CILICIA, Pompeiopolis. Caracalla. AD 198-217. Æ Hexassarion (32mm, 19.96 g, 6h). Dated CY 282 (AD 216/7). Fair.

Electronic Auction 540
Lot: 339. Estimated: $ 150

Roman Provincial, Bronze

Sold For $ 90. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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CILICIA, Pompeiopolis. Caracalla. AD 198-217. Æ Hexassarion (32mm, 19.96 g, 6h). Dated CY 282 (AD 216/7). Laureate and cuirassed bust right; seen from behind / Bareheaded and draped bust of Aratus right; BΠC (date) in legend. SNG BN 1238. Brown patina, porosity, light deposits. Fair. Extremely rare.

Purchased by the consignor from Ancient Imports (ND).

Born at Soli (Pompeiopolis) and a contemporary of the Helleistic poets Callimachus and Theocritus, Aratus was a disciple of the Peripatetic philosopher Praxiphanes. He was acquainted with several important scholars, including the Stoic philosopher Zeno, as well as Callimachus, and Menedemus, the founder of the Eretrian School of philosophy. In 276 BC, he was invited to the court of the Macedonian king Antigonus II Gonatas to compose a poem on that king’s victory over the Gauls the previous year. His most famous poem and major extant work, Phaenomena ("Appearances"), describes the constellations and other celestial phenomena, as well as weather lore. Aratus subsequently spent time at the court of Antiochus I Soter of Syria, but later returned to Pella in Macedon, where he died about 240 BC.

Closing Date and Time: 15 June 2023 at 10:32:40 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.