Serpentarium Mundi by Alexei Alexeev The Ancient Ophidian Iconography Resource (Mundus Vetus, 3000 BC - 650 AD)
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Figure 091 of 189 GIANT (OPHIOPODE): GALLERY | LIBRARY | REGISTRY Figure 093 of 189
Figure III-2-gio-092. Ophiopode (serpent-legged) Giant (Porphyrion, Eurymedon, or Enceladus?) standing in a defensive posture, defending himself with his raised right arm, and being assaulted by Jupiter wearing lightly a chlamys and brandishing (hurling?) a thunderbolt with his raised right hand. | Opposite side (obverse): Diocletian's laureate-diademed head rightward.

● Artefact
Object Category: Coin
View: Reverse
Medium: Gold
Denomination: Aureus
Size/Diameter: 19 mm
Weight: 5.4 gm
● Context
Creator: Unknown
Mint: Treveri
Region: Belgic Gaul
Authority/Issuer: Diocletian (r. 284-
305 AD)
Sitter(s): Diocletian (r. 284-
305 AD)
Period: Late Roman Imperial, Tetrarchy
Date: 293-294 AD
Provenience: Unknown
● Collection
Ownership: Staatliche Museen
Location: Berlin
Inventory №: 18202530
 
● Iconographic Type: Hexagenic™ Nomenclature Summary
Type: III.2a.gio.3b.tre·dio.0
Ontolocators
(Prefix):
volume: III. coins
chapter (part): 2. fantastic creatures (a. herpetomorphs)
Integrals
(Stem):
subject: gio. Giant (ophiopode)
feature: 3. assaulted by Jupiter (b. Jupiter on-foot)
Differentials
(Suffix):
idiosyncrasy: tre. Treveri (dio. Diocletian)
variation: 0. Ø
● Iconographic Type: Formal Semantic Indicators™
Identifiers
(Beings):
deity.1: Jupiter
hero: Ø
mortal: Ø
notable: Ø
anonym: Ø
animal: Ø
creature.1: Giant (ophiopode) [Porphyrion?/
Eurymedon?/Enceladus?]
object.1: thunderbolt
object.2: chlamys [cloak]
object.3: groundline
symbol: Ø
pair: Ø
duplet: Ø
group: Ø
set: Ø
cluster: Ø
artwork: Ø
label.1: IOVI·FVL·GERATORI [Iovi Fulgeratori [[to] Jupiter Thunderer]] [legend]
Descriptors
(Properties):
epithet: Ø
syncretism: Ø
prosopon: Ø
morphology.1: "deity.1" [Jupiter] (general: homogeneous; human; male) (head: human; male; with long hair; bearded) (upper·body: human; male; muscular; torso with two arms and two hands) (lower·body: human; male; with male genitals [suggested], two legs, and two feet)
morphology.2: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] (general: composite; anthropoherpetomorphic; ophiopodeᴿᴰ) (head: human; male; with short? hair; bearded?) (upper·body: human; male; muscular; torso with two arms and two hands) (lower·body: human down from genitofemoral area; with two thighs; ophidian down from knees; with two squamous? serpent-protomes instead of lower·legs)
morphology.3: "object.1" [thunderbolt] (composite; thick, straight central lightning stroke bundled with two slim, curving lateral lightning strokes)
morphology.4: "object.2" [chlamys] (homogeneous; single piece of fabric)
morphology.5: "object.3" [groundline] (homogeneous; straight; slender; full-span)
aspect.1: "deity.1" [Jupiter] (general: upright; standing rightward-frontward [advancing? rightward]; unclad) (head: upright; rightward) (upper·body: upright; frontward-rightward; right·arm bent, raised, with right·hand grasping; left·arm bent slightly, lowered, with left·hand grasping?) (lower·body: upright; rightward-frontward; right·leg straight, extended downward-leftward, with right·foot pointing downward-leftward, grounded; left·leg bent, extended downward-rightward, with left·foot pointing rightward, grounded)
aspect.2: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] (general: upright; standing frontward-leftward; leaning rightward; unclad) (head: upright; leftward-upward) (upper·body: upright; frontward-leftward; right·arm bent slightly, raised, with right·hand open upward [self-protection?/distress?/submission? gesture]; left·arm bent, lowered, with left·hand grasping?) (lower·body: upright; frontward; two thighs upright, spread; two serpent-protomes extended laterally, addorsed; right·serpent undulating, extended leftward, with head pointing leftward; left·serpent undulating, extended rightward, with head pointing rightward)
aspect.3: "object.1" [thunderbolt] (suspended aloft; tilted; pointing downward-rightward)
aspect.4: "object.2" [chlamys] (wrapped partially?; billowing vertically downward-leftward)
aspect.5: "object.3" [groundline] (horizontal)
vector.1: "main composition" (top-left →
bottom-right)
Operators
(Relations):
contact.1: "deity.1" [Jupiter] ⟨wearing ⟨on right·shoulder?⟩⟩ "object.2" [chlamys]
contact.2: "deity.1" [Zeus] ⟨standing [advancing?] ⟨upon [along?]⟩⟩ "object.3" [groundline]
contact.3: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] ⟨standing ⟨upon⟩⟩ "object.3" [groundline]
conflict.1: "deity.1" [Jupiter] ⟨brandishing [hurling?] ⟨in [with?] right·hand "object.1" [thunderbolt] at⟩⟩ "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)]
conflict.2: "deity.1" [Jupiter] ⟨grasping? ⟨with left·hand hair of⟩⟩ "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)]
conflict.3: "deity.1" [Jupiter] ⟨treading ⟨with left·foot on right·lower·limb of⟩⟩ "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)]
conflict.4: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] ⟨fending ⟨off with right·arm assault of⟩⟩ "deity.1" [Jupiter]
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(+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): Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Münzkabinett (www.ikmk.smb.museum; © Courtesy of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin). 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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