Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3031 20-21 January 2014
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Ancients
THRACIAN ISLANDS. Thasos. Ca. 510-490 BC. AR stater (8.98 gm). Nude ithyphallic satyr running right, carrying struggling nymph, her right hand raised / Quadripartite incuse square. SNG Copenhagen 1010-1. Nicely toned. Good Very Fine.The iconography of these coins is sometimes described, sensationally, as a satyr ravishing a nymph or with similar language that suggests struggle, sexual abduction, and violence. Given the centrality of the cult of Dionysus to the area, a more likely explanation is that the two mythological figures are engaged in a ritualistic Dionysian dance.
Estimate: 350-450 USD
THRACIAN ISLANDS. Thasos. Ca. 510-490 BC. AR stater (8.98 gm). Nude ithyphallic satyr running right, carrying struggling nymph, her right hand raised / Quadripartite incuse square. SNG Copenhagen 1010-1. Nicely toned. Good Very Fine.The iconography of these coins is sometimes described, sensationally, as a satyr ravishing a nymph or with similar language that suggests struggle, sexual abduction, and violence. Given the centrality of the cult of Dionysus to the area, a more likely explanation is that the two mythological figures are engaged in a ritualistic Dionysian dance.
Estimate: 350-450 USD