Serpentarium Mundi by Alexei Alexeev The Ancient Ophidian Iconography Resource (Mundus Vetus, 3000 BC - 650 AD)
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Figure 032 of 189 GIANT (OPHIOPODE): GALLERY | LIBRARY | REGISTRY Figure 034 of 189
Figure III-2-gio-033. Relief image of two ophiopode (serpent-legged) Giants (Porphyrion and Alcyoneus?), both venerating (?) (propping?) a Jupiter's (?) (anonymous human's) bust with their extended hands, serving as the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus' (Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus') pediment decoration. | Opposite side (obverse): Domitian's laureate-diademed head rightward.

● Artefact
Object Category: Coin
View: Reverse
Medium: Silver
Denomination: Cistophorus (Tridrachm)
Size/Diameter: 25 mm
Weight: 10.8 gm
● Context
Creator: Unknown
Mint: Ephesus?/Rome (for circulation in Asia)?
Region: Ionia?/Italy?
Authority/Issuer: Domitian (r. 81-96 AD)
Sitter(s): Domitian (r. 81-96 AD)
Period: Middle Roman Imperial, Flavian Dynasty
Date: 82-83 AD
Provenience: Unknown
● Collection
Ownership: Private
Location: Unknown
Inventory №: N/A
 
● Iconographic Type: Hexagenic™ Nomenclature Summary
Type: III.2a.gio.2d.eph·dom.0
Ontolocators
(Prefix):
volume: III. coins
chapter (part): 2. fantastic creatures (a. herpetomorphs)
Integrals
(Stem):
subject: gio. Giant (ophiopode) (×2 = pair)
feature: 2. as architectural decoration
(d. venerating? [propping?] Jupiter's? [anonym's?] bust; temple's tetrastyle portico)
Differentials
(Suffix):
idiosyncrasy: eph. Ephesus? [Rome?] (dom. Domitian)
variation: 0. Ø
● Iconographic Type: Formal Semantic Indicators™
Identifiers
(Beings):
deity.1: [Jupiter⁽¹⁾] "artwork.4" [sculpture.2]; [Jupiter⁽²⁾] ? "artwork.1" [bust.1]
deity.2: [Juno] "artwork.5" [sculpture.3]
deity.3: [Minerva] "artwork.3" [sculpture.1]
hero: Ø
mortal: Ø
notable: Ø
anonym.1: [unknown human] ? "artwork.1" [bust.1]
animal.1: [horse⁽¹⁾ (×4)] "cluster.2" [central quadriga]; "artwork.6" [sculpture group.1 [central acroterium]];
[horse⁽²⁾ (×2)] "cluster.3" [left biga]; "artwork.7" [sculpture group.2 [left acroterium]];
[horse⁽³⁾ (×2)] "cluster.4" [right biga];
"artwork.8" [sculpture group.3 [right acroterium]]
creature.1: Giant.A (ophiopode) [Porphyrion?/
Alcyoneus?] "pair.1" [Giants (ophiopode)]; "artwork.2" [relief.1 [pediment's tympanum]]
creature.2: Giant.B (ophiopode) [Porphyrion?/
Alcyoneus?] "pair.1" [Giants (ophiopode)]; "artwork.2" [relief.1 [pediment's tympanum]]
object.1: bust "artwork.1" [bust.1]; "cluster.1" [veneration? [discovery?] scene];
"artwork.2" [relief.1 [pediment's tympanum]]
object.2: [chariot⁽¹⁾] "cluster.2" [central quadriga]; "artwork.6" [sculpture group.1 [central acroterium]];
[chariot⁽²⁾] "cluster.3" [left biga]; "artwork.7" [sculpture group.2 [left acroterium]];
[chariot⁽³⁾] "cluster.4" [right biga]; "artwork.8" [sculpture group.3 [right acroterium]]
object.3: Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus [Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus] {"artwork.1" [bust.1]; "artwork.2" [relief.1 [pediment's tympanum]]; "artwork.3" [sculpture.1 [Minerva]]; "artwork.4" [sculpture.2 [Jupiter⁽¹⁾]]; "artwork.5" [sculpture.3 [Juno]]; "artwork.6" [sculpture group.1 [central acroterium]]; "artwork.7" [sculpture group.2 [left acroterium]]; "artwork.8" [sculpture group.3 [right acroterium]]}
symbol: Ø
pair.1: [Giants (ophiopode)] {"creature.1" [Giant.A (ophiopode)]; "creature.2" [Giant.B (ophiopode)]}; "cluster.1" [veneration? [discovery?] scene]; "artwork.2" [relief.1 [pediment's tympanum]]
duplet: Ø
group: Ø
set: Ø
cluster.1: [veneration? [discovery?] scene] {"pair.1" [Giants (ophiopode)]; "object.1" [bust]}; "artwork.2" [relief.1 [pediment's tympanum]]
cluster.2: [central quadriga] {"animal.1" [horse⁽¹⁾ (×4)]; "object.2" [chariot⁽¹⁾]}; "cluster.5" [central triumphal scene]; "artwork.6" [sculpture group.1 [central acroterium]]
cluster.3: [left biga] {"animal.1" [horse⁽²⁾ (×2)]; "object.2" [chariot⁽²⁾]}; "cluster.6" [left triumphal scene]; "artwork.7" [sculpture group.2 [left acroterium]]
cluster.4: [right biga] {"animal.1" [horse⁽³⁾ (×2)]; "object.2" [chariot⁽³⁾]}; "cluster.7" [right triumphal scene]; "artwork.8" [sculpture group.3 [right acroterium]]
cluster.5: [central triumphal scene] {"cluster.2" [central quadriga]}; "artwork.6" [sculpture group.1 [central acroterium]]
cluster.6: [left triumphal scene] {"cluster.3" [left biga]}; "artwork.7" [sculpture group.2 [left acroterium]]
cluster.7: [right triumphal scene] {"cluster.4" [right biga]}; "artwork.8" [sculpture group.3 [right acroterium]]
artwork.1: bust.1 "object.1" [bust]; ? "deity.1" [Jupiter⁽²⁾]
artwork.2: [relief.1 [pediment's tympanum]] "object.3" [Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus]; "cluster.1" [veneration? [discovery?] scene]
artwork.3: sculpture.1 "object.3" [Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus]; "deity.3" [Minerva]
artwork.4: sculpture.2 "object.3" [Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus]; "deity.1" [Jupiter⁽¹⁾]
artwork.5: sculpture.3 "object.3" [Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus]; "deity.2" [Juno]
artwork.6: sculpture group.1 [central acroterium] "object.3" [Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus]; "cluster.5" [central triumphal scene]
artwork.7: sculpture group.2 [left acroterium] "object.3" [Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus]; "cluster.6" [left triumphal scene]
artwork.8: sculpture group.3 [right acroterium] "object.3" [Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus]; "cluster.7" [right triumphal scene]
label.1: CA·PIT·RESTIT [Capit[olium] Restit[uit]/
Restit[utum] [Capitol Restored]] [legend]
Descriptors
(Properties):
epithet: Ø
syncretism: Ø
prosopon: Ø
morphology.1: "creature.1" [Giant.A (ophiopode)] (general: composite; anthropoherpeto-morphic; ophiopodeᵀᴰ) (head: human; male) (upper·body: human; male; torso with two arms and two hands) (lower·body: ophidian down from genitofemoral area; with two serpent-terminals [tails] instead of legs)
morphology.2: "creature.2" [Giant.B (ophiopode)] (general: composite; anthropoherpeto-morphic; ophiopodeᵀᴰ) (head: human; male) (upper·body: human; male; torso with two arms and two hands) (lower·body: ophidian down from genitofemoral area; with two serpent-terminals [tails] instead of legs)
morphology.3: "object.1" [bust] (homogeneous; large; anthropomorphic; male; with longhaired, bearded head and unclad upper·thorax)
morphology.4: "object.3" [Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus] (general: composite; with tetrastyle portico; large) (upper·section: pediment with triangular tympanum, sculptural roof decorations with central acroterium and two corner acroteria, and undecorated entablature) (middle·section: four Doric columns; sculptures of Capitoline Triad [Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva] in individual cells) (lower·section: crepidoma with stepped stylobate [stereobate])
morphology.5: "artwork.1" [bust.1] (homogeneous [ see also "morphology.3" ["object.1" [bust]]])
morphology.6: "artwork.2" [sculpture.1 [Minerva]] (homogeneous [homogeneous; human; female; head and torso with two arms and two legs; dressed; wearing stola; holding Palladium? in right hand and long scepter in left hand])
morphology.7: "artwork.3" [sculpture.2 [Jupiter⁽¹⁾]] (homogeneous [homogeneous; human; male; head and torso with two arms and two legs; dressed; wearing tunica palmata? and toga picta?; holding libation bowl? [phiale?/patera?] in right hand and long scepter in left hand])
morphology.8: "artwork.4" [sculpture.3 [Juno]] (homogeneous [homogeneous; human; female; head and torso with two arms and two legs; dressed; wearing stola; holding libation bowl [phiale/patera]? in right hand and long scepter in left hand])
morphology.9: "artwork.5" [sculpture group.1 [central acroterium]] (composite [four-horse⁽¹⁾ chariot⁽¹⁾ [quadriga]])
morphology.10: "artwork.6" [sculpture group.2 [left acroterium]] (composite [two-horse⁽²⁾ chariot⁽²⁾ [biga]])
morphology.11: "artwork.7" [sculpture group.3 [right acroterium]] (composite [two-horse⁽³⁾ chariot⁽³⁾ [biga]])
aspect.1: "creature.1" [Giant.A (ophiopode)] (general: upright; standing rightward-frontward; unclad) (head: upright; rightward) (upper·body: upright; rightward; right·arm bent slightly, extended rightward, with right·hand grasping?; left·arm bent slightly, extended rightward, with left·hand grasping?) (lower·body: horizontal; frontward; two serpent-terminals [tails] extended laterally; right·tail swirling, extended leftward, with tip pointing leftward; left·tail swirling, extended rightward, with tip pointing rightward)
aspect.2: "creature.2" [Giant.B (ophiopode)] (general: upright; standing leftward-frontward; unclad) (head: upright; leftward) (upper·body: upright; leftward; right·arm bent slightly, extended leftward, with right·hand grasping?; left·arm bent slightly, extended leftward, with left·hand grasping?) (lower·body: horizontal; frontward; two serpent-terminals [tails] extended laterally; right·tail swirling, extended leftward, with tip pointing leftward; left·tail swirling, extended rightward, with tip pointing rightward)
aspect.3: "object.1" [bust] (suspended?; vertical; upward; frontward)
aspect.4: "object.3" [Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus] (vertical; upward; frontward; orthographic [elevation] projection)
aspect.5: "artwork.1" [bust.1] (suspended?; vertical; upward; frontward [ see also "aspect.3" ["object.1" [bust]]])
aspect.6: "artwork.2" [sculpture.1 [Minerva]] (vertical; upward; frontward [upright; standing frontward-rightward])
aspect.7: "artwork.3" [sculpture.2 [Jupiter⁽¹⁾]] (vertical; upward; frontward [upright; seating frontward; enthroned])
aspect.8: "artwork.4" [sculpture.3 [Juno]] (vertical; upward; frontward [upright; standing frontward-leftward])
aspect.9: "artwork.5" [sculpture group.1 [central acroterium]] (vertical; upward; frontward [four-horse⁽¹⁾ chariot⁽¹⁾ [quadriga] standing frontward])
aspect.10: "artwork.6" [sculpture group.2 [left acroterium]] (vertical; upward; frontward [two-horse⁽²⁾ chariot⁽²⁾ [biga] standing frontward]))
aspect.11: "artwork.7" [sculpture group.3 [right acroterium]] (vertical; upward; frontward [two-horse⁽³⁾ chariot⁽³⁾ [biga] standing frontward]))
vector.1: "main composition" (back → front)
Operators
(Relations):
contact.1: "pair.1" [Giants (ophiopode)] ⟨venerating? [propping?] ⟨with their hands⟩⟩ "object.1" [bust]
conflict: Ø
context: Ø
contiguity: Ø
inversion: Ø
● 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(+8) the Giants, Gigantes (with serpents for feet), and their battle against the gods
(+ attributes)
91C22(...)(+8) single named Giants (with NAME)
(+ attributes)
12F61 temple, shrine ~ Roman religion

Source-Image(s): Ancient Coins Search (www.acsearch.info; © Courtesy of the ACSearch.info and the original holders): Leu Numismatik, Web Auction 17, 14 August 2021, Lot 2374. 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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