Ajax the Great is the son of Telamon, who was the son of Aeacus and grandson of Zeus, and his first wife Periboea. He is the cousin of Achilles, and is the elder half-brother of Teucer. His given name is derived from the root of "to lament", translating to "one who laments; mourner". Many illustrious Athenians, including Cimon, Miltiades, Alcibiades and the historian Thucydides, traced their descent from Ajax. On an Etruscan tomb dedicated to Racvi Satlnei in Bologna (5th century BC) there is an inscription that says, "aivastelmunsl" which means "[family] of Telamonian Ajax". In Homer's "Iliad" he is described as of
Greek coinage of Italy and Sicily other mythological figures. Some featured animals and other symbols. For instance, the coins of Sybaris (Thurium) portrayed goddess Minerva. Inhabitants of Kroton (Crotone) adorned their coinage with images of Hercules. The city of Posidonia (Paestum) had received its name from Greek god Poseidon whose portrait they struck in their coinage. The city was founded by Sybarite colonists, and observes of Posidonian coinage included a symbol of their parent city, the bull. Taras, the most prosperous city state, struck coinage with dolphins and seahorses. The winged seahorse refers to Poseidon. A certain unusual coin from Neapolis (Naples) portrayed a bull with