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----------     The Sign Language of Roman Coins     ----------

Shining Apollo, The Far Shooter

You can click on any coin image to see the full coin.

Obverse of a bronze coin of Philip II of Macedonia, showing the laureate head of Apollo The Obverse of a bronze coin of Philip II of Macedonia, showing the laureate head of Apollo.
Reverse of a bronze coin of the Seleucid Antiochos I, showing Apollo seated on the omphalos The reverse of a bronze coin of the Seleucid Antiochos I, showing Apollo seated on the omphalos.

Apollo was a major ancient deity, essentially Greek but also worshipped in Rome. He had many aspects. He was depicted as a beautiful youth, often called "shining," sometimes a sun god, the brother of the virgin goddess Diana, who was a moon deity. Like her, he hunted with a silver bow, and he was called the far-shooter. He slew the dragon (or giant snake) Python at Delphi, and games were held there in honour of this victory. Wreaths of laurel, sacred to Apollo, were given to the victors.

After this victory, Apollo also became the patron of Delphi's famous oracle. A priestess called the Pythia would breathe the fumes emerging from a cleft in the rock and utter prophecies inspired by the god. The prophetic chamber also contained a sacred navel-stone, the Omphalos, which symbolised its place in the centre of the Hellenic world.

Some Greek coins showed Apollo seated on the Omphalos, and such a coin is on the near right. It is a bronze coin of Antiochos I, and on it, Apollo holds out an arrow in his right hand and rests his left on a bow.

On the far right is another common Greek depiction on a bronze coin of Philip II of Macedonia, showing just the deity's head. On this coin his hair is bound with a tainia, but he was also often shown crowned with a laurel wreath.

The reverse of a bronze coin of Caracalla showing Apollo Iatros The reverse of a bronze coin of Caracalla showing Apollo Iatros.

Apollo was also in charge of good health, sometimes in his own right, but more usually through his son Asklepios, or Aesculapius to the Romans. The laurel that was sacred to him (the shrub we know as bay) was known to have health-giving and cleansing properties. Several of the coins on this page show him holding a bay laurel branch.

Snakes were symbols of health, because of the way they appeared to regenerate when they shed their skins. Asklepios was always shown with his serpent staff. And on this coin, Apollo has the same staff, with the serpent coiled around it. We know this is not Asklepios because he is nude, and Asklepios is always clothed. When posed with his serpent staff, he is called Apollo Iatros, Apollo the Physician.

On some similar coins, a small figure of Asklepios is also present, showing him as subordinate to the senior deity.

And there is more to Apollo. Mercury made the first lyre for him from a tortoise shell, and he was the patron god of music.

Obverse of a Roman Republican denarius of Mn Fonteius C. F. showing the laureate head of Apollo The obverse of a Roman Republican denarius of Mn Fonteius C. F. showing the laureate head of Apollo.
Obverse of a Roman Republican denarius of P. Clodius M. f. Turrinus showing the laureate head of Apollo The obverse of a Roman Republican denarius of P. Clodius M. f. Turrinus showing the laureate head of Apollo.

During the Roman Republic, one of the main annual Roman games was in honour of Apollo, but he was seen then as a fairly minor healing deity. His temple was in the Circus Flaminius, outside the pomerium (the formal and ritual boundary of the city). There are several Roman Republican coins which show his wreathed head.

Here are two slightly different interpretations. What these and all the others have in common is an elegance and beauty which is often almost feminine in appearance.

On the far left, an impassive face which might be carved from marble under a row of ringlets. The hair is carefully and elaborately dressed and there is nothing impromptu about it. Next to it, a different but just as careful and elaborate coiffure, with two long ringlets setting off his neck. The symbol behind his head is his lyre. This face is a little more human and youthful.

Augustus built a temple of Apollo near the temple of the Magna Mater on the Palatine hill, inside the pomerium. This signalled an increase in his importance. Augustus held that Apollo had helped him to victory against Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium.

In fact, Augustus also founded a temple of Apollo on the outskirts of his new city of Nikopolis near Actium, and instituted a four-yearly festival of Actian Apollo across the Hellenic world. The temple on the Palatine was given a role in Augustus' Saecular Games; on their third day, it was the location for sacrifice and prayers to Apollo and Diana, and the first singing of the Saecular hymn.

Reverse of a provincial bronze of Diadumenian showing Apollo with bow and phiale The reverse of a provincial bronze of Diadumenian showing Apollo with a bow and phiale.
Reverse of a provincial bronze of Gordian III showing Apollo Pythias The reverse of a provincial bronze of Gordian III showing Apollo as patron of the Pythian Games.

Coins of the eastern Roman provinces showed Apollo in several guises. On the far right is a bronze of Diadumenian from Nikopolis ad Istrum showing a nude Apollo holding a bow and a phiale, demonstrating both physical prowess and religious sensibility. This tells us something about how he was perceived.

Next to it is a coin of Gordian III showing Apollo as a patron of the Pythian Games, which were nearly as important as the Olympic Games and were held on the same four-year cycle. They originated as a singing contest, praising Apollo to the accompaniment of a kithara such as that shown on the coin. The snake coiled around the column is, of course, the same Python he defeated at Delphi, which was close to the site of these games.

Apollo was a favourite subject for statuary, and there are many coins that copy famous statues of the period. Here are some coins showing statues which would have been recognised by any cultured person, not from the originals, but from the many copies which were made for centuries afterwards. Often, famous statues are only known today from such copies.

Reverse of a bronze coin from Antioch showing Apollo Musagetes, with kithara and phiale The reverse of a bronze coin from Antioch showing Apollo Musagetes, with kithara and phiale.
Reverse of a bronze coin of Trebonianus Gallus from Antioch showing Apollo and the Omphalos Reverse of a bronze coin of Trebonianus Gallus from Antioch showing Apollo and the Omphalos.

The first two coins both illustrate the same cult statue of Apollo, by one Bryaxis. This depiction is sometimes named Apollo Musagetes, the leader of the muses, because he is carrying his kithara, an advanced form of lyre. The original statue, now long lost and known only from ancient descriptions, was placed in a temple of Apollo in Daphne, a suburb of Antioch, early in the 3rd century BCE.

It was said to have been large and imposing. When the Sasanian Shahpur I conquered Antioch in the early 250s CE, he is said to have spared the temple from destruction because of the beauty of this statue. The temple eventually burned down in 362 CE.

This was the same Bryaxis who created at least one famous statue of Serapis in Alexandria.

The coin on the left is a rather unusual type of Roman imperial coin from a far eastern mint. It does not show the emperor at all. This side shows Bryaxis's statue. Click the picture to see the obverse, which shows another famous statue, the Tyche of Antioch by Eutychides, made in the 4th century BCE to symbolise the newly founded city. This is one of a group of coins issued during the persecution of Christians by the Tetrarchy.

The coin of Trebonianus Gallus to its right adds a small representation of the Delphic Omphalos with a snake wound around it. This symbol of Apollo might have been added by the engraver, or might possibly have accompanied the actual cult statue.

Reverse of a bronze coin of Septimius Severus showing Apollo Sauroktonos The reverse of a bronze coin of Septimius Severus showing Apollo Sauroktonos.
Reverse of a bronze coin of Septimius Severus showing Apollo Lykeios The reverse of a bronze coin of Septimius Severus showing Apollo Lykeios.

It refers to the victory of Apollo over the serpent Python when he took over the shrine at Delphi, where the Omphalos had long been a local sacred stone.

On the near right is a provincial coin from Markianopolis in Lower Moesia, and shows the Lykeian Apollo, in which Apollo leans on a tree-stump on which a snake is climbing, with one hand held over his head.

The original was by Praxiteles, another 4th century BCE sculptor.

On the coin, Apollo is not actually resting on the tree; this being just an image rather than an actual statue, there is no need for the extra support that contact would provide. To one side is a rock over which he has thrown his cloak. This does not appear in all versions of the Lykeion.

The coin on the far right, also from Lower Moesia, shows yet another statuesque pose. This time it is Apollo Sauroktonos, the lizard killer, also from a statue by Praxiteles. He is holding a dart or arrow in his right hand, erased by time on this coin, and the lizard is the small vertical object on the tree at his waist level.

On the left below is a coin of Alexandreia Troas, struck under Trebonianus Gallus. It shows another cult statue, Apollo Smintheus, sometimes called the Mouse-Killer. The statue stands on a dais with a lighted tripod before it, the type used for libations and sacrifices. It is possible that such a tripod was maintained in the temple which housed the statue.

Reverse of a bronze coin of Trebonianus Gallus from Alexandreia Troas showing Apollo Smintheos The reverse of a bronze coin of Trebonianus Gallus from Alexandreia Troas showing Apollo Smintheos.
Reverse of a bronze coin of Alexandreia Troas showing Apollo Smintheos and a mouse The reverse of a bronze coin of Alexandreia Troas showing Apollo Smintheos and a mouse.
Reverse of a bronze coin of Caracalla from Alexandreia Troas showing the emperor saluting a statue of Apollo Smintheos The reverse of a bronze coin of Caracalla showing the emperor and a statue of Apollo Smintheos.

In the centre is a much earlier coin, from about 300 BCE, which shows the same cult statue, but this time with a mouse at Apollo's feet, and with an arrow positioned in a strung bow.

This may be a fanciful embellishment, as the mouse certainly is. It is not completely clear how the mouse became associated with this statue.

The name "Smintheus" might have come from the town of Sminthe, also in Troas; or it might have come from a dialect word for mouse. Apollo was believed to protect against verminous mice.

Apollo carries a bow on both these coins, but probably not to shoot mice, however big and juicy this one may be. It is his silver hunting bow. He also carries a patera or phiale, a shallow dish used in religious ceremonies.

The third coin in this row shows the Roman emperor Caracalla raising his right hand in the direction of a statue of Apollo Smintheus, perhaps as a salute or greeting. It's the same statue as on the other two coins, with bow and phiale.

Obverse of a bronze coin of Miletos in Ionia showing a cult statue of Apollo Didymaios. The obverse of a bronze coin of Miletos showing a cult statue of Apollo Didymaios.

On the left is a different cult statue, Apollo Didymaios, Apollo from Didyma. The oracle at Didyma was nearly as famous as that at Delphi, and in its temple was a bronze statue made by Kanachos in the late 6th century BCE.

In this representation, Apollo has his bow in his left hand, but his attention is on his outheld right, on which is a stag with its head turned back to look at him.

Reverse of a denarius of Commodus showing Apollo leaning on a column The reverse of a denarius of Commodus showing Apollo leaning on a column.

This denarius of Commodus on the right is a type not found under any other emperor, on which Apollo is named Moneta, the foreteller or advisor, perhaps in reference to his oracular role.

The word used, MONET, is famous for its use in connection with the goddess Juno. The temple of Juno Moneta, Juno the Advisor, housed Rome's mint, so the word "moneta" became associated with money, and in fact is the root of the word "money."

But Apollo has no other connection with money, and a great connection with prophecy, so the original meaning is more likely here.

Apollo is shown in a pose which is typical of Securitas, indicating casual confidence; legs crossed, leaning on a column, hand on his head, perhaps just placed there as in the Lykeios pose above, perhaps sweeping back his hair.

But Securitas is female and is always clothed, and here Apollo is nude.

Something of the same casual attitude is evident in the next three coins, which show Apollo with his lyre and a laurel branch.

Reverse of a denarius of Caracalla showing Apollo seated with branch, lyre and tripod The reverse of a denarius of Caracalla showing Apollo seated with branch, lyre and tripod.
Reverse of an antoninianus of Gordian III showing Apollo seated with branch and lyre The reverse of an antoninianus of Gordian III showing Apollo seated with branch and lyre.
Reverse of a denarius of Caracalla showing Apollo standing with branch, lyre and column The reverse of a denarius of Caracalla showing Apollo standing with branch, lyre and column.

On the near right, a denarius of Caracalla on which Apollo is standing, resting one hand on his lyre. To allow this posture to work, the lyre stands on a convenient short column.

In the centre, Apollo is seated, with his lyre on the arm of his throne; his left elbow rests on it and his legs are crossed.

On the far right, the lyre rests on the tripod which is so often shown with Apollo. The lyre was said to have been invented by Hermes, using a tortoise-shell. But Apollo is usually shown with the larger and more professional kithara.

On those three coins, the laurel branch is brandished on high. On this antoninianus of Gallienus, it droops to the floor. Behind Apollo is a tripod with a bowl on top. The legend is SALVS AVG, the Health of the Emperor. This seems likely to represent a branch of laurel used for its healthy and cleansing properties, dipped into water and then used to sprinkle or sweep. There is more about the uses and depictions of laurel on my "branches everywhere" page.

Reverse of an antoninianus of Gallienus showing Apollo and a tripod The reverse of an antoninianus of Gallienus showing Apollo with a branch and a tripod.

The tripod was associated with Apollo because he was the patron deity of the famous oracle at Delphi, where the priestess who made the prophecies sat on a tripod to do so. It was often shown on coins with this deep bowl or lebes on top.

Reverse of an antoninianus of Gallienus showing a centaur with a bow The reverse of an antoninianus of Gallienus showing a centaur with a bow.
Reverse of an antoninianus of Valerian showing Apollo with bow and arrow The reverse of an antoninianus of Valerian showing Apollo with bow and arrow.

Finally, two coins relating to Apollo's prowess as an archer.

On the near right, an antoninianus of Valerian with the legend APOLINI PROPVG, "Dedicated to Apollo who fights for us". Apollo is wielding his silver bow. It is drawn, ready to shoot an arrow.

Valerian's son Gallienus issued a series of coins showing animals and mythical beasts, and invoking the help of the gods; the coin on the far right is one of these. Like Apollo, the centaur wields a bow, and the legend is APOLLINI CONS AVG, "Dedicated to Apollo, Preserver of the Emperor." There are some more unusual creatures on my "monsters on ancient coins" page.

 

————————  Useful References  ————————

These books provided some, but not all, of the information on this page. Much of the rest came from postings and discussions on the excellent Forum Classical Numismatics Discussion Board.

A Dictionary of Roman Coins by Seth William Stevenson, F.S.A., C Roach Smith, F.S.A., and Frederic W. Madden, M.R.A.S. First published by George Bell and Sons, 1889. Reprinted by B A Seaby Ltd, London in 1964.

Religions of Rome: Volume 1, A History by Mary Beard, John North and Simon Price. Published by Cambridge University Press in 1998.

Coinage and History of the Roman Empire c. 82 B.C. – A.D. 490. Volume 2 – Coinage, by David L. Vagi, published in 1990 by Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. Hardback, two volumes.

Religion in the Ancient Greek City by Louise Bruit Zaidman and Pauline Schmitt Pantel, tranclated by Paul Cartledge. (Original title: La Religion grecque). Published by Cambridge University Press in 1992.

A Handbook of Greek Art by Gisela M A Richter. Published by Phaidon Publishers Inc, London in 1959. Hardback, 421 pages, with 500 illustrations.

These books are covered in a bit more detail on my page on coin reference books.

I also highly recommend Doug Smith's web page on Apollo on ancient coins.


The content of this page was last updated on 7 February 2014.

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