Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 138 18-19 May 2023
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Mytilene.
Tetradrachm circa 160, AR 16.77 g. Laureate head of Zeus Ammon r. Rev. ΜΥΤΙΛΗ – ΝΑΩΝ Herm of Dionysos facing, wearing polos; on either side, monogram. All within wreath. Waddington 1393 var. and pl. III, 8 (different monograms). Coin Hoards VII, p. 55, 471 and Pl. LXIV, 2 (different monograms).
Extremely rare. Struck on an unusually fine metal for the issue.
Light iridescent tone and very fine
Ex Leu 22, 1979, 129 and Sotheby's 19-20 June 1991, Bunker Hunt, 334 sales.
In 168 BC, the Third Macedonian War, fought between the Romans and Perseus of Macedon came to an end and ushered in a new age of Roman-influenced politics and economy for the Greek world. As part of the developing new world order, new coinages quickly evolved, most notably the stephanephoric ("wreath-bearing") tetradrachms of Athens, which appear to have begun production almost immediately on the heels of the final Macedonian defeat. These new coins featured a redesigned depiction of Athena Parthenos on the obverse in a fine Hellenistic style and her owl on an overturned amphora on the reverse. The reverse type was surrounded by a prominent laurel wreath-the feature from which the stephanephoroi derived their name. The widely circulating stephanephoroi inspired other cities to strike their own co-called "wreathed" tetradrachms in the 160s BC and continuing into the early first century BC. Most "wreathed" tetradrachms follow the pattern of depicting the head of an important civic deity or mythical founder on the obverse and that same deity or another important to the city standing on the reverse within a wreath border. While laurel was the most frequently used form of wreath, this could be tailored to the deity represented (e.g., oak for Zeus, ivy for Dionysus, etc.). Here, Zeus Ammon appears on the obverse and an archaic cult image (sometimes mistakenly described as a herm) of Dionysus is depicted on the reverse within an appropriate ivy wreath. The same types also occur on an associated series of bronze coins. The Cyrenean deity Zeus Ammon is a little unexpected since he was not in any way a traditional god on Lesbos. His cult may have risen to special importance at Mytilene during Ptolemaic control of the island in the third century BC although the god may have been represented in a beardless form earlier on the city's electrum coinage of the fourth century BC. Inscriptions indicate that Zeus Ammon was syncretized with Zeus Eleutherios ("of Freedom") and it may be in this character that the god is depicted on the present tetradrachm. Dionysus, on the other hand, was very much an indigenous Mytilenean deity. The city possessed an impressive temple dedicated to the wine god with a surrounding park and a monumental altar. The temple was famous for the paintings of scenes from the god's mythological life story that adorned the interior. Unfortunately, it would appear that some of the god's priests were not always of the best kind. Pausanias tells the nightmarish story of Macareus, a greedy priest of Dionysus at Mytilene who was in the habit of murdering wealthy strangers after they deposited their money at the temple. His crimes were discovered only after his family met a tragic end: While he was preparing the sacrifice at the city's biennial festival in honour of Dionysus, his young sons were overtaken by a madness in which the one offered his neck as a sacrificial victim and the other, playing the part of the priest slew the victim. When their mother saw the bloody knife in her remaining son's hand she screamed in horror and struck him dead with a log from the fire. Macarius was informed of the commotion in his home and interrupted his official duties at the festival to see what was going on. Arriving to see his dead sons and crazed wife, Macareus beat her to death with his thyrsus. The god had punished him severely for his impious acts, all of which he subsequently confessed to after the magistrates of Mytilene put him to torture. It is a little surprising that Macareus was so foolish. Anyone who has ever read Euripides knows that Dionysus was not a Greek god to mess with.
Tetradrachm circa 160, AR 16.77 g. Laureate head of Zeus Ammon r. Rev. ΜΥΤΙΛΗ – ΝΑΩΝ Herm of Dionysos facing, wearing polos; on either side, monogram. All within wreath. Waddington 1393 var. and pl. III, 8 (different monograms). Coin Hoards VII, p. 55, 471 and Pl. LXIV, 2 (different monograms).
Extremely rare. Struck on an unusually fine metal for the issue.
Light iridescent tone and very fine
Ex Leu 22, 1979, 129 and Sotheby's 19-20 June 1991, Bunker Hunt, 334 sales.
In 168 BC, the Third Macedonian War, fought between the Romans and Perseus of Macedon came to an end and ushered in a new age of Roman-influenced politics and economy for the Greek world. As part of the developing new world order, new coinages quickly evolved, most notably the stephanephoric ("wreath-bearing") tetradrachms of Athens, which appear to have begun production almost immediately on the heels of the final Macedonian defeat. These new coins featured a redesigned depiction of Athena Parthenos on the obverse in a fine Hellenistic style and her owl on an overturned amphora on the reverse. The reverse type was surrounded by a prominent laurel wreath-the feature from which the stephanephoroi derived their name. The widely circulating stephanephoroi inspired other cities to strike their own co-called "wreathed" tetradrachms in the 160s BC and continuing into the early first century BC. Most "wreathed" tetradrachms follow the pattern of depicting the head of an important civic deity or mythical founder on the obverse and that same deity or another important to the city standing on the reverse within a wreath border. While laurel was the most frequently used form of wreath, this could be tailored to the deity represented (e.g., oak for Zeus, ivy for Dionysus, etc.). Here, Zeus Ammon appears on the obverse and an archaic cult image (sometimes mistakenly described as a herm) of Dionysus is depicted on the reverse within an appropriate ivy wreath. The same types also occur on an associated series of bronze coins. The Cyrenean deity Zeus Ammon is a little unexpected since he was not in any way a traditional god on Lesbos. His cult may have risen to special importance at Mytilene during Ptolemaic control of the island in the third century BC although the god may have been represented in a beardless form earlier on the city's electrum coinage of the fourth century BC. Inscriptions indicate that Zeus Ammon was syncretized with Zeus Eleutherios ("of Freedom") and it may be in this character that the god is depicted on the present tetradrachm. Dionysus, on the other hand, was very much an indigenous Mytilenean deity. The city possessed an impressive temple dedicated to the wine god with a surrounding park and a monumental altar. The temple was famous for the paintings of scenes from the god's mythological life story that adorned the interior. Unfortunately, it would appear that some of the god's priests were not always of the best kind. Pausanias tells the nightmarish story of Macareus, a greedy priest of Dionysus at Mytilene who was in the habit of murdering wealthy strangers after they deposited their money at the temple. His crimes were discovered only after his family met a tragic end: While he was preparing the sacrifice at the city's biennial festival in honour of Dionysus, his young sons were overtaken by a madness in which the one offered his neck as a sacrificial victim and the other, playing the part of the priest slew the victim. When their mother saw the bloody knife in her remaining son's hand she screamed in horror and struck him dead with a log from the fire. Macarius was informed of the commotion in his home and interrupted his official duties at the festival to see what was going on. Arriving to see his dead sons and crazed wife, Macareus beat her to death with his thyrsus. The god had punished him severely for his impious acts, all of which he subsequently confessed to after the magistrates of Mytilene put him to torture. It is a little surprising that Macareus was so foolish. Anyone who has ever read Euripides knows that Dionysus was not a Greek god to mess with.