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Stater (Coin) Depicting the Siren Parthenope

A work made of silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver.

Date:

280-241 BCE

Artist:

Greek, minted in Neapolis (now Naples), Italy

About this artwork

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

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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