ELEPHANTS, HISTORICAL 175 



A fine coin of Seleucus I (312-280 B. C; Fig. 3) shows a 

 chariot drawn by four elephants, to whose necks are at- 

 tached upright sceptres. The anchor figured on this coin 

 was the chosen emblem of the Seleucidse. There are also 

 many splendid examples of elephant coins bearing on one 

 side the name Quintus Csecilius Metellus Pius and frequently 

 on the other side the inscription Scipio Imp. The elephant 

 type appears on many coins of the Gens Csecilia, and this is 

 believed to be due to the brilliant victories gained by Lu- 

 cius Metellus over the Carthaginians in the First Punic War, 

 when war elephants were used in the Carthaginian armies 

 in Sicily and Africa. Lucius Metellus is stated to have 

 brought some of the captured elephants from Sicily to 

 Rome.* 



COINS WITH ELEPHANT TYPES 



SILVER 



Stater of Aegina, 550 to 480 B. C; tortoise stamped with elephant's 

 head. 



Antiochus III. Drachma. Reverse, elephant. 



Seleucus I. Drachma. Reverse, quadriga of elephants. 



Coin of Trajan, struck in Alexandria. 



Tarentum, 473-400 B. C. Reverse, Taras on dolphin; elephant sym- 

 bol. 



Egyptian coin of Alexander IV of Macedon (this is the reverse, the ele- 

 phant type occurs as headdress of head on obverse). 



Juba I of Numidia, 60-46 B. C. 



COPPER 



Seleucus 1, 312-280 B. C. Reverse. 

 Etruria. Reverse. 

 Juba I, of Numidia, 60-46 B. C. 

 Bactria, Hehodes, aft. 169 B. C. 

 Bactria, Hoverkes, 120 A. D. 

 Parthia. Mithridates IH, 60-56, B.C. 



*Gisberti Cuperi, "De elephantis in nummis obviis," Hagse Comitum, 1719, cols. 62, 

 118. 



