Featured From Lydia, Philadelphia: Dionysos and a spotted "panther"

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by DonnaML, Jul 8, 2020.

  1. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    When people describe ancient coins depicting "panthers," I suspect that they don't think very much about the fact that the panther is not a separate species, and that all or most of such animals were probably simply leopards. Even so-called "black panthers" are simply melanistic leopards or jaguars. (Obviously, jaguars weren't known to the ancient Greeks and Romans!) For whatever reason, though -- and maybe I'm just not looking in the right places -- almost all "panthers" that I've seen on ancient coins are depicted without spots or any other body markings. (I'm not counting the striped big cats on some of Gallienus's zoo coins with legends naming "Liber Pater" [associated with Dionysos/Bacchus], traditionally identified as panthers, that are actually tigresses. See the article at https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Liber Pater .)

    One possibility is that most panthers on ancient coins were intended to be black panthers, i.e., melanistic leopards (edited to clarify: with spots you can't see except up close). But at least for Dionysos/Bacchus, who was traditionally associated with the "panther," there are plenty of ancient mosaics and frescoes that do show these animals with spots, making it clear that the intended big cat was, in fact, an ordinary leopard. (For example, see the mosaics at https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/Z12.1.html and https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/Z12.2.html.)

    In any event, I recently received a coin that does show Dionysos's panther as a spotted cat -- clearly, I believe, meant to be a leopard. It's from the city of Philadelphia in Lydia (now Alaşehir, Turkey), which became a possession of the Roman Republic after 133 BCE, when the last Attalid king of Pergamum, Attalus III, died and bequeathed his kingdom to Rome. (Although I haven't seen any source that precisely dates the coin, it seems to have been issued after that bequest. Therefore, in my opinion, it should really be considered a Roman Provincial coin -- even though the catalogues all classify coins issued by Republican provinces simply as "Greek" coins, without distinguishing them in any way -- like the cistophoric tetradrachm from Tralles/Tralleis in Lydia that I wrote about last month. See https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-cistophoric-tetradrachm-from-a-roman-republican-province.361983/, .) Here's the description:

    Lydia, Philadelphia, AE 17, Late 2nd/Early 1st Centuries BCE, Hermippos, son of Hermogenes,* archiereus [magistrate]. Obv. Head of young Dionysos right, wearing ivy-wreath and band across forehead, [Φ]ΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΕ[ΩΝ] vertically behind / Rev. Spotted pantheress [leopard] walking left, with head turned back to right, cradling thyrsos bound with fillet (ribbon) against left shoulder, right foreleg raised; ΑΡΧΙΕΡ-ΕΥΣ above, ΕΡΜΙΠΠΟΣ in exergue. Seaby II 4720 [Sear, D., Greek Coins and their Values, Vol. II, Asia & Africa (Seaby 1979), at p. 430 (ill.)]; BMC 22 Lydia 16 [Head, B.V. A Catalogue of Greek Coins in the British Museum, Lydia (London 1901) at p. 189]; SNG Von Aulock II 3057 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Deutschland, Sammlung Hans Von Aulock, Vol. 2: Caria, Lydia, Phrygia, Lycia, Pamphylia (Berlin 1962)]; SNG Copenhagen 340 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Copenhagen, The Royal Collection of Coins and Medals, Danish National Museum, Part 27, Lydia Part 1 (Copenhagen 1947)]; Imhoof-Blumer 8 [Imhoof-Blumer, Friedrich, Lydische Stadtmünzen, neue Untersuchungen (Leipzig 1897) at pp. 114-115]; Mionnet IV No. 536 [Mionnet, Théodore E., Description de Médailles antiques grecques et romaines, Vol. IV, Lydie (Paris 1809) at p. 98]. 17 mm., 5.02 g. [With old collector’s envelope.]

    * Father’s name known from other coins.

    Lydia, Philadelphia AE 17 (Dionysos-Panther).jpg

    (Seller's photo.) This is very close to the actual color of the coin, which I like very much. (The seller described it as "Dark brassy tone with good metal and detail," but didn't purport to give it a grade. As I've said more than once before, I couldn't care less about the "grade" of an ancient coin; the important thing is that it appeals to me!)

    There's something about the coin that actually reminds me of a Roman Republican coin, except for the fact that it's bronze rather than silver. Perhaps it's the vertical legend behind Dionysos's head on the obverse; perhaps it's the depiction of the leopard on the reverse.

    This is the "old collector's envelope" that came with the coin. It looks like the ink description may have been written with a fountain pen rather than a ballpoint, and it's faded enough that my wild guess would place it sometime in the 1950s or earlier. I could be completely wrong, of course!

    Old Collector's Envelope, Lydia, Philadelphia, Dionsysos-Panther.jpg
    And here are three of the older catalogue entries I found for the coin, from 1901, 1897, and 1809(!), respectively. (See my description above.) The last one is definitely the oldest catalogue entry I've found for any of my ancient coins.

    BMC 22 Lydia 16 (1901)

    jpg version BMC 22 Lydia 16, p. 189 (Lydia, Philadelphia) (Dionysos  - Panther).jpg

    Imhoof-Blumer No. 8, pp. 114-115 (1897)

    Imhoof-Blumer (1897) pp. 114-115 No. 8 (Lydia, Philadelphia, Dionysios-Panther.jpg

    Mionnet Vol. IV, No. 536 p. 98 (1809)

    Mionnet IV (1809) pp. 98-99 No. 536 - Dionysos-Panther, Lydia, Philadelphia.jpg

    For a coin that's been known for at least 200 years, it doesn't seem to be put up for auction or sale all that often -- perhaps a half-dozen times a year? All the photos I found were black and white, so I wasn't really able to compare my example to others very well. Not that that matters; I was just curious. Does anyone else here have one?
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2020
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  3. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    I don't have one of these, but read quite a bit about Dionysus/panther connection. One of the rare nickle issues from Bactria depict Dionysus/panther.

    Your spots are interesting, but remember all panthers that are from leopards have spots, (black panthers can be leopards or jaguars). In Asia, they would be leopards. However, go to a zoo and you clearly see black spots on a black coat. Because of this, I am not sure if spots would mean its a leopard or merely a panther that the celator knew had spots.
     
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  4. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    But there's no such thing as a "panther" in the Old World that isn't a leopard! So I don't understand what you could mean.
     
  5. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    I was thinking black panther. Actually, I think it shows this, a legendary panther associated with Dionysus:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panther_(legendary_creature)
     
  6. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    The article discusses the panther as a legendary creature rather than a real animal, but is poorly sourced and actually addresses only the medieval period. As far as I'm concerned, the apparently ancient illustration -- which isn't identified -- is simply a leopard. By the way, I do realize that a black panther has spots which you can see up close -- that's why I called it a melanistic leopard (or jaguar in the New World).

    In any event, I'm pretty sure that the animal on my coin is supposed to be a leopard. I have no explanation as to why most panthers on ancient coins seem to be portrayed without spots or other body markings, unless they're intended to be black panthers. I don't know if the ancients realized that a leopard and a black panther were actually the same animal. But it would seem that they did, because they called both of them panthers.
     
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  7. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    Ok, I thought it was interesting the animals depicted, while clearly being what we would call a leopard, was labelled Panther, just like your coin.

    For spots, yes, that is what I was saying in the first post. Many people assume black panthers are all black, but they are black coated with black spots, and this can be seen either up close or at the right angle. I thought your point was since it was labelled a panther, (thinking black panther), that your coin was disproving that because of the spots.

    Btw, I do not recall the Bactrian nickel coins showing spots, but now I am curious and will look to see if I can find any! :)
     
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  8. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    I'd certainly like to know about any other ancient coins that depict leopards/"panthers" with spots, as on my coin and in the ancient mosaics to which I posted links.
     
  9. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    CILICIA, Anazarbus. Valerian I. AD 253-260. Æ (27mm, 14.59 g, 6h). Dated CY 272 (AD 253/4). Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Dionysus, placing right hand over arm and holding thyrsus in left, reclining on recumbent panther to right; ЄT BOC (date) in exergue. Ziegler 826 (Vs2/Rs1); SNG France 2155; SNG Levante 1516. Green and red-brown patina. VF.

    https://www.cngcoins.com/Lot.aspx?L...1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_4=1&VIEW_TYPE=0

    THRACE, Serdica. Geta. AD 209-211. Æ Pentassarion (30mm, 17.53 g, 12h). AVT K Π CЄ ΠTI ΓЄTAC, laureate head right / OVΛΠIAC C ЄPΔIK H C, Dionysus, holding cantharus and filleted thyrsus, on panther advancing left on ground line. H&J, Serdica 12.22.8.1 (same dies as illustrated coin); Mouchmov, Serdika 463; Varbanov 2560 (same dies as illustrated coin). Good VF, smooth green patina, lightly smoothed.

    https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=222827

    C. Vibius Varus. 42 BC. AR Denarius (3.98 g, 5h). Rome mint. Head of Bacchus right, wearing wreath of ivy and grapes / Panther springing left; to left, garlanded altar surmounted by mask and thyrsus. Crawford 494/36; CRI 192; Sydenham 1138; Vibia 24. EF, toned. Sharp strike on reverse.

    I think these are spots on it.

    https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=147408

    Very interesting topic ma'am. I had never paid attention to any with spots. Really cool. Imagine having them as a mini-collection! Cool theme.
     
  10. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Thanks so much! These are great, and I'm pretty sure they do all have spots. I especially like that Geta coin. Expensive! I see that the cng archives list only one of them. (They list none of my coin, which surprises me, since acsearch lists 15 of mine, just withiin the last five years or so. As far as I can tell, they all have spots.)
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2020
  11. pprp

    pprp Well-Known Member

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  12. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

  13. Jochen1

    Jochen1 Well-Known Member

    An example of my collection:

    Thracia, Hadrianopolis, Gordian III, Jurokova 482
    Gordian III, AD 238-244
    AE 28, 8.34g
    obv. AYT KM ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AV
    bust, draped, laureate, r.
    rev. AΔP - IA - NO / ΠOΛEITΩN
    Dionysos, nude, with Thyrsos, riding on pather r.
    Mionnet 778; Lindgren III, A65A; Jurokova 482; Moushmov 2707. No.3071
    VF
    Hadrianopolis_GordinIII_Jurokova482.jpg Sadly the pic is bad. I can provide a sharper one next day.

    Jochen
     
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  14. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

  15. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Thanks. I think there are spots on that "panther," although they're not that easy to see. It appears that there are more "spotted panthers" on ancient coins than I realized!
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2020
  16. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    A different question: on the reverse of my coin, what is that supposed to be at the end of the thyrsos? It sure doesn't look like a pine cone to me. More like some kind of globular object with spikes sticking out of it. I don't even want to say what it reminds me of.
     
  17. PeteB

    PeteB Well-Known Member

    Spots visible on its neck:
    GordianIIIHadrianopolis.jpg
    Gordian III. 238-244 AD. THRACE, Hadrianopolis. Æ (27mm, 10.69 gm, 1h). Obv: AVT K M ANT ΓO-ΡΔIANOC AV, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind. AΔΡ-IA-NO-ΠOLEITΩN (ΩΝ ligate), Dionysos reclining left, holding scepter, on Panther walking right. Mionnet Supp. II pg. 329, 778 var. (bust type); Varbanov 4003 (R5); SNG Copenhagen__;
     
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  18. PeteB

    PeteB Well-Known Member

    See this link and a 4th c. BC mosaic from Pella depicting a spotted "panther."
    https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Dionysos.html
    A short quote:
    "Dionysos' sacred animals were the panther (leopard), tiger, bull and serpent. The god rode on the back of a panther or drove a chariot drawn by a pair of the beasts."
    The mosaic:
    Dionysos and (panther).jpg
     
  19. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Nice coin Donna. Thanks for the interesting background info on panthers/leopards. Have to look out for one of those.
     
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  20. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Thanks. In my first post in this thread, I posted a link to this mosaic and to another one at the same website, also showing Dionysos riding a "spotted panther" (leopard). The other mosaic is at https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/Z12.2.html. To me, this one looks kind of like a cheetah!
     
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  21. PeteB

    PeteB Well-Known Member

    Missed it.
    Sorry DonnaML.
    So, I wonder who was the first to label it a panther, an ancient writer or modern person? Looks like a leopard, to me.
     
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