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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Gods, Olympians| ▸ |Dionysus or Bacchus||View Options:  |  |  |   

Dionysos or Bacchus

Dionysos (Bacchus to the Romans) was the god of wine, festivities, and ecstasy. He was the son of Zeus and the mortal Semele. Wandering the world in a panther-drawn chariot, Dionysos rode ahead of the maenads and satyrs, who sang loudly and danced, flushed with wine. They were profusely garlanded with ivy and held the thyrsus, a staff topped with a pinecone, a symbol of the immortality of his believers. Everywhere he went he taught men how to cultivate vines and the mysteries of his cult. Whoever stood in his way and refused to revere him was punished with madness.

Antoninus Pius, August 138 - 7 March 161 A.D., Nicaea, Bithynia

|Bithynia|, |Antoninus| |Pius,| |August| |138| |-| |7| |March| |161| |A.D.,| |Nicaea,| |Bithynia||hemiassarion|
According to myth, Hermes and Dionysos were sons of Zeus, but Hermes' mother was the princess Semele and Dionysos' mother was the minor goddess Maia. To protect the infant Dionysos from his wife Hera, Zeus entrusted him to Hermes, who together with a band of nymphs, hid the child near Mt. Nysa in Anatolia.
RP111796. Bronze hemiassarion, RPC Online IV 5875 (3 spec.); Rec Gen 79; SNG Cop 480 corr. (obv. leg., M. Aurelius), aVF, dark and earthen patina, weight 4.044 g, maximum diameter 19.2 mm, die axis 180o, Nicaea (Iznik, Turkey) mint, obverse AVT KAICAP ANTΩNINOC, laureate head right; reverse NIKAIEΩN, Infant Dionysos seated right in cradle, extending both arms, thyrsus in cradle behind (not visible); Coin Archives records only one specimen of the type at auction in the last two decades; very rare; $135.00 (€126.90)
 


Tomis, Moesia Inferior, c. 138 - 192 A.D.

|Tomis|, |Tomis,| |Moesia| |Inferior,| |c.| |138| |-| |192| |A.D.||AE| |18|
Tomis (Constanta, Romania today) was founded by Greek colonists around 600 B.C. on the Black Sea shore for trade with the local Getic population. The Roman poet Ovid was banished by Augustus to Tomis in 8 A.D. and died there eight years later. By his account, Tomis was "a town located in a war-stricken cultural wasteland on the remotest margins of the empire."
RP113334. Bronze AE 18, RPC Online IV.1 T4474 (3 spec.), SNG Stancomb 889, AMNG I/II 2540, aVF, broad flan, attractive style, uneven strike with weak areas, reverse off center, corrosion, flan crack, weight 3.340 g, maximum diameter 17.9 mm, die axis 0o, Tomis (Constanta, Romania) mint, c. 138 - 192 A.D.; obverse veiled and draped bust of Demeter right, torch, poppy and grain ears before her; reverse Dionysos standing left half left, kantharos in right hand, thyrsus vertical in left hand, TO-MI/TW-N in two divided lines across field; ex Dr. Michael Slavin Collection, ex FORVM (2019); rare; $125.00 (€117.50)
 


Nero, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D., Sardis, Lydia

|Sardes|, |Nero,| |13| |October| |54| |-| |9| |June| |68| |A.D.,| |Sardis,| |Lydia||AE| |19|
Sardis was the capital of the Kingdom of Lydia, an important city of the Persian Empire, a Roman proconsul seat, and in later Roman and Byzantine times the metropolis of the province Lydia. In the Book of Revelation, Sardis, one of the Seven Churches of Asia, is admonished to be watchful and to strengthen since their works haven't been perfect before God. (Revelation 3:1-6).
RP113207. Bronze AE 19, RPC Online I 2997a; SNG Cop 521; BMC Lydia p. 253, 119; Waddington 5241; Weber 6909, nice F, nice green patina, highlighting earthen deposits, edge splits, weight 6.014 g, maximum diameter 18.7 mm, die axis 180o, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 60 A.D.; obverse NEPΩN KAIΣAP (counterclockwise from lower right, N retrograde), laureate head right; reverse EΠI MINΔIOY (counterclockwise from upper left, under Mindios), CAPΔIANΩN (upward on right), Dionysus standing slightly left, head left, cantharus in right hand, thyrsus in left hand, no panther, B (strategos for the 2nd time abbreviated and ligated, downward in left field); from the Michael Arslan Collection; ex Bucephalus Numismatics auction 19 (6 May 2023), lot 399; $120.00 (€112.80)
 


Geta, 209 - c. 26 December 211 A.D., Sillyum, Pamphylia

|Other| |Pamphylia|, |Geta,| |209| |-| |c.| |26| |December| |211| |A.D.,| |Sillyum,| |Pamphylia||diassarion|
Sillyon (or Sillyum) was a relatively unimportant city but a significant fortress. According to one legend, it was founded as a colony from Argos; another holds that it was founded, along with Side and Aspendos, by the seers Mopsos, Calchas and Amphilochus after the Trojan War. Sillyon is first mentioned in c. 500 BC by Pseudo-Scylax. From 469 B.C., it became part of the Athenian-led Delian League. It is mentioned in the Athenian tribute lists from c. 450 B.C. and again in 425 B.C., and then disappears again from the historical record until 333 B.C., when Alexander the Great unsuccessfully besieged it. It was well-fortified and had a strong garrison of mercenaries and "native barbarians," so Alexander, pressed for time, abandoned the siege after the first attempt at storming it failed. The city was extensively rebuilt under the Seleucids, especially its theater. Later, when most of western Asia Minor was subject to the Kingdom of Pergamon, Sillyon remained a free city by a decision of the Roman Senate.
RP112010. Bronze diassarion, SNG BnF 3 988, Waddington 3532, Lindgren III 675, BMC -, SNG Cop -, SNGvA -, SNG Pfalz -, SNG Leypold -, aF, tight flan, porous/rough, weight 13.235 g, maximum diameter 22.8 mm, die axis 0o, Sillyon (near Serik, Turkey) mint, as Augustus, 209 - c. 26 December 211 A.D.; obverse AVK ΠO - CE ΓETAC, laureate head right; reverse CIΛΛYEΩN, Dionysus standing facing, head left, nude to waist, himation around hips and legs, cantharus in right hand, filleted thyrsus in left hand, panther at feet left; first specimen of the type handled by FORVM, Coin Archives records only one specimen of the type at auction in the last two decades; very rare; $100.00 (€94.00)
 


Amisos, Pontos, c. 85 - 65 B.C.

|Pontos|, |Amisos,| |Pontos,| |c.| |85| |-| |65| |B.C.||AE| |21|
Amisos was a rich commercial center under the kings of Pontus, a royal residence and fortress of Mithridates, and was the home of the fabled Amazons.
GB113960. Bronze AE 21, cf. SNG BM 1200; BMC Pontus, p. 17, 52; Rec Gen p. 65, 24; SGCV II 3640; HGC 7 243; SNG Stancomb -; SNGvA -, VF, green patina, tight flan, weight 7.324 g, maximum diameter 20.5 mm, die axis 0o, Amisos (Samsun, Turkey) mint, c. 85 - 65 B.C.; obverse head of Dionysos right (with the features of Mithradates VI?), wearing ivy-wreath; reverse cista mystica, on which rests panther skin and thyrsos, AMIΣOY below, no monogram; $100.00 (€94.00)
 


Severus Alexander, 13 March 222 - March 235 A.D., Irenopolis-Neronias, Cilicia

|Cilicia|, |Severus| |Alexander,| |13| |March| |222| |-| |March| |235| |A.D.,| |Irenopolis-Neronias,| |Cilicia||diassarion|
Irenopolis or Eirenopolis or Eirenoupolis, known briefly as Neronias in honor of the Roman emperor Nero, was in northeastern Cilicia, not far from the Calycadnus river, on the site of modern Düzici, Osmaniye province, Turkey, at the mouth of the Darb al-'Ain pass. It was probably founded by Antiochus IV of Commagene. Coins of the city show that Asclepius and Hygeia were worshiped there, probably connected with the natural spring of the area. The city is mentioned by Hierocles, Nicephore, and Calliste. Christianity first came to the area in the 1st century; the mountain pass location made it an early candidate for missionaries. The city came under Muslim rule following the Battle of Manzikert in 1071.
RP114001. Bronze diassarion, RPC Online VI T6880.6 (this coin, 5 spec.); Karbach Eirenopolis 115; Lindgren I 1520; SNG BnF –; SNG Levante –, aVF, dark green-brown patina, deposits, weight 4.893 g, maximum diameter 19.7 mm, die axis 180o, Irenopolis (Düzici, Turkey) mint, 224 - 225 A.D.; obverse AYT KAI CEY AΛEΞANΔPOC, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse EIPHNOΠOΛ ΔOP (Irenopolis [year] 174), draped bust of Dionysus right, wearing ivy wreath, thyrsus over shoulder; ex CNG e-auction 543 (2 Aug 2023), lot 331; first of the type handled by FORVM, this coin is one of only two of the type Coin Archives records at auction in the last two decades; very rare; $100.00 (€94.00)
 


Domitian, 13 September 81 - 18 September 96 A.D., Flaviopolis, Cilicia

|Cilicia|, |Domitian,| |13| |September| |81| |-| |18| |September| |96| |A.D.,| |Flaviopolis,| |Cilicia||AE| |16|
Vespasian founded both the province of Cilicia and the city of Flaviopolis in 74 A.D. as part of an imperial program for urbanization of the Cilician Plain. Prior to establishing the province, the rural hinterland and the city of Anazarbos were probably administered by the Tracondimotid dynasty from Hieropolis Castabala. The location of Flaviopolis is believed to be Kadirli, Turkey were some mosaic floors, inscriptions, and building blocks have been found. This coin was struck in year 17 of the local era, the first year that Flaviopolis issued coins.
RP99177. Bronze AE 16, RPC II 1761; SNG Levante 1533; Lindgren 1495; Imhoof-Blumer MG p. 352, 21, aVF, weight 1.689 g, maximum diameter 15.6 mm, die axis 0o, Flaviopolis mint, 89 - 90 A.D.; obverse ΔOMETIANOC KAICAP, laureate head of Domitian to right; reverse ETOYC ZI ΦΛAVIOΠOΛEITΩN (year 17, Flaviopolis), draped bust of Dionysos right, thyrsos over left shoulder; $60.00 (€56.40)
 


Mark Antony and Octavia, 39 B.C., Ephesos, Ionia

|Cistophori|, |Mark| |Antony| |and| |Octavia,| |39| |B.C.,| |Ephesos,| |Ionia||cistophoric| |tetradrachm|
Triumvir Reipublicae Constituendae, abbreviated on this coin with III VIR R P C, was the title adopted in November of 43 B.C. by the three Caesarian leaders (Mark Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus) when they formed the Second Triumvirate to oppose the tyrannicides Brutus and Cassius.
SH85436. Silver cistophoric tetradrachm, RPC I 2202, Sydenham 1198, Crawford 263, RSC Octavia and M. Antony 3, Sear CRI 263, BMCRR East 135, SRCV I 1513, VF, well centered, toned, weight 12.035 g, maximum diameter 27.3 mm, die axis 0o, Ephesos (near Selçuk, Turkey) mint, summer - autumn 39 B.C.; obverse M ANTONIVS IMP COS DESIG ITER ET TERT, conjoined head of Antony and bust of Octavia right, Antony nearer and wreathed in ivy, Octavia draped; reverse Dionysus standing half left on cista mystica, in his right hand, thyrsus in his left hand, flanked by two interlaced snakes with heads erect, III VIR (triumvir) downward on left, R P C (Reipublicae Constituendae) upward on right; SOLD


Maroneia, Thrace, Roman Rule, 146 - 45 B.C.

|Maroneia|, |Maroneia,| |Thrace,| |Roman| |Rule,| |146| |-| |45| |B.C.||tetradrachm|
Maroneia was on the Aegean coast about midway between the mouths of the Hebrus and the Nestus rivers. The city was named after Maron, sometimes identified as a son of Dionysos, who in the Odyssey gives Odysseus the wine with which he intoxicates Polyphemos. In the era of Ancient Greece and Rome, Maroneia was famous for its wine production. The wine was esteemed everywhere; it was said to possess the odor of nectar, and to be capable of mixture with twenty or more times its quantity with water. That the people of Maroneia venerated Dionysus, we learn not just from its famous Dionysian Sanctuary, the foundations of which can still be seen today, but also from the city's coins.
GS73524. Silver tetradrachm, Schönert-Geiss Maroneia 1079 (V33/R97); BMC Thrace p. 128, 56 ff. var. (right monogram); SNG Cop 638 var. (same); SGCV I 1635 var. (monograms), VF, broad flan, light toning, minor flan crack, weight 15.949 g, maximum diameter 36.4 mm, die axis 0o, Maroneia (Maroneia-Sapes, Greece) mint, 146 - 45 B.C.; obverse head of Dionysos right wreathed in ivy and grapes; reverse ΔIONYΣOY ΣΩTHPOΣ MAPONITΩN, Dionysos standing half left, nude, bunch of grapes in right, two narthex stalks and cloak in left, ΩΠA monogram lower left, A lower right; SOLD


Abdera, Thrace, 386 - 375 B.C.

|Abdera|, |Abdera,| |Thrace,| |386| |-| |375| |B.C.||drachm|
A wealthy city and thus a valuable prize, Abdera was repeatedly sacked: by the Triballi in 376 B.C., Philip II of Macedon in 350 B.C.; later by Lysimachos of Thrace, the Seleucids, the Ptolemies, and again by the Macedonians. In 170 B.C., the Roman armies and those of Eumenes II of Pergamon besieged and sacked it.
GS66822. Silver drachm, May Abdera 405 (A282/P331), VF, sensuous style, weight 2.875 g, maximum diameter 14.5 mm, die axis 180o, Abdera (Greece) mint, 386 - 375 B.C.; obverse griffin springing left, spiky bristle mane, raised curled tail; reverse MOΛΠAΓOΠHΣ, head of young Dionysos left, wearing wreath of ivy with berries clustered over brow, hair in long loses locks down the back of neck with single ringlet before ear, slightly concave field; SOLD




  



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REFERENCES|

Bernhart, M. "Dionysos und seine Familie auf griechischen Münzen" in JNG I (1949).


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