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Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the God Apollo Gryneios

A work made of silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver.

Date:

189 BCE or later

Artist:

Greek; minted in Myrina, Aeolis, Asia Minor (now Turkey)

About this artwork

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the head of the god Apollo, laureate, facing to the right. The back (reverse) depicts Apollo marching right, holding a patera and garlanded laurel branch; at his feet are an omphalos and diota.

This coin is recognized as one of the most beautiful examples of minting from antiquity. Apollo is wearing a wreath of laurel, which was his sacred plant. In his youth Apollo pursued a nymph named Daphne (another name for laurel), who chose to turn into a laurel tree to escape the god.

Status

On View, Gallery 151

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Greek

Title

Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the God Apollo Gryneios

Place

Greece (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.

200 BCE–1 BCE

Medium

Silver

Inscriptions

Reverse: ΜΥΡΙΝΑΙΩΝ

Dimensions

Diam.: 3.6 cm (1 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

Reference Number

1922.4927

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/96056/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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