Nomos AG
obolos 25 23 Oct 2022
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PISIDIA. Tityassus. Antoninus Pius, 138-161. (Bronze, 24 mm, 8.47 g, 6 h). ΑYΤΟ ΚΑΙCΑΡ ΑΝΤΩΝEΙΝΟC Laureate head of Antoninus Pius to right. Rev. ΤΙΤΥΑCCEΩΝ Tetrastyle temple of Cybele with a coiled serpent (Sabazios) in the pediment. BMC 2. Price & Trell 573. RPC IV.3 Online temp. 8063. SNG BN 2236 = Waddington 4033. Von Aulock, Pisidiens II 2226-9. Extremely rare - only five examples cited in the RPC Online, one additional example on CoinArchives, and this being one of the two finest known. Very fine.
The image of Sabazios, a serpent or chthonic creature often equated with Dionysos, seen in the pediment here suggests a specific cult with ties to Cybele, the Great Mother-goddess, which must have been centered at Tityassus. Unfortunately, we know very little of the cult itself. Even the town is a mystery: other than being located in eastern Pisidia somewhere near Lake Karallis (modern Lake Beyşehir) in the Taurus Mountains, its location is unknown.
The image of Sabazios, a serpent or chthonic creature often equated with Dionysos, seen in the pediment here suggests a specific cult with ties to Cybele, the Great Mother-goddess, which must have been centered at Tityassus. Unfortunately, we know very little of the cult itself. Even the town is a mystery: other than being located in eastern Pisidia somewhere near Lake Karallis (modern Lake Beyşehir) in the Taurus Mountains, its location is unknown.