| Image search results - "Dionysiac" |
BCC RGP53 Claudius Sidon, PhoeniciaRoman Provincial
Sidon, Phoenicia
Semi-autonomous
Reign of Claudius 49/50CE
Obv: Head of young Dionysos
left, wreathed with ivy.
Rev: LΞΡ (year 160)
ΣIΔΩNOΣ ΘEAΣ
(Of the goddess Sidon)
Dionysiac cista mystica.
17.5x16.5mm. 5.31gm. Axis:0
BMC 153 Surface find, Caesarea
Maritima, 1976v-drome
|
|
Calabria NomosAR Nomos
Helmeted warrior on horse left, holding shield ornamented with eight-rayed star & two spears behind him
Dionysiac Taras astride dolphin left, holding distaff & grape-bunch
Calabria, Tarentum
ca 281-272 BC
5.58g
Vlasto 789 (SNG ANS 1133)
Ex-Calgary coins
SOLD!Jay GT4
|
|
Fonteia 9Fonteia 9 (85BC) moneyer Mn. Fonteius (brother of Crawford 347?)
Denarius
Ob:Laureate head of Apollo right below fulmen behind MN(ligate) ∙ FONTEI ∙ C ∙ F (NT(ligate) downwards before monogram for Apollo (?), border of dots
Rev: Cupid on goat right above pilei in exergue thyrsus around laurel wreath, border of dots
BMCRR I 2476
Sydenham 724a
Crawford 353/1a
Northumberland Tablet VII 21
obv note “…has been designated Apollo vejovius. But as Ovid alludes to his not having the fulmen till the conflict with the Titans, and as Eckhel produces a copy with EX before AP- and reads it ex argento publico- the meaning is uncertain.”
Rev note: “This has been called Cupid, but there is no attribute of bow or arrow, whence Havercamp is of the opinion that the thyrsus denotes Bacchus, while Eckhel thinks it is the Etruscan Vejovius himself- the goat being a sacrifice peculiar to him.
On the whole the device seems to elude to the native haunts of the moneyer, for the curetes who guarded the little Jupiter were the Dioscuri, whose pilei and myrtle are here seen, and who were worshipped at Tusculum with special honor. Moreover, although the thyrsus is certainly an attribute of Bacchus, the myrtle belongs to the twins, and they may therefore have been considered the Dii Penates of the gens.”
Crawford: Monogram under chin Apollo; reverse is clearly Dionysiac. Grueber and Sydenham believe that the monogram under obverse head is Roma not Apollo. Head also Vejovis with winged genius on reverse.
Ex: CNG ex: Harry Strickhausen (misattributed by CNG; monograph under chin faint, but legible) 19mm, 3.93g
rennrad12020
|
|
GREEK, Italy, Calabria, Taras281-272 BC (Period VII - The Pyrrhic Hegemony)
AR Didrachm (20mm, 6.44g)
Apollo(...) magistrate.
O: Warrior in crested helmet on horse cantering left, carrying large round shield and two spears; ΞΩ behind, [AΠOΛΛΩ] (magistrate) below.
R: Taras (of the plump Dionysiac type) riding dolphin left, holding bunch of grapes in extended right hand, distaff over left shoulder; ANΘ to right, TAPAΣ below.
Vlasto 789-91 / Evans VII, F2 or F6 / Cote 413 / SNG ANS 1131-1133 / HN Italy 1013
This plump rendition of Taras, differing greatly from previous images, is actually meant to represent a young Iacchus, the son of Dionysus and Persephone, and signifies the influence of the chthonic cult of Dionysus upon the religion of Taras. Enodia
|
|
ISLAND OFF THRACE. ThasosCirca 480-463 B.C. AR Stater (21mm, 8.80gm). Le Rider, Thassienes 5; HPM pl. X, 12; HGC 6, 331; SNG Copenhagen 1010-2. Obverse: Ithyphallic satyr advancing right, carrying off protesting nymph. Reverse: quadripartite incuse square. VF, toned.
Ex CNG
The motif of the satyr abducting a maenad appears on several northern Greek coins. In the case of Thasos, an island just off the coast of Thrace in northern Greece, this Dionysiac motif serves to promote the island's famous wine. Satyrs belong to the retinue of Dionysos, the god of wine. They are only interested in drinking wine and having sex, usually with the maenads, the female followers of Dionysos. Satyrs are commonly represented as half-man, half-horse or goat, often with a horse tail and pointy horse ears. On the obverse of this coin, however, the satyr has mostly human traits, except for his goat legs. In addition, his bestial nature is made clear by means of his nudity (which visibly contrasts with the maenad's modest chiton), his obvious sexual arousal, and the fact that he is trying to abduct a maenad against her will, as evidenced by raising her right arm in protest (and about to slap her abductor!). The overtly sexual displays seen on many early Greek coins can be disconcerting to the modern eye, viewing them through the lens of centuries of Christian fulminations against ‘paganism’ and its erotic excesses. These scenes are at their most graphic in northern Greece, for example, on the archaic coins of Lete and the island of Thasos, showing the interplay of nymphs and satyrs. The towns and tribes of this region were only newly introduced to the ‘civilizing’ influences of the south, and were still close to their roots in farming and herding cultures. Their gods were not the Olympian super beings, but the spirits of nature, and the emphasis was on celebrating the fecundity of fields and flocks. Thasos gained its enormous wealth by virtue of its local silver mines as well as mines it controlled on the Thracian mainland opposite the island city-state. According to Herodotos (VI, 46), the city derived 200-300 talents annually from her exploitation of this mineral wealth. Such source of the sought-after white metal attracted foreign interest on the mines. The famous of these was when Athens attacked Thasos, ironically one of its members in the Delian League, in 465 B.C. with a single purpose in taking control of these mines. Additionally, Thasos gained much material wealth as a producer and exporter of high quality wines, which was tightly regulated by the government, and it was perhaps due to this trade in wine that her coinage spread throughout the Aegean making it a widely recognized and accepted coinage in distant lands.
Jason T
|
|
|
Taras, Calabria276-272 BC (Period VII - The Pyrrhic Hegemony)
AR Didrachm (20mm, 6.44g)
Apollo(...) magistrate.
O: Helmeted warrior on horse cantering left, carrying two javelins and a large round shield decorated with eight-rayed star; ΞΩ behind, [AΠOΛΛΩ] (magistrate) below.
R: Taras (of the plump Dionysiac type) astride dolphin left, holding bunch of grapes in extended right hand, distaff over left shoulder; ANΘ to right, TAPAΣ below.
D'Andrea XLII, 1203; Vlasto 789-91; Evans VII, F2 or F6; Cote 413; SNG France 1920; McGill II, 84; HGC I, 887; SNG ANS 1131-1133; HN Italy 1013
ex Numisantique
The helmeted warrior shown here behind a large shield is a definite departure from the typical image found on this coinage. The earlier naked skirmishers have been replaced by the fully armored cavalryman presented here. This was of course a gradual process, but the evolution becomes more apparent on later issues where the rider is clearly depicted wearing a cuirass.
This plump rendition of Taras also differs greatly from previous images and is actually meant to represent a young Iacchus, the son of Dionysus and Persephone. Similar images can be found on kraters and terracotta votives found in the region. The attributes of Dionysus which he carries show the foreign influence of the chthonic cult of Dionysus upon the city of Taras. This relatively new mystery cult was introduced along side the earlier ouranic cults of Poseidon and Apollo, and the inclusion of Iacchus here represents a distinct link to the Mysteries of Eleusis.
The distaff, in this context, is probably a reference to Ariadne, a wife of Dionysus, but its’ phallic nature also symbolizes the god of ecstasy Himself.
- The Tarantinians Carouse -
The theaters are full, music everywhere,
here debauchery and lewdness, and there
athletic and sophistical contests.
An unwithering wreath adorns the statue
of Dionysus. Not an earthly nook remains
unsprinkled by libations...
~ Kavafy (1933)
Enodia
|
|
Thrace. Thasos (Circa 480-463 BC)AR Stater
22 mm, 8.44 g
Obverse: Ithyphallic satyr advancing right, carrying off protesting nymph.
Reverse: Quadripartite incuse square.
Le Rider, Thasiennes, 5; SNG Copenhagen 1010-2; HGC 6, 331.
Both location and mineral riches aided the thriving economy of the North Aegean island of Thasos. According to Herodotos (VI, 46), the city derived 200-300 talents annually from her exploitation of its local silver mines as well as mines controlled on the Thracian mainland opposite the island city-state. Additionally, Thasos gained much material wealth as a producer and exporter of high quality wines, and it was perhaps due to this trade in wine that her coinage spread throughout the Aegean making it a widely recognized and accepted coinage in distant lands.
Thracians for the most part were illiterate, with no alphabet of their own and no written history or literature. Aristotle, though no doubt exaggerating, wrote that Thracians were unable to count beyond four. What we know about Thracians is largely through the prism of what the Greeks and Romans have written and from archeological findings (including coins). We know they were fiercely independent, powerful, and feared, excelling in warfare, horsemanship, and metalwork. Thracians regarded war and plunder as the noblest way of life. Another ancient Greek philosopher, Xenophanes, described Thracians as being "large, powerfully built men," with "a skin white, delicate and cold," and "largely red-haired." Among the noteworthy Thracians of history are thought to be the gladiator Spartacus and the fable-writer Aesop.
The motif of the satyr abducting a maenad appears on several northern Greek coins. In the case of Thasos, this Dionysiac motif served to promote the island's famous wine. Satyrs belong to the retinue of Dionysos (the god of wine) while maenads were the immortal female followers of Dionysos.
This particular series of coinage likely terminated with the capture of Thasos by Athens in 463 BC after its revolt two years earlier. The terms under which Thasos surrendered were harsh and involved the loss of most of her sources of revenue, except that from her famous wine.Nathan P
|
|
|
|
|
|
