Dear Friends of ancient mythology! Sometimes when you search for the mythological background of a coin you get other results than expected. This happened to me here. But first the coin, The Coin: Cilicia, Hierapolis-Kastabala, 2nd-1st century BC AE22, 5.33g Obv.: Head of city-goddess (Tyche), draped and veiled, wearing mural crown, r. Rev.: IEPO / ΠOΛITΩN / TΩN ΠPOC TΩ / ΠYPAMΩ The river-god Pyramos, swimming in waves r., l. arm outstretched and holding eagle in r. hand Ref.: BMC 3; SNG Copenhagen 144; SNG Levante 1569; SNG von Aulock 5571; SNG France 2217; SNG BN Paris 2212-13 F+, brown patina with earthen highlights Mythology: Pyramus and Thisbe were Babylonian lovers. They lived in two adjacent houses, were acquainted with each other since their childhood and had been fallen in love. Their fathers had forbidden the marriage. But their love they couldn't forbid. The joint wall between their houses had an old crack. There they often stand on each side and confessed their love. When their longing grew oversized, they decided to cheat their guardians, leave the house in the darkness and meet outside the city at the tomb of Ninus under a mulberry. Thisbe was the first who arrived at the appointed place. When she waited for Pyramus a lioness - having killed cattle before - came to the nearby well to satisfy her thirst. Full of fear Thisbe fled into the tomb loosing the garment of her back. Before returning in the wood the lioness teared to tatters the garment with bloody mouth. When Pyramus reached the place a bit later he saw the traces of the lioness and the bloody frazzled garment. Thinking that Thisbe was gorged by the beast he - complaining und full of mourning - took his sword and transfixed himself. The blood from his wound sprang high and colored the mulberry - which were white before - red until now. When Thisbe left the grave and returned to the agreed place she was doubtful because of the red fruits of the mulberry but then found her dying lover. In despair she pressed his body against her, moaned and tore her hair. Then - for being united with her lover at least by her death - she threw herself in the sword of Pyramus which still was warm by his blood. Note: King Ninus of Assyria was the consort of Semiramis, who erected after his death a big tomb for him. Background: Even though the story of Pyramus and Thisbe was passed down by Ovid it is actually not a Roman myth. It is a sentimental romance of Hellenistic origin and played in Babylon. About the connection with the Cilician river Pyramos we will hear later! First this story was told by Hyginus in Fabulae 242, but much more beautiful later by Ovid in his Metamorphoses (Met. 4), yes, it is suggested as one of his most beautiful stories, not because of its thrill but because of its many poetic details. In ancient times Pyramus and Thisbe was the paradigm of an unhappy love affair. In the late antiquity the story was condemned by Christianism, especially by Augustinus, because of its emphasis of erotic passion, a verdict which has influenced its later processing. Then it was used by Shakespeare as plot for 'Romeo and Julia' and then once more as subplot in 'A Midsommer Night's Dream'. So today Romeo and Julia has replaced Pyramus and Thisbe. The Cilician river: The river Pyramos, today Ceyhan Nehri, is the most east of the three mainstreams of Cilicia (the other two are the Kydnos and the Saros). He arises in Katania and opens at the Gulf of Issos (today Iskenderun) into the Mediterranean. Because of his strong sedimentation the Pyramos has changed his sometimes navigable lower course very often. So the site of the city of Mallos which was located in ancient times at the left side of the Pyramos today is located on the right side. Because the core country of Cilicia was an important transit way for the traffic from Asia Minor to Syria the Cilician rivers had played during the times often as water barrier. Therefore they were mentioned very often by ancient writers (Pauly). And now we come back to the question: What's the story of Pyramus and Thisbe got to do with the Cilician river? And the answer is: Nothing! Really nothing! It is only the accidental coincidence of their names. But it is interesting that others too have fallen for the identity of names. Please look at the following mosaic! History of art: This mosaic has been found in the House of Dionysos in Paphos on Cypris. It is of special interest because it demonstrates a rare and significant error. Obviously the mosaic describes a scene of Pyramus and TLandscpe hisbe, the moment of their fateful meeting, which finally ended in their double suicide. The problem with this mosaic is that rather than showing the Pyramos who committed suicide when he thought Thisbe had been eaten by a great cat (a leopard in this mosaic), the artist put in the river god Pyramos with his seaweed hair and horn of plenty. The mosaic artist probably did not know the story and was just working from a book of standard themes — and chose the wrong Pyramos to draw! The theme of Pyramus and Thisbe was picked up by many artist since Renaissance. I want to mention Hans Baldung Grien (1484-1545), Albrecht Altdorfer (1480-1538), Lucas Cranach (1472-1553), Nicolas Poussin (1593-1665), Gaspard Poussin (1615-1675), Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Rembrandt (1606-1669) and John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) I have chosen Nicolas Poussin's painting "Landscape during a thunderstorm with Pyranus and Thisbe" (1651), today in the Museum Städel in Frankfurt/M., Germany. It shows an antique landscape with Pyramus and Thisbe in the foreground, the moment Thisbe finds her dead lover. The next painting "Thisbe" (1909), by John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) doesn't show the usual suicide scene but Thisbe standing at the wall to speek with Pyramus. Today Private Collection. Sources: (1) Ovid, Metamorphoses (2) http://www.romanum.de/main.php?show=uebersetzungen/ovid/metamor/pyramus.html (3) Der Kleine Pauly (4) Wikipedia Best regards
A very nice thread and presentation. Don't forget the "play within the play", Pyramus and Thisbe, in Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream.
