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Drachm (Coin) Depicting the Gorgon Medusa

A work made of silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver.

Date:

411-356 BCE

Artist:

Greek; minted in Neapolis, Greece

About this artwork

The ancient city of Neapolis (near modern Kavala, Greece) was famous for its horse-breeding, so they chose to honor the snake-haired Medusa, mother of the miraculous winged horse Pegasus, on the front (obverse) of their coins. On the back (reverse), they depicted the maiden Parthenos, a local moon goddess and patron of the city. These images helped link Neapolis to a set of Greek deities and myths shared by city-states across the Mediterranean.

Status

On View, Gallery 151

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Greek

Title

Drachm (Coin) Depicting the Gorgon Medusa

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 411 BCE–356 BCE

Medium

Silver

Inscriptions

Reverse: Ν Ε Ο Π "Neop[oliton]"

Dimensions

Diam.: 1.5 cm (5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

Reference Number

1922.4922

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/5758/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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