12 Olympian Portraits: Hera

[Curtisimo]

PONTOS, Amisos (as Peiraieos)
AR Siglos – Heavy Drachm, struck late 5th-4th centuries BC, Diog– magistrate
(17 mm, 5.59 g)
Obv.: Head of Hera left, wearing ornate stephanos.
Rev.: Owl standing facing, wings spread, on shield; ΔΙ-ΟΓ across field, below, ΠΕΙΡΑ
Rev.: SNG BM Black Sea 1066-7; HGC 7, 229
Ex H. M. Collection, M. Etienne Bourgey Auction (December 15, 1909), lot 166; Ex Fritz Rudolf Künker Auction 262, lot 7158 (March 13, 2015)

I have been working on a project to collect interesting Greek portrait coins of the 12 Olympian Gods. For this sub-collection I’ve set myself a few parameters:

• Coins must represent the Greek god or goddess (not the Roman equivalent)
• Coins must be a portrait coin of the god or goddess (as opposed to a full figure)
• The coin must be an exceptional portrait or be interesting in some other meaningful way

You can track my progress on write ups for this sub-collection below:

Curtisimo’s 12 Olympian Portraits

The Original Wife of Zeus?
There is some evidence to suggest that a goddess other than Hera may have been the original consort of Zeus. In several Mycenaean Linear B tablets there is reference to a goddess called Di-wi-ja (the feminine form of Zeus = di-we). The name is definitely Proto-Indo European (PIE) and therefore very old. This goddess is referred to as separate from Hera on tablets such as PY Tn 316 from the 1200s BC so we know that they are not the same goddess under different names. In fact, Di-wi-ja is attested to on both Crete and the mainland while Hera is only attested to on the mainland [7]. This could be an indication that Hera’s cult was not as widespread or as ancient as that of Di-wi-ja during the Mycenaean period.

There may be further support for this theory based on the appearance of the goddess Dione (Διώνη, feminine of Zeus = Dios) in later Greek cult and literature. In Homer’s Illiad, (8th cent. BC) Dione is described as beloved of Zeus and the mother of Aphrodite by him [1]. In the Illiad, Dione comforts her daughter, Aphrodite, after she has been wounded by Diomedes. Further, Dione was considered the consort of Zeus at the oldest oracle in Greece at Dodona. Excavations have shown that the site of Dodona was used for cult activity going back into the Bronze Age (14th cent. BC) [6]. Therefore, the classical Dione may be the same goddess as the Mycenaean Di-wi-ja who retained some dim memory of her former glory in isolated myths and cults.

Even though it seems that Hera was not the first wife of Zeus, it is highly probable that she had taken on this role by the end of the Bronze Age (ca. 1200 BC) in some parts of the Greek mainland. If we look again at PY Tn 316 we see that even though Di-wi-ja is mentioned, it is Hera (e-ra) that is named on the same line as Zeus. Further, the tablet specifies that Hera is to receive sacrifices at the sanctuary of Zeus and in equal measure to him.

PY Tn 316. See my write up here further discussion of this tablet and it’s possible connection to human sacrifice.

So why did Hera grow in popularity to replace Di-wi-ja as the wife of Zeus? The best suggestion I have read was mentioned briefly by Stefan Hiller [2] as part of a discussion on Linear B. As we will discuss below, Hera was of prominent importance to the cities of the Argive plain such as Mycenae and Argos. Hiller suggests that as cities of the region (particularly Mycenae) grew to become dominant players in the Greek speaking world, that their favored goddess, Hera, also grew in prominence until she displaced Di-wi-ja as queen. Therefore, in order to get a better sense of Hera’s original nature we can look closely at her cult on the Argive plain.

Hera as the Protector of Heroes 
It’s an interesting fact that many of the earliest and most important Greek temples were dedicated to Hera. The Temple of Hera at Samos is often sited as the earliest roof-enclosed temple in the Greek world. Two of the three great temples at Paestum were dedicated to Hera. Hera’s was the first temple built at Olympia and therefore her temple and cult statue were older than those of Zeus. If one were to judge the importance of Hera based solely on the early Greek writers, such as Homer and Hesiod, one would not get the impression that Hera held such an important position in Greek religious practice as indicated by her temples. However, religious practice tends to change more slowly than literary traditions so the widespread prominence of Hera’s cult may be much more indicative of her importance to the pre-classical and Archaic Greeks.

The First and Second Temples of Hera at Paestum (Poseidonia)(Authors photo)

The Heraion of Argos was Hera’s most important cult center in the Greek world. It was situated between Mycenae and Argos and may have served as a communal sanctuary for the whole region. Its construction was begun in the 8th century BC but its earliest phases were curiously constructed to resemble much older Mycenaean era cyclopian walls. We can guess at the reason for this by considering that nearby, there are more than 50 Mycenaean era tombs. Less than a mile away from the Heraion there is evidence of an earlier hero-worship cult site consecrated to Hera [3]. At least 13 of the Mycenaean tombs were reused from the 8th century BC onward and contain items associated with aristocratic warrior culture [3]. Additionally, many of the votive offerings at the Heraion are martial in nature. Based on this evidence, it is not hard to imagine that Hera’s role in Argolis was as a protector of heroes and guardian of an aristocratic ethos. Considering the connection with the Mycenaean sites, this association may have gone back well into the Bronze Age.

Reconstruction of the Heraion (public domain).

Mycenaean tholos tomb near the Heraion at Prosymna

Further evidence for Hera as a protector of heroes is one of the proposed etymologies for her name. The most persuasive etymology I have seen explains her name as the feminine form of hērōs, ἥρως, 'hero' [4]. This could be of PIE origin and related to the root ser (=“to protect”). In Linear B the name ti-ri-se-ro-e (=thrice hero) may contain this root and is used to describe an otherwise unknown god.

Hera’s function as a protector of heroes in pre-classical Greek religion explains the prevalence of her cult. As her role as a wife becomes more emphasized within the literary tradition over time we see that Athena (who may have originally been a regional goddess associated with Athens) comes to usurp the role as patroness of heroes.

Hera the Queen
I have presented my research on one aspect of Hera that I think was critical to her gaining prominence within the Greek pantheon. According to this theory, Hera’s elevation to queen was predicated on her popularity as a protector of heroes and the warlike culture that held them up as exemplars. Paradoxically, this elevation in status to the consort of Zeus may have led to her losing her martial aspects in parts of Greece and in the literary tradition in favor of her role as a (disgruntled) wife.

There are other aspects of her early cult that I did not flesh out sufficiently here, such as her association with cattle (fertility / earth goddess) or her much commented on jealousy related to Zeus’s philandering. Most of her myths that come down to us cast her in an antagonistic role against the offspring of her unfaithful husband. Therefore she often plays the villain in many myths and stories both ancient and modern.

I’ll admit that Hera is one of my favorite characters from Greek mythology. Despite her haughtiness and ruthlessness in the ancient sources I think she brings an air of gravitas to the stories that counters the sometimes careless buffoonery of the mighty Zeus.

Why I Chose this Coin to Represent Hera
This coin has a fascinating tie in to Athens and the Peloponnesian War. During the war, the Athenians were very interested in keeping the trade lanes open between the Black Sea grain producing regions and Athens. Amisos, was one important city along that trade route. In order to ensure the city did not fall into enemy hands and endanger the grain trade, Athens moved settlers from the region around the harbor of Athens (the Piraeus) to Amisos. As such the city was renamed Peiraieos to commemorate this “re-founding.” We can see evidence of this event both in the choice of the owl for the reverse and the inscription: ΠΕΙΡΑ.

The obverse shows a wonderful portrait of Hera, complete with elegant jewelry and a crown. I’ve been searching for an example of this type for a long time and I’ve never seen one I like better.

Finally, this is one of the oldest provenances in my collection as I was able to find it in a catalog from 1909! I still haven’t been able to find out who H.M. was but I hope to learn more in the future.

References 
[1] Homer, Iliad 5. 370 ff 

[2] Hiller, Stefan, A Companion to Linear B Mycenaean Greeh Texts and, their World, Chapter 14 (MYCENAEAN RELIGION AND CULT).

[3] AIoni-Ronen, Neta, Hera and the Formation of Aristocratic Collective Identity: Evidence from the Argive Plain, Scripta Classica Ιsraelica vol. XVI 1997 pp. 9-19

[4] Chadwick, John, The Mycenaean World, Cambridge University Press, 1976  

[5] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dione_(Titaness)&wprov=rarw1

[6] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodona 

[7] Deuv, Ratko, WI-JA AND -ERANI THE LINEAR B TEXT,  ÉTUDES MYCÉNIENNES, Rome, 2010

Do you have a coin you would choose as a representative portrait for Hera? Let’s see it.

Also show your;

• Coins of Hera / Juno
• Coins with an owl
• Coins related to Athens or the Peloponnesian War

[TIF]

Terrific article, @Curtisimo!  and wowza, what a fantastic coin, and great job capturing the beauty in your photos!

 

13 minutes ago, Curtisimo said:

Despite her haughtiness and ruthlessness in the ancient sources I think she brings an air of gravitas to the stories that counters the sometimes careless buffoonery of the mighty Zeus.

Ah yes... the stoic, serious, and smart wife with buffoon husband.  The formula for so many American sitcoms. 😁

I am not well-Hera'd.  Here's a worn and weary Hera from Olympia:

ELIS, Olympia. 103rd Olympiad, 368 BCE
AR drachm, 21 mm, 5.7 gm
Obv: head of Hera right, wearing pendant earring and stephane ornamented with palmettes with H-R-A inscribed between them, [F-A across fields]
Rev: eagle with spread wings standing left, head reverted
Ref: Pozzi 1846 (same dies); Jameson 1240 = Seltman pl. xii, 8 (same dies); BMC 91 (same dies); BCD Olympia 113 (same dies)

[CPK]

Great to see you posting more @Curtisimo! That's a lovely coin and an interesting writeup. Thanks!

[Ryro]

Missed you, my man! Been waiting for you to drop the next Olympian for a minute. Excellent write up and very cool coin! ...I wish there were a thread around searching for cool coins😊

For being the big cheese's wife Hera is amazingly and disproportionately not displayed on coins... though, she did kinda make my favorite half hero half god kill his own wife and kids. So, like the ancient Greek men, I'm not a fan. 

Hera-s one that you don't see often in bronze that when I bought looked like a rock and took a lot of cleaning, that I don't recommend doing:

Argolis, Argos

Æ Dichalkon. Circa 280270/60

BCE Head of Hera

right, wearing stephane inscribed

APΓE/Athena Promachos left.

BCD Peloponnesos1100-4;

3.90g, 18mm 6h. Very Fine

[shanxi]

My is Hera is looking in the other direction:

Pontos, Amisos
AR Reduced Siglos, 4th century BC
Obv.: Draped bust of Hera right, wearing turreted diadem
Rev.: Owl standing facing with spread wings, monograms
Ag, 3.69g, 17.4 mm
Ref.: SNG Copenhagen 129 var.

 

[Qcumbor]

Fantastic write up, fantastic coin and provenance @Curtisimo

I'm Heraless too, thus wondering if Juno counts, as being her roman equivalent !

In any case here's one :

 Julia Maesa, Denarius - Rome mint, 218-220 CE
IVLIA MAESA AVG, Bust of Maesa right
IVNO, Juno standing left holding patera and sceptre
3.48 gr
Ref : RCV #7750, Cohen #16

Q

[Spargrodan]

14 hours ago, Curtisimo said:

PONTOS, Amisos (as Peiraieos)
AR Siglos – Heavy Drachm, struck late 5th-4th centuries BC, Diog– magistrate
(17 mm, 5.59 g)
Obv.: Head of Hera left, wearing ornate stephanos.
Rev.: Owl standing facing, wings spread, on shield; ΔΙ-ΟΓ across field, below, ΠΕΙΡΑ
Rev.: SNG BM Black Sea 1066-7; HGC 7, 229
Ex H. M. Collection, M. Etienne Bourgey Auction (December 15, 1909), lot 166; Ex Fritz Rudolf Künker Auction 262, lot 7158 (March 13, 2015)

I have been working on a project to collect interesting Greek portrait coins of the 12 Olympian Gods. For this sub-collection I’ve set myself a few parameters:

• Coins must represent the Greek god or goddess (not the Roman equivalent)
• Coins must be a portrait coin of the god or goddess (as opposed to a full figure)
• The coin must be an exceptional portrait or be interesting in some other meaningful way

You can track my progress on write ups for this sub-collection below:

Curtisimo’s 12 Olympian Portraits

The Original Wife of Zeus?
There is some evidence to suggest that a goddess other than Hera may have been the original consort of Zeus. In several Mycenaean Linear B tablets there is reference to a goddess called Di-wi-ja (the feminine form of Zeus = di-we). The name is definitely Proto-Indo European (PIE) and therefore very old. This goddess is referred to as separate from Hera on tablets such as PY Tn 316 from the 1200s BC so we know that they are not the same goddess under different names. In fact, Di-wi-ja is attested to on both Crete and the mainland while Hera is only attested to on the mainland [7]. This could be an indication that Hera’s cult was not as widespread or as ancient as that of Di-wi-ja during the Mycenaean period.

There may be further support for this theory based on the appearance of the goddess Dione (Διώνη, feminine of Zeus = Dios) in later Greek cult and literature. In Homer’s Illiad, (8th cent. BC) Dione is described as beloved of Zeus and the mother of Aphrodite by him [1]. In the Illiad, Dione comforts her daughter, Aphrodite, after she has been wounded by Diomedes. Further, Dione was considered the consort of Zeus at the oldest oracle in Greece at Dodona. Excavations have shown that the site of Dodona was used for cult activity going back into the Bronze Age (14th cent. BC) [6]. Therefore, the classical Dione may be the same goddess as the Mycenaean Di-wi-ja who retained some dim memory of her former glory in isolated myths and cults.

Even though it seems that Hera was not the first wife of Zeus, it is highly probable that she had taken on this role by the end of the Bronze Age (ca. 1200 BC) in some parts of the Greek mainland. If we look again at PY Tn 316 we see that even though Di-wi-ja is mentioned, it is Hera (e-ra) that is named on the same line as Zeus. Further, the tablet specifies that Hera is to receive sacrifices at the sanctuary of Zeus and in equal measure to him.

PY Tn 316. See my write up here further discussion of this tablet and it’s possible connection to human sacrifice.

So why did Hera grow in popularity to replace Di-wi-ja as the wife of Zeus? The best suggestion I have read was mentioned briefly by Stefan Hiller [2] as part of a discussion on Linear B. As we will discuss below, Hera was of prominent importance to the cities of the Argive plain such as Mycenae and Argos. Hiller suggests that as cities of the region (particularly Mycenae) grew to become dominant players in the Greek speaking world, that their favored goddess, Hera, also grew in prominence until she displaced Di-wi-ja as queen. Therefore, in order to get a better sense of Hera’s original nature we can look closely at her cult on the Argive plain.

Hera as the Protector of Heroes 
It’s an interesting fact that many of the earliest and most important Greek temples were dedicated to Hera. The Temple of Hera at Samos is often sited as the earliest roof-enclosed temple in the Greek world. Two of the three great temples at Paestum were dedicated to Hera. Hera’s was the first temple built at Olympia and therefore her temple and cult statue were older than those of Zeus. If one were to judge the importance of Hera based solely on the early Greek writers, such as Homer and Hesiod, one would not get the impression that Hera held such an important position in Greek religious practice as indicated by her temples. However, religious practice tends to change more slowly than literary traditions so the widespread prominence of Hera’s cult may be much more indicative of her importance to the pre-classical and Archaic Greeks.

The First and Second Temples of Hera at Paestum (Poseidonia)(Authors photo)

The Heraion of Argos was Hera’s most important cult center in the Greek world. It was situated between Mycenae and Argos and may have served as a communal sanctuary for the whole region. Its construction was begun in the 8th century BC but its earliest phases were curiously constructed to resemble much older Mycenaean era cyclopian walls. We can guess at the reason for this by considering that nearby, there are more than 50 Mycenaean era tombs. Less than a mile away from the Heraion there is evidence of an earlier hero-worship cult site consecrated to Hera [3]. At least 13 of the Mycenaean tombs were reused from the 8th century BC onward and contain items associated with aristocratic warrior culture [3]. Additionally, many of the votive offerings at the Heraion are martial in nature. Based on this evidence, it is not hard to imagine that Hera’s role in Argolis was as a protector of heroes and guardian of an aristocratic ethos. Considering the connection with the Mycenaean sites, this association may have gone back well into the Bronze Age.

Reconstruction of the Heraion (public domain).

Mycenaean tholos tomb near the Heraion at Prosymna

Further evidence for Hera as a protector of heroes is one of the proposed etymologies for her name. The most persuasive etymology I have seen explains her name as the feminine form of hērōs, ἥρως, 'hero' [4]. This could be of PIE origin and related to the root ser (=“to protect”). In Linear B the name ti-ri-se-ro-e (=thrice hero) may contain this root and is used to describe an otherwise unknown god.

Hera’s function as a protector of heroes in pre-classical Greek religion explains the prevalence of her cult. As her role as a wife becomes more emphasized within the literary tradition over time we see that Athena (who may have originally been a regional goddess associated with Athens) comes to usurp the role as patroness of heroes.

Hera the Queen
I have presented my research on one aspect of Hera that I think was critical to her gaining prominence within the Greek pantheon. According to this theory, Hera’s elevation to queen was predicated on her popularity as a protector of heroes and the warlike culture that held them up as exemplars. Paradoxically, this elevation in status to the consort of Zeus may have led to her losing her martial aspects in parts of Greece and in the literary tradition in favor of her role as a (disgruntled) wife.

There are other aspects of her early cult that I did not flesh out sufficiently here, such as her association with cattle (fertility / earth goddess) or her much commented on jealousy related to Zeus’s philandering. Most of her myths that come down to us cast her in an antagonistic role against the offspring of her unfaithful husband. Therefore she often plays the villain in many myths and stories both ancient and modern.

I’ll admit that Hera is one of my favorite characters from Greek mythology. Despite her haughtiness and ruthlessness in the ancient sources I think she brings an air of gravitas to the stories that counters the sometimes careless buffoonery of the mighty Zeus.

Why I Chose this Coin to Represent Hera
This coin has a fascinating tie in to Athens and the Peloponnesian War. During the war, the Athenians were very interested in keeping the trade lanes open between the Black Sea grain producing regions and Athens. Amisos, was one important city along that trade route. In order to ensure the city did not fall into enemy hands and endanger the grain trade, Athens moved settlers from the region around the harbor of Athens (the Piraeus) to Amisos. As such the city was renamed Peiraieos to commemorate this “re-founding.” We can see evidence of this event both in the choice of the owl for the reverse and the inscription: ΠΕΙΡΑ.

The obverse shows a wonderful portrait of Hera, complete with elegant jewelry and a crown. I’ve been searching for an example of this type for a long time and I’ve never seen one I like better.

Finally, this is one of the oldest provenances in my collection as I was able to find it in a catalog from 1909! I still haven’t been able to find out who H.M. was but I hope to learn more in the future.

References 
[1] Homer, Iliad 5. 370 ff 

[2] Hiller, Stefan, A Companion to Linear B Mycenaean Greeh Texts and, their World, Chapter 14 (MYCENAEAN RELIGION AND CULT).

[3] AIoni-Ronen, Neta, Hera and the Formation of Aristocratic Collective Identity: Evidence from the Argive Plain, Scripta Classica Ιsraelica vol. XVI 1997 pp. 9-19

[4] Chadwick, John, The Mycenaean World, Cambridge University Press, 1976  

[5] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dione_(Titaness)&wprov=rarw1

[6] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodona 

[7] Deuv, Ratko, WI-JA AND -ERANI THE LINEAR B TEXT,  ÉTUDES MYCÉNIENNES, Rome, 2010

Do you have a coin you would choose as a representative portrait for Hera? Let’s see it.

Also show your;

• Coins of Hera / Juno
• Coins with an owl
• Coins related to Athens or the Peloponnesian War

@Curtisimo Very interesting and fun sub-collection. I was also trying to collect the 12 olympians before I sold my entire collection. Hera is one of the harder to find. But I believe Hades will be the ultimate hardest especially if you are going to stay with Greek coinage and not roman.

I also saw that we chose the same portrait/coin for Zeus. That's an excellent choice!

Here is the thread I created on CT. Maybe there are some interesting variants or inspiration in that thread?

 https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-greek-pantheon-hall-of-fame.375443/

Edited August 10 by Spargrodan

[Ursus]

That's an extremely attractive example of that type, @Curtisimo! Also, I enjoyed reading your informative write-up.

My own Hera has seen a lot more wear and tear:

Pontos, Amisos, AR drachm (Chian standard), 4th c. BC. Obv: turreted head of Hera-Tyche l. Rev: Owl with spread wings facing, ME-ΓA below, Π in left field. 15mm, 3.8g. SNG BM Black Sea 1099.

[Deinomenid]

@Curtisimo I'm delighted you are continuing this - thanks!

While I'm more  in @Ryro's camp about her, especially  the endless hounding of  Herakles, here's another Elis coin of her.

I've "always" liked the digamma (F) on these reverses, though their use  caused earlier numismatists like Eckhel to attribute the coins of Elis to Faleria in Italy. It  took an impatient benefactor of the British Museum, Richard Payne Knight, to persuade the  world  otherwise and as with many things academic a great squabble persisted  with Eckhel repeatedly trying to  prove him wrong.

Elis, Olympia AR Stater. Hera mint, 95th Olympiad, 400 BC. Head of Hera to right, wearing her stephanos inscribed HPA (Hera) between palmettes on band / Thunderbolt flanked by F-A; all within wreath.

 

 

 

Edited August 10 by Deinomenid
removed image

[taja1948]

PELOPONNESOS. Elis. Olympia. AR Stater (12.22 gms), "Hera" Mint, ca. 328 B.C (113th Olympiad). NGC Ch VF, Strike: 4/5 Surface: 5/5.
HGC-5, 398 (same obv. die as illustration); BCD Olympia-163 (same obv. die); Seltman-353a (dies FJ/κε; this coin) = JIAN XIV, 1912, p. 27, no. 2003, pl. ζ, 29 (this coin). Obverse: Head of Hera right, wearing stephane reading FΑΛΕΩΝ; Reverse: Eagle, with wings spread and head right, standing left; F to left; all within wreath. Entrancing in both strike and beauty, this piece is displayed upon immaculate surfaces free from problems. A dark tone besets this specimen, and some even wear is evident, giving this beauty an original appearance.  An exceptional piece pedigreed to the collection of Helena Mavrogordatos, one of the early female coin collectors in Greece.

From the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection.

Ex: Salton-Schlessinger FPL 20 (2/1954) Lot # 10.

Ex: Ars Classica XVII (10/1934) Lot # 505.

Ex: Collection Balatzes.

Ex: Helena Mavrogordatos Collection.

[Sulla80]

An excellent & enjoyable post on Hera @Curtisimo, I enjoyed the story of Hera's promotion in Greek politics.  Your coin is also excellent and was my choice for Hera to represent this deity in a 12 Olympian's set: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/12-olympians-greek-edition.  This coin from the William Stancomb collection.  He began collecting in the 1950s and published a catalog of 1092 coins in 2000.

Edited August 10 by Sulla80

[Curtisimo]

19 hours ago, TIF said:

Terrific article, @Curtisimo!  and wowza, what a fantastic coin, and great job capturing the beauty in your photos!

 

Ah yes... the stoic, serious, and smart wife with buffoon husband.  The formula for so many American sitcoms. 😁

I am not well-Hera'd.  Here's a worn and weary Hera from Olympia:

ELIS, Olympia. 103rd Olympiad, 368 BCE
AR drachm, 21 mm, 5.7 gm
Obv: head of Hera right, wearing pendant earring and stephane ornamented with palmettes with H-R-A inscribed between them, [F-A across fields]
Rev: eagle with spread wings standing left, head reverted
Ref: Pozzi 1846 (same dies); Jameson 1240 = Seltman pl. xii, 8 (same dies); BMC 91 (same dies); BCD Olympia 113 (same dies)

Thanks @TIF! I do love the Hera portraits from Elis. Yours has great style, centering and toning. Great coin and thank you for the kind words.

19 hours ago, CPK said:

Great to see you posting more @Curtisimo! That's a lovely coin and an interesting writeup. Thanks!

Thank you Connor! 🙂 

19 hours ago, Ryro said:

Missed you, my man! Been waiting for you to drop the next Olympian for a minute. Excellent write up and very cool coin! ...I wish there were a thread around searching for cool coins😊

For being the big cheese's wife Hera is amazingly and disproportionately not displayed on coins... though, she did kinda make my favorite half hero half god kill his own wife and kids. So, like the ancient Greek men, I'm not a fan. 

Hera-s one that you don't see often in bronze that when I bought looked like a rock and took a lot of cleaning, that I don't recommend doing:

Argolis, Argos

Æ Dichalkon. Circa 280270/60

BCE Head of Hera

right, wearing stephane inscribed

APΓE/Athena Promachos left.

BCD Peloponnesos1100-4;

3.90g, 18mm 6h. Very Fine

Thanks Ryan! Yes I did get a bit behind on these write ups didn’t I? 🙈 Better late than never hopefully! I think next I’ll write up either Dionysius or Poseidon.

You’re absolutely right about Hera not being on as many coins as you would think. My other possible Hera targets would have been an Eli’s example or one from Kroton. Stil not a lot to choose from.

I am loving your bronze example. It is especially nice that it comes from Argos which is very fitting.

The statue you posted reminds my of the full figured Juno reverse on my below denarius.

13 hours ago, shanxi said:

My is Hera is looking in the other direction:

Pontos, Amisos
AR Reduced Siglos, 4th century BC
Obv.: Draped bust of Hera right, wearing turreted diadem
Rev.: Owl standing facing with spread wings, monograms
Ag, 3.69g, 17.4 mm
Ref.: SNG Copenhagen 129 var.

 

Nice example @shanxi. Very well centered!

[Curtisimo]

12 hours ago, Qcumbor said:

Fantastic write up, fantastic coin and provenance @Curtisimo

I'm Heraless too, thus wondering if Juno counts, as being her roman equivalent !

In any case here's one :

 Julia Maesa, Denarius - Rome mint, 218-220 CE
IVLIA MAESA AVG, Bust of Maesa right
IVNO, Juno standing left holding patera and sceptre
3.48 gr
Ref : RCV #7750, Cohen #16

Q

Thank Q! Lovely Juno! 🙂

4 hours ago, Ursus said:

That's an extremely attractive example of that type, @Curtisimo! Also, I enjoyed reading your informative write-up.

My own Hera has seen a lot more wear and tear:

Pontos, Amisos, AR drachm (Chian standard), 4th c. BC. Obv: turreted head of Hera-Tyche l. Rev: Owl with spread wings facing, ME-ΓA below, Π in left field. 15mm, 3.8g. SNG BM Black Sea 1099.

Thanks @Ursus! Lovely dark toning on your example.

3 hours ago, Deinomenid said:

@Curtisimo I'm delighted you are continuing this - thanks!

While I'm more  in @Ryro's camp about her, especially  the endless hounding of  Herakles, here's another Elis coin of her.

I've "always" liked the digamma (F) on these reverses, though their use  caused earlier numismatists like Eckhel to attribute the coins of Elis to Faleria in Italy. It  took an impatient benefactor of the British Museum, Richard Payne Knight, to persuade the  world  otherwise and as with many things academic a great squabble persisted  with Eckhel repeatedly trying to  prove him wrong.

Elis, Olympia AR Stater. Hera mint, 95th Olympiad, 400 BC. Head of Hera to right, wearing her stephanos inscribed HPA (Hera) between palmettes on band / Thunderbolt flanked by F-A; all within wreath.

 

 

 

Simply wow! What an amazing Hera example. This type has some fascinating historical background as well coming from the 95th Olympiad which was just after the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War. Thank you for sharing!

Also thank you for the kind words about me continuing my write up series. 🙂 

2 hours ago, taja1948 said:

PELOPONNESOS. Elis. Olympia. AR Stater (12.22 gms), "Hera" Mint, ca. 328 B.C (113th Olympiad). NGC Ch VF, Strike: 4/5 Surface: 5/5.
HGC-5, 398 (same obv. die as illustration); BCD Olympia-163 (same obv. die); Seltman-353a (dies FJ/κε; this coin) = JIAN XIV, 1912, p. 27, no. 2003, pl. ζ, 29 (this coin). Obverse: Head of Hera right, wearing stephane reading FΑΛΕΩΝ; Reverse: Eagle, with wings spread and head right, standing left; F to left; all within wreath. Entrancing in both strike and beauty, this piece is displayed upon immaculate surfaces free from problems. A dark tone besets this specimen, and some even wear is evident, giving this beauty an original appearance.  An exceptional piece pedigreed to the collection of Helena Mavrogordatos, one of the early female coin collectors in Greece.

From the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection.

Ex: Salton-Schlessinger FPL 20 (2/1954) Lot # 10.

Ex: Ars Classica XVII (10/1934) Lot # 505.

Ex: Collection Balatzes.

Ex: Helena Mavrogordatos Collection.

What a wonderful example with a wonderful provenance! Thanks for sharing.

2 hours ago, Sulla80 said:

An excellent & enjoyable post on Hera @Curtisimo, I enjoyed the story of Hera's promotion in Greek politics.  Your coin is also excellent and was my choice for Hera was also my choice to represent this deity in a 12 Olympian's set: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/12-olympians-greek-edition.  This coin from the William Stancomb collection.  He began collecting in the 1950s and published a catalog of 1092 coins in 2000.

I really like your 12 Olympian sub-collection. It has been fascinating to see which coins everyone had been picking for the varied Olympians. Great coin.

 ……………………………………….

For fun, a while back I got to playing around with some of the AI image generators to see what they would come up with for the various Olympian gods. For the most part the results were a bit disappointing but I though it did an okay job with Hera. I think she looks adequately queenly. 🙂 

[Brennos]

I think Thermae is the only Sicilian city to have adopted the portrait of Hera on its coins.

Sicily. Thermai Himeraiai. Litra. 383-376 BC Ag. 0,90 g.
A.: Head of Hera right, wearing polos; ΘΕΡΜΙΤΑΝ before, AP front.
R.: Herakles seated left on lion skin draped over rock, holding club, bow behind. 
Ref. Hgc-1614

 

[Sulla80]

8 minutes ago, Brennos said:

I think Thermae is the only Sicilian city to have adopted the portrait of Hera on its coins.

Here's an AE from Panormos with Obv portrait of Hera: https://cngcoins.com/Lot.aspx?LOT_ID=119469 - ADD: although as Phoenician city, Ziz (𐤑‬𐤉𐤑)

Edited August 11 by Sulla80

[AncientOne]

Awesome AR coins in this thread! Here are some AE busts of Hera.

Argolis, Argos, AE17 Dichalkon.

Obv: Head of Hera right, wearing ornamented stephan.
Rev: Pillar fountain; helmet to left, archaic heta to right.
BCD Pelop. 1124–1126
Late 3rd-early 2nd centuries BC.

 

Sicily, Himera as Thermai Himerensis. Ae17, 4th century BC.

Obv: Head of Hera right, wearing stephane with inscription INAΓ.
Rev: ΘΕΡΜΙΤΑΝ / Head of Herakles; wearing Lion´s skin.

[Ancient Aussie]

You never fail to impress Curtis, great write up about some fantastic cities that I have been lucky enough to visit and mesmerized by their fantastic architecture and history. Olympia and Paestum stand out, wish I had the skill and equipment to take a pic like your Paestum temples. Only have two coins to share that are relevant to the topic, one is a fairly recent buy from the 1st century  BC and the other a rare Hemi drachm from the 101st Olympic games. This one below probably one of those temples in your pic. 🙂

And this one from ELIS, Olympia. Time of the 101st-102nd Olympiad. Circa 421-365 BC. AR Hemidrachm (15mm, 2.54 gm, 1h). Hera mint. Struck circa 376-372 BC. Head of Hera right, wearing stephane / F A, eagle standing right, head reverted. Seltman, Temple -; BCD 111; BMC Peloponnesus -; SNG Copenhagen -. Fine, toned. Extremely rare.

Also a pic from my visit to Olympia in 2015.

 

 

 

[Curtisimo]

On 8/11/2024 at 5:55 AM, Brennos said:

I think Thermae is the only Sicilian city to have adopted the portrait of Hera on its coins.

Sicily. Thermai Himeraiai. Litra. 383-376 BC Ag. 0,90 g.
A.: Head of Hera right, wearing polos; ΘΕΡΜΙΤΑΝ before, AP front.
R.: Herakles seated left on lion skin draped over rock, holding club, bow behind. 
Ref. Hgc-1614

 

Beautiful portrait of Hera!

On 8/11/2024 at 11:04 AM, AncientOne said:

Awesome AR coins in this thread! Here are some AE busts of Hera.

Argolis, Argos, AE17 Dichalkon.

Obv: Head of Hera right, wearing ornamented stephan.
Rev: Pillar fountain; helmet to left, archaic heta to right.
BCD Pelop. 1124–1126
Late 3rd-early 2nd centuries BC.

 

Sicily, Himera as Thermai Himerensis. Ae17, 4th century BC.

Obv: Head of Hera right, wearing stephane with inscription INAΓ.
Rev: ΘΕΡΜΙΤΑΝ / Head of Herakles; wearing Lion´s skin.

Very interesting Himera example. Thanks for sharing.

15 hours ago, Ancient Aussie said:

You never fail to impress Curtis, great write up about some fantastic cities that I have been lucky enough to visit and mesmerized by their fantastic architecture and history. Olympia and Paestum stand out, wish I had the skill and equipment to take a pic like your Paestum temples. Only have two coins to share that are relevant to the topic, one is a fairly recent buy from the 1st century  BC and the other a rare Hemi drachm from the 101st Olympic games. This one below probably one of those temples in your pic. 🙂

And this one from ELIS, Olympia. Time of the 101st-102nd Olympiad. Circa 421-365 BC. AR Hemidrachm (15mm, 2.54 gm, 1h). Hera mint. Struck circa 376-372 BC. Head of Hera right, wearing stephane / F A, eagle standing right, head reverted. Seltman, Temple -; BCD 111; BMC Peloponnesus -; SNG Copenhagen -. Fine, toned. Extremely rare.

Also a pic from my visit to Olympia in 2015.

 

 

 

As always I love your architecture coins and I always enjoy your photos of the places you’ve visited. Really nice photo of Olympia and the temple of Hera. Thanks for sharing!