THE LERNEAN HYDRA. 



51 



That the octopus was a familiar object with the 

 ancient Greeks, we know by the frequency with which its 

 portrait is found on their coins, gems, and ornaments. 

 Aldrovandus describes " very ancient coins " found at 

 Syracuse and Tarentum bearing the figure of an octopus. 

 He says the Syracusans had two coins, one of bronze, the 

 other of gold, both of which had an octopus alone on one 



FIG. 19. — FIGURE OF AN OCTOPUS ON A GOLD ORNAMENT, FOUND BY 

 DR. SCHLIEMANN AT MYCENiB, 



side. On the reverse of the bronze one was a veiled 

 female face in profile, with the inscription ZYPA. I have one 

 of these bronze Syracusan coins ; it was kindly given to 

 me, some years ago, by my friend Dr. John Millar, F.L.S. 

 The octopus is really well depicted. On the gold coin the 

 female head was differently veiled, and at the back of the 

 neck was a fish. The inscription on this coin was 



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