Laodikea ad Mare in Syria, 218-222 AD., Elagabalus, Æ19, BMC 105 var.
Laodikea ad Mare in Syria, Elagabalus, 218-222 AD.,
Æ19 (ø 18-19 mm / 6,13 g), bronze, axes coin alignment ↑↓ (ca. 180°),
Obv.: IMP C M AVR AN[TONI]NVS , his radiate head right.
Rev.: LAVDICEON / Δ E , two naked wrestlers, Herakles and Dionysos, standing confronted and clasping, Herakles (wrestler on the left) has his hand on his antagonist shoulder and a club behind his legs, Dionysus' pine-cone thyrsos to the right behind his legs; ΔE in exergue.
BMC Syria p. 262, no. 105 var. (obv. legend) ; SNG Cop 372-3 var. (draped bust, obv. legend) ; cf. SNG Hunterian 3224 .
Maybe this reverse type is a variation on the theme of the drunken Herakles. BM and SNG Copenhagen call the figures just "wrestlers", but they are correctly identified as Herakles and Dionysus in a CNG description, E-Auction 7, on Wildwinds, and in a discussion thread on Forvm Ancient Coins, August 2007 ( http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=39376.0 ).