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Stater (Coin) Depicting a Quadriga

A work made of gold.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of gold.

Date:

322-308 BCE

Artist:

Greek; minted in Cyrene, North Africa

About this artwork

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts a quadriga (four-horse chariot) to the right driven by a youthful charioteer with a sun-disc with 5 rays. The back (reverse) depicts the god Zeus Ammon with a horn, standing to the left, holding a patera (dish) over a thymiaterion, with 5 patela.

This coin shows the deity Zeus Amon, a combination of the Greek god Zeus and the Egyptian god Amun. He holds a scepter while pouring an offering from a patera, a plate used for offerings of olive oil or wine. The god can be identified by the diadem of rams’ horns, the traditional crown of Amon, the creator-deity of Egypt. Amon was no stranger to the Greeks. As early as the 5th century BCE, there was a temple on the Greek mainland built for his worship.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Greek

Title

Stater (Coin) Depicting a Quadriga

Place

Shahhat (Minted in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

322 BCE–308 BCE

Medium

Gold

Inscriptions

Obverse: ΚΥΡΑΝΑΙ ΟΝ Reverse: ΠΟΛΙΑΝΘΕΥΣ

Dimensions

Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

Reference Number

1922.4932

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/111015/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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