Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Athena

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

about 163 BCE

Greek

The front of this coin depicts the goddess Athena Parthenos wearing a triple crested Athenian helmet, the decorative scheme of which includes a flying Pegasus, palmettes and scrolls; the cheek piece of the helmet is raised, revealing loose curls of hair on the goddess’s neck and a pendant earring. A decorative border of dots is partially preserved.

On the back an Owl, another symbol of Athena, stands atop a vessel on its side. A diminutive eagle is shown perched at left. The scene is encircled by an olive wreath.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Greek
Title: Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Athena
Place: Athens (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.: 163 BCE
Medium: Silver
Inscriptions: Reverse: Α Θ Ε ΕΥ ΜΗ ΕΠΙ ΣΩΣΑΝ ΑΠΟΣ
Dimensions: Diam.: 3 cm (1 3/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze
Reference Number: 1923.1131
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/9655/manifest.json

Mrs. William Nelson (Helen T.) Pelouze (1866-1953), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1923.

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Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Athena

Currently Off View

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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.