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TROAS, Ilium. Commodus. AD 177-192. Æ (25mm, 7.73 g, 7h). Struck circa AD 180-182. Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / Hector, helmeted and nude, advancing left, holding shield, spear, and hurling stone. Bellinger T–; RPC IV.2 11284 (this coin). Earthen red surfaces, edge chipping. Near VF. Extremely rare, currently the only known specimen.
Ex Numismatik Naumann 68 (5 August 2018), lot 265.
For nine years in the Trojan War, the fortunes of both sides ebbed and flowed. During the tenth year, Achilles, upset over the loss of the woman Chryseis to Agamemnon, the commander of the Greeks, withdrew to his tent and refused to fight. The loss of the greatest of the Greek warriors allowed the Trojans under the command of Hector, the eldest son of Priam, to gain the upper hand. At that point, Patroclus then offered to put on Achilles’ armor in order to rouse the Greeks to fight. Thinking that Achilles had returned to battle, Hector dashed out on to the field of battle in his chariot (Hom. Il. 16. 367-369):
Ἕκτορα δ᾽ ἵπποι // ἔκφερον ὠκύποδες σὺν τεύχεσι, λεῖπε δὲ λαὸν // Τρωϊκόν, οὓς ἀέκοντας ὀρυκτὴ τάφρος ἔρυκε. ("But the swift-footed horses did carry forth Hektor with his equipage, and he left behind the Trojan host, whom unwilling the excavated trench held back.")
Hector killed the clearly ill-matched Patroclus, and, in order to avenge his friend, Achilles returned to the field to slay Hector.
Closing Date and Time: 13 September 2023 at 11:12:20 ET.
All winning bids are subject to an 20% buyer’s fee.
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