AE Quadrans (264 D)
The obverse side of the coin features a depiction of the head of Heracles wearing a lion’s skin headdress. Legend claims that Heracles with the help of his Heraclean supernatural powers strangled the vicious and impenetrable Nemean lion with his bare hands to save the inhabitants of Nemea, Greece.
The reverse side of the coin features the prow of a galley or boat, which was a sign of dominance over the sea in terms of trade, pirates, and war.
Both the obverse and reverse sides of the coin work together to prove the Roman Republic’s success in warfare and military power as it relates to the Gods.
Bibliography:
"Heracles and the Lion’s Skin." National Museum of Denmark., accessed Nov 11, 2019, https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/historical-themes/the-fur-trail/fur-in-antiquity/heracles-and-the-lions-skin/#:~:targetText=With%20his%20Herculean%20supernatural%20power,on%20vases%20and%20other%20depictions.
Rousseau, Vanessa. 2019. Personal Communication with Vanessa Rousseau about Hercules, edited by Tatum Whiteford.