Apollo and St. Michael: some Analogies

On the coins of Alexandria Troas of Roman date we find certain types, which are evidently related to the story of the foundation of the Smintheion; as well as another which may refer to the foundation of the city itself. They have been discussed at length by Wroth. The most remarkable (Fig. 1, a) shows on the left a grotto, surmounted by a cultus-statue of Apollo Smintheus; within the grotto is another statue, precisely similar, but lying on the ground. Before the grotto stands a herdsman, holding a pedum in his left hand, and raising his right in a gesture which, as Wroth says, may be interpreted as expressing either adoration or surprise. ‘On the right, a bull is seen running away, as if terror-stricken, with its head turned back towards the cavern. It would seem that some local legend connected with the discovery of the statue of the god is here portrayed. The engraver appears to have naively blended two incidents of the legend—first, the chance finding in a cavern of the statue of Apollo Smintheus by a herdsman—next, the setting up of a statue for worship in a place of honour over the cavern. On other coins of Alexandria Troas a herdsman—who is evidently the same herdsman—is represented in the presence of a divinity who appears to be Apollo … and he often appears standing beside the feeding horse that occurs frequently as a coin-type of Alexandria Troas’ (Fig. 1, d).