Serpentarium Mundi by Alexei Alexeev The Ancient Ophidian Iconography Resource (Mundus Vetus, 3000 BC - 650 AD)
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Figure 166 of 189 GIANT (OPHIOPODE): GALLERY | LIBRARY | REGISTRY Figure 168 of 189
Figure III-2-gio-167. 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: 29 mm
Weight: 12.7 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: British Museum
Location: London
Inventory №: 1902,0610.51
 
● 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): Roman Provincial Coinage Online (www.rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk; © Courtesy of the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford and the original holders): Coin №(unassigned; ID 2056) of RPC VII.2. 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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