History of Monsters 284

with a lightning bolt in his right hand and a spear in his left, with a little man appearing at his feet; in this way they suggest Jupiter the Preserver, for by the small man carved on this coin, they understand the Emperor saved by Jupiter. When we see a naked man on a silver coin of Alexander Severus, with a cloth hanging from his shoulders, hurling a lightning bolt with his right hand and holding an eagle in his left, we should recognize Jupiter the Defender (*Propugnator*). However, if we occasionally see a naked man on the same coin holding a spear in his right hand and a lightning bolt in his left, we should understand him to be Jupiter the Stayer (*Stator*). Yet, to signify Jupiter the Stayer on a silver coin of Diocletian, Choul observes a naked man with a cloth hanging from his left shoulder, holding a globe with a Victory in his right hand, accompanied by an eagle.

Having discussed Jupiter, let us now turn our attention to Neptune. On a silver coin of Augustus and Vespasian, Choul observes a naked man armed with a trident, pressing a globe with his left foot. This image was struck after thanks were offered to the god Neptune following a return from a naval war. Similarly, a naked man with a cloth hanging from his shoulders, tossed by the winds, in a boat pulled by two horses on a silver coin of Marcus Agrippa, signifies Neptune. Likewise, on a silver coin of Pompey, a tower is observed on a ship, the summit of which is occupied by a naked man armed with a trident; through this figure, Neptune the Peaceful is shown. In contrast, on the same coin, a man naked to the waist ending in two fish tails, gripping a ship's rudder with both hands, displays an angry Neptune. Finally, on a silver coin of Demetrius, a naked man appears as if about to strike with a trident, and with this icon they represent Neptune; meanwhile, on the opposite side of the coin, the prow of a ship is seen with a winged Victory, who carries a crown in her right hand and a palm in her left, designating a naval victory.

We must now hasten to other images signifying different ancient deities. On some coins, Erizzo ponders two naked men standing together: one leans on a club, the other on a caduceus, with winged sandals at his feet. Through the latter, Mercury is understood, and through the former, Hercules. These two icons were struck on coins to manifest the wisdom and fortitude of the Emperor. A naked man standing alone, armed with a club and a lion’s skin, denotes Hercules—an image Erizzo believes was engraved on the coinage to indicate the Emperor’s virtue. When that same naked man raises his club with his right hand, about to strike the dragon clinging to a fruit-bearing tree, with his left arm covered by the lion’s skin, according to Erizzo’s opinion, he indicates Hercules seizing the golden apples from the gardens of the Hesperides.

If we continue reflecting on coins displaying naked human figures, we come across a gold coin of Aurelian. It shows a naked man crowned with rays, a cloth hanging from his shoulders, holding a globe in his right hand with a captive at his feet. Many believe this image signifies the rising sun. On a bronze coin of Constantine, a naked man is seen with his private parts covered by a cloth, a cornucopia in his left hand, and a patera in his right near an altar; by this icon, they understood the Genius of the Roman People. A semi-naked man holding a globe in his left hand and three heads in his right suggested Eternity; for through the three-headed figure, the present, past, and future were marked, and with this image they prayed for the Emperor's eternity. In another instance, a semi-naked man wearing a helmet, with a spear in his right hand and a cornucopia in his left, is seen on a bronze coin of Marcus Aurelius—an image that, in Choul’s view, displayed Honor. Finally, on a coin of Marcus Herennius, a naked man is engraved carrying an old man on his left shoulder; by this figure, Choul signifies Piety. Similarly, on a silver coin of Julius Caesar, a naked man is seen carrying an old man, while holding in his left hand a woman armed with a helmet and spear. As Choul intended, this image represents Aeneas carrying Anchises and Pallas.

Coins frequently display images of men in a chariot. Therefore, Erizzo writes that if it happens that a man is seen on a coin in a chariot drawn by four elephants, with a laurel branch in his right hand and a scepter decorated with an eagle in his left, we should understand it to be the Emperor triumphing after having subdued some province. Otherwise, according to the same author, a man holding a branch in his right hand and something like a club in his left, where there are icons of a camel and an ostrich, indicates that Arabia was conquered by the Emperor