Ø
contiguity: Ø
inversion.1: obverse: Jupiter's head {profile; rightward; laureate}
● Iconographic Type: Prominence
Occurrences
(Registered Instances):
very rare 1-6 specimens
sparse 7-18 specimens
common 19-60 specimens
abundant 60+ specimens
● Iconographic Type: Selected Universal Subject References
ICONCLASS
(Codes and Descriptions):
91C2(+6) the Giants, Gigantes (with serpents for feet), and their battle against the gods
(+ suffering, misfortune)
91C21(+6) battle of the Giants against the gods: gigantomachy (+ suffering, misfortune)
91C22(...)(+8) single named Giants (with NAME)
(+ attributes)

Source-Image(s): British Museum, Department of Coins and Medals (www.britishmuseum.org; © Courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum). The full list of numismatic and exonumic images' sources is available on the Coins introductory page. The detailed descriptions of artefacts (provenience, dates, etc.) are generally taken verbatim from the providers of the original source-images. Figure is prepared by Alexei Alexeev.

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