Nomos 22

LYCAONIA. Iconium. Gordian III, 238-244. Tetrassarion (Bronze, 34 mm, 20.62 g, 7 h). IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian III to right. Rev. COL AELI ADRI ICONIENSI (sic) / S R Andromeda sitting to left, feet chained, viewed from behind, arms raised, her robe hung on a tree behind her; below, wolf standing left, looking back. RPC VII.2 Online unassigned ID 2208. SNG BN -. Von Aulock, Lykaoniens, 330-1 (same dies). An interesting reverse, showing Andromeda seen from behind. Rough surfaces, otherwise, good very fine.

While von Aulock describes the reverse as Aphrodite sitting on the edge of a bath, the feet of the figure are clearly chained while her arms are pulled behind her. The RPC corrects von Aulock's identification, and describes the reverse as showing Andromeda chained. In the myth, Andromeda was the daughter of the king and queen of Ethiopia, Cepheus and Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia had boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, incurring the wrath of Poseidon who sent the sea monster Ketos to ravage the coast of Ethiopia (nowadays, of course, we know that Ethiopia does not have a coastline, but in myths things can be different). In order to appease Poseidon, Andromeda was offered as a sacrifice to the monster. She was chained to a rock but before Ketos could devour her, she was rescued by the hero Perseus, who took her to his home and married her, making her his queen.