Serpentarium Mundi by Alexei Alexeev The Ancient Ophidian Iconography Resource (Mundus Vetus, 3000 BC - 650 AD)
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Figure 165 of 189 GIANT (OPHIOPODE): GALLERY | LIBRARY | REGISTRY Figure 167 of 189
Figure III-2-gio-166. Ophiopode (serpent-legged) Giant (Asterus (Asterius), Pallas, or Enceladus?) standing in a defensive posture, brandishing (hurling?) a stone with his raised right hand, defending himself with his raised left arm protected by the (ophiomorphic?) manica, and being assaulted by helmeted Athena wearing a chest-aegis over her peplos, carrying an arm-aegis on her extended left arm, and brandishing (hurling?) a thunderbolt with her raised right hand. | Opposite side (obverse): Gordian III's radiate-crowned-diademed bust rightward.

● Artefact
Object Category: Coin
View: Reverse
Medium: Bronze
Denomination: Unknown
Size/Diameter: 31 mm
Weight: 15.2 gm
● Context
Creator: Unknown
Mint: Seleucia ad Calycadnum
Region: Cilicia
Authority/Issuer: Gordian III (r. 238-
244 AD)
Sitter(s): Gordian III (r. 238-
244 AD)
Period: Middle Roman Imperial, Crisis of the Third Century, Gordian Dynasty
Date: 238-244 AD
Provenience: Unknown
● Collection
Ownership: Private
Location: Unknown
Inventory №: N/A
 
● Iconographic Type: Hexagenic™ Nomenclature Summary
Type: III.2a.gio.5b.sec·go3.3
Ontolocators
(Prefix):
volume: III. coins
chapter (part): 2. fantastic creatures (a. herpetomorphs)
Integrals
(Stem):
subject: gio. Giant (ophiopode)
feature: 5. assaulted by Athena (b. Athena on-foot)
Differentials
(Suffix):
idiosyncrasy: sec. Seleucia ad Calycadnum
(go3. Gordian III)
variation: 3. thunderbolt and arm-aegis
● Iconographic Type: Formal Semantic Indicators™
Identifiers
(Beings):
deity.1: Athena [Minerva]
hero: Ø
mortal: Ø
notable: Ø
anonym: Ø
animal: Ø
creature.1: Giant (ophiopode) [Asterus [Asterius]?/
Pallas?/Enceladus?]
object.1: stone [rock/boulder]
object.2: manica [arm-guard]
object.3: thunderbolt
object.4: arm-aegis
object.5: helmet
object.6: chest-aegis
object.7: peplos [dress]
object.8: 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: "deity.1" [Athena] (general: homogeneous; human; female) (head: human; female; with long hair) (upper·body: human; female; torso with two arms and two hands) (lower·body: human; female; with two legs and two feet)
morphology.2: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] (general: composite; anthropoherpetomorphic; ophiopodeᴿᴰ) (head: human; male; with short, spiky [matted?] hair; bearded) (upper·body: human; male; muscular; torso with two arms and two hands) (lower·body: ophidian down from genitofemoral area; with two squamous serpent-protomes instead of legs)
morphology.3: "object.1" [stone] (homogeneous; globular; small)
morphology.4: "object.2" [manica] (composite?; with multiple folds [wraps?]; ophiomorphic?)
morphology.5: "object.3" [thunderbolt] (composite; with thick, straight central lightning stroke bundled with two slim, curving lateral lightning strokes and two perpendicular, thick, short lightning bursts, and small, globular handgrip)
morphology.6: "object.4" [arm-aegis] (composite; ellipsoid; squamous; with broad rim)
morphology.7: "object.5" [helmet] (composite; crested; Corinthian)
morphology.8: "object.6" [chest-aegis] (composite; squamous; with ω-shaped breastplate
and broad rim)
morphology.9: "object.7" [peplos] (homogeneous; single piece of fabric; long)
morphology.10: "object.8" [groundline] (homogeneous; straight; slender; full-span)
aspect.1: "deity.1" [Athena] (general: upright; standing rightward-frontward [advancing rightward?]; dressed) (head: upright; rightward) (upper·body: upright; frontward-rightward; right·arm bent slightly, raised, with right·hand grasping; left·arm straight, extended rightward, with left·hand grasping) (lower·body: upright; rightward-frontward; right·leg bent slightly, extended downward-leftward, with right·foot pointing downward-leftward, grounded; left·leg bent slightly, extended downward-rightward, with left·foot pointing rightward-downward, grounded)
aspect.2: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] (general: upright; standing backward-leftward; leaning slightly rightward; unclad) (head: upright; leftward-upward) (upper·body: upright; backward-leftward; right·arm bent slightly, raised, with right·hand grasping; left·arm straight, raised, with left·hand grasping) (lower·body: upright; backward-leftward; two serpent-protomes extended laterally, addorsed; right·serpent swirling, extended upward-rightward, with head pointing upward-rightward; left·serpent swirling, extended upward-leftward, with head pointing upward-leftward)
aspect.3: "object.1" [stone] (suspended aloft)
aspect.4: "object.2" [manica] (wrapped; with folds [wraps?] hanging vertically and tip? pointing upward-leftward)
aspect.5: "object.3" [thunderbolt] (suspended aloft; tilted; pointing rightward)
aspect.6: "object.4" [arm-aegis] (suspended; folded; hanging vertically)
aspect.7: "object.5" [helmet] (vertical; upright; rightward-upward)
aspect.8: "object.6" [chest-aegis] (vertical; upright; frontward)
aspect.9: "object.7" [peplos] (wrapped; free-flowing; folding)
aspect.10: "object.8" [groundline] (horizontal)
vector.1: "main composition" (left-top →
right-bottom)
Operators
(Relations):
contact.1: "deity.1" [Athena] ⟨carrying ⟨on left·arm⟩⟩ "object.4" [arm-aegis]
contact.2: "deity.1" [Athena] ⟨wearing ⟨on head⟩⟩ "object.5" [helmet]
contact.3: "deity.1" [Athena] ⟨wearing ⟨on upper·torso⟩⟩ "object.6" [chest-aegis]
contact.4: "deity.1" [Athena] ⟨wearing ⟨on whole body⟩⟩ "object.7" [peplos]
contact.5: "deity.1" [Athena] ⟨standing [advancing?] ⟨upon [along?]⟩⟩ "object.8" [groundline]
contact.6: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] ⟨wearing ⟨on left·arm⟩⟩ "object.2" [manica]
contact.7: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] ⟨standing ⟨upon⟩⟩ "object.8" [groundline]
conflict.1: "deity.1" [Athena] ⟨brandishing [hurling?] ⟨in [with?] right·hand "object.3" [thunderbolt] at⟩⟩ "creature.1"
[Giant (ophiopode)]
conflict.2: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] ⟨fending ⟨off with left·arm assault of⟩⟩ "deity.1" [Athena]
conflict.3: "creature.1" [Giant (ophiopode)] ⟨brandishing [hurling?] ⟨in [with?] right·hand "object.1" [stone] at⟩⟩
"deity.1" [Athena]
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): Ancient Coins Search (www.acsearch.info; © Courtesy of the ACSearch.info and the original holders): Classical Numismatic Group, Auction 93, 22 May 2013, Lot 888. 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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