ARGOLIS. Epidauros. Antoninus Pius, 138-161. Diassarion (Bronze, 22.5 mm, 8.60 g, 2 h). ΑΝΤΩ -ΝΕΙΝΟC ΑΥΓ Laureate and draped bust of Antoninus Pius to right. Rev. ΕΠΙ - Δ -[ΑΥΡ] - ΙΩΝ The infant Asklepios seated on the ground to right, suckled by a goat standing to left; to left, pine tree; to right, a shepherd, Aresthanas, standing to left, holding a lagobolon with his left hand and raising his right towards the sky; on the far right, tree with long branch bending to left. NCP pl. L., i. RPC IV, 1, 5262. SNG Copenhagen 134. Very rare. Dark green patina. About very fine.

From the Maleatas Collection, the Petsalis Collection and that of A. Rhousopoulos, originally acquired prior to 1895.

Asklepios was the son of Apollo and the mortal woman Koronis, and, for reasons too tedious to go into here, after his birth he was exposed on a mountain near Epidauros, which was then called Myrtion. By the time Pausanias told this story the mountain's name had been changed to Titthion ( Nipple ). In any event, instead of dying of exposure the infant was suckled by a friendly goat. When the shepherd, Aresthanas, saw this he was understandably annoyed, feeling that this was a waste of milk that could otherwise be used to make cheese, and was about to remonstrate when he was stopped by a thunderbolt (as we see on the coin). He then promptly decided to leave well enough alone; soon Apollo, after thanking the goat, took over the child's upbringing.