Art Institute of Chicago

Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the God Dionysos

Greek; minted in Maroneia, Thrace

Date

mid–2nd century BCE

Medium

Silver

Culture

Greece

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the god Dionysos crowned with ivy leaves, one of the attributes (along with the grapes he holds on the coin's back) which identifies him as the god of wine. He is believed to have come from Thrace, where this coin was minted. Many cities claimed to be the birthplace of Dionysos. One was Maroneia, on the coast of Thrace, which was said to be named after Dionysos’s son Maron. Dionysos was the city’s protective deity and appeared on its coinage crowned with ivy leaves. On the back (reverse) of the coin, the god is seen holding a bunch of grapes.

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