Denarius (Coin) Depicting the Dioscuri

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

49 BCE

Roman

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the mythical twins known as the Dioscuri in profile. One has short hair held in place by a rope or laurel wreath while the other wears two stars in his hair.

On the back (reverse), an unidentified robed figure stands facing left, head bowed while holding a scale in one hand and a sceptre in the other. The smaller figure shown behind is likely that of Cupid.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Artist: Ancient Roman
Title: Denarius (Coin) Depicting the Dioscuri
Place: Roman Empire (Artist's nationality:)
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.: 49 BCE
Medium: Silver
Inscriptions: Obverse: RVFVS III VIR Reverse: NV CORDIV
Dimensions: Diam.: 1.8 cm (3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of William F. Dunham
Reference Number: 1920.770
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/141610/manifest.json

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

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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.

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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.

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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.