Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting a Cista with Snake

133-67 BCE

Greek; minted in Pergamon, Asia Minor (now Turkey)

The snakes used in the initiation ceremony of the cult of Dionysos were kept in a cista mystica, or sacred container. The snake represented the god himself in his role as a fertility deity and symbol of reincarnation. This very popular coin type shows the sacred snake wriggling out of a basket encircled by a wreath made of ivy leaves. As part of the rites of Dionysos, the ancient Greeks and Romans chewed ivy leaves, a mild hallucinogen.

Status: On View, Gallery 151
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Greek
Title: Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting a Cista with Snake
Place: Ancient Greece (Object made 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.: 133 BCE–67 BCE
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: Diam.: 2.6 cm (1 1/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of William F. Dunham
Reference Number: 1920.719
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/141561/manifest.json

Art Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, Gallery 151, November 11, 2012 - present.

William F. Dunham (1857-1936), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1920.

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