C. Hosidius C.f. Geta, 64 BC. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 3.77 g, 6 h), Rome. III•VIR - GETA Draped bust of Diana to right, with bow and quiver over her shoulder. Rev. C•HOSIDI C•F Boar advancing right, wounded by a spear and attacked by a hunting dog. Babelon (Hosidia) 2. Crawford 407/1. RBW 1455. Sydenham 904. Light porosity and a few minor scratches, otherwise, very fine.


The boar shown on the reverse of this coin with a spear, or perhaps more likely an arrow (see below), in its side and being attacked by a hound is the Calydonian Boar that ravaged the Aetolian hinterland after the king of Aetolia, Oeneus, had neglected to pay the proper respects to the goddess Diana (Artemis). As a punishment, Diana sent the boar to rampage through Aetolia, where it destroyed the crops and forced everyone to shelter within their cities. Soon, starvation loomed, and so a great hunt was organized. The heroes of ancient Greece all flocked to the event, including the heroine Atalanta of Arkadia. She was the first to wound the boar, having pierced its side with an arrow, and for this she was awarded the hide. The precise reason for the Calydonian Boar to be depicted on this denarius of C. Hosidius C.f. Geta is not known, but it is probable that he claimed a familial descent from one of the heroes involved in the hunt, perhaps from Atalanta herself.