Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Persephone

Art Institute of Chicago

Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Persephone

Greek, minted in Syracuse, SicilyLinkedCulture matchlcp-311b3154a5c5

Date
310-307 BCE
Medium
Silver
Culture
Syracuse
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Institution
Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID
111011

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the head of Persephone facing right with a crown of grain. The back (reverse) depicts Nike seminude holding a hammer and facing a trophy. The city of Syracuse, which produced some of the most beautiful coins in antiquity, was thought to be the site of the abduction of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. The god Hades (Roman Pluto) snatched the girl and returned to the underworld, intending to keep her as his wife. Her distraught mother caused the crops to wither until she won agreement that Persephone could return to her once a year, bringing with her the season of spring, symbolized by the circle of grain in the maiden’s hair.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line
Gift of Martin A. Ryerson
Provenance
Martin A. Ryerson (1856-1932), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.

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Object type
AAT300037334

Part of a LinkedCulture topic

  • Representative object from the topic Ancient Greek Silver Tetradrachms
    Ancient Greek Silver Tetradrachms

    These objects are all tetradrachm coins, a standard ancient Greek silver denomination, depicting various deities and symbols from Greek city-states and territories across the Mediterranean.

    333 objects from 3 institutions

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