----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 9:51 PM
Subject: Fw: Argus
The dog that greets Hugh in TT " had braved a
fabulous age" so I thought a little information on Argus ( with a
picture of him on a coin, while jumping to greet Ulysses) might interest
you.
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The tale of Argus, Ulysses' dog in "Homer's
Odyssey," is the story of a dog's devotion. Ulysses, King of Ithaca, goes off to
war to fight the Trojans. He promises his wife Penelope, his son, and his dog
Argus, that he will return quickly, but the prolonged war and his fabled journey
home delay his return for twenty years. By the time he returns, many changes
have taken place, since he was presumed long dead. So Ulysses disguised himself
as a beggar, rather than alert anyone to his return. When he arrives at his
home, he meets a very old dog, and realizes that it is his beloved Argus.
Despite the long separation, and his master's disguise, Argus immediately
recognizes Ulysses and lifts his head, and hearing his master's voice, Argus
cocks his ears and slowly rises to his feet. Ulysses, tears in his eyes,
embraces his old friend, and Argus, devoted to the very end, dies
peacefully.
ROME, C. Mamilius C.f. Limetanus, Denarius
AR Denarius (3.9 grams), struck by C. Mamilius C.f. Limetanus, 82
B.C. On the obverse is a bust of Mercury, the messenger of the gods, right,
caduceus and control letter behind. / C MAMIL LIMETAN, Ulysses holding a
staff, greets his dog, Argus. Both the obverse and reverse of this coin refer
to the Moneyer's family, which claimed descent from Mamilia, the daughter of
Telegonus, who was the son of Ulysses, and a descendant of Mercury. Crawford
362/1, Sydenham 741, RCV
282.