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.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 152
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Department
- Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
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Culture
- Ancient Greek
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Title
- Stater (Coin) Depicting a Quadriga
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Place
- Shahhat (Minted in)
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Date
- 322 BCE–308 BCE
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Medium
- Gold
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Inscriptions
- Obverse: ΚΥΡΑΝΑΙ ΟΝ Reverse: ΠΟΛΙΑΝΘΕΥΣ
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Dimensions
- Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Martin A. Ryerson
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Reference Number
- 1922.4932
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/111015/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
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