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Cistophoric Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying Mark Antony

A work made of silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver.

Date:

39-38 BCE, issued by Mark Antony

Artist:

Roman, probably minted in Ephesus

About this artwork

The Roman general Mark Antony forged an alliance with Queen Cleopatra of Egypt in an attempt to capture Rome’s eastern territories. On this coin he had himself depicted wearing the ivy-leaf crown of Dionysos in order to reinforce his claim that he was “the new Dionysos” and therefore had divine right to rule. The Greek historian Plutarch (Antony, 24:3) described Antony’s entry into Ephesus in 41 CE as follows:

“When he entered Ephesus, women dressed like Bacchants, men and boys like satyrs and Pans, led the way. The city was full of ivy and thyrsos-wands and harps, pipes and flutes. People were calling him Dionysos Giver of Joy and the Benefactor.”

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Cistophoric Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying Mark Antony

Place

Roman Empire (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.

39 BCE–38 BCE

Medium

Silver

Inscriptions

Obverse: M ANTONINVS IMP COS DESIG ITER ET TERT Reverse: III VIR / R P C

Dimensions

Diam.: 3 cm (1 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of William F. Dunham

Reference Number

1920.2828

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/142756/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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