Stater (Coin) Depicting the Siren Parthenope

280-241 BCE

Greek, minted in Neapolis (now Naples), Italy

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the head of Parthenope to the left with a symbol behind. The back (reverse) depicts a man-headed bull to right, crowned by Nike.

During Odysseus’s return from the Trojan War, which is recounted in Homer’s Odyssey, Parthenope and other Sirens tried to lure his ship onto rocks with their beautiful song. When they failed, Parthenope drowned herself and washed ashore at Neapolis (modern Naples), where she was honored as the local goddess. Coins like this were issued during the festivals and games that were dedicated to Parthenope.

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

Culture: Ancient Greek
Title: Stater (Coin) Depicting the Siren Parthenope
Place: Kavála (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.: Struck 280 BCE–241 BCE
Medium: Silver
Inscriptions: Reverse: [ΝΕ]ΩΠΟΛΙΤ[ΩΝ] (in exergue: ΙΣ or ΙΚ)
Dimensions: Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Martin A. Ryerson
Reference Number: 1922.4918
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/5748/manifest.json

Karen B. Alexander, “From Plaster to Stone: Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago,” in Karen Manchester, Recasting the Past: Collecting and Presenting Antiquities at the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), p. 29.

Art Institute of Chicago, Ancient Art Galleries, Gallery 155, April 20, 1994 - February 22, 2004 and May 16, 2004 - February 6, 2012.
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, The Centaur’s Smile: The Human Animal in Early Greek Art, February 22 – May 16, 2004.
The 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.

Martin A. Ryerson (1856-1932), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.

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