River Gods

My latest coin from Asia Minor, features a River God from Tisna with bull's horns and a cup on the reverse that suggests a link to neighboring city Kyme. The Tisna archeological site discovered in 1860 by a French sailor, is located south of Pergamon and East of Kyme.

Aeolis, Tisna, 4th century BC, Æ 17.6mm, (3.96g, 5h)
Obv: Head of river god Tisnaios left
Rev: TIΣ/NAION, one-handled cup
Notes: for more on this coin, Tisna River God

River gods were common in Anatolia, with water central to life in Ancient Greece. They are documented on coins across almost a thousand years from the 6th century BC to 3rd century AD. A 2005 thesis from Istanbul University, by Altinoluk, reports 77 different river gods appearing on coins of Asia Minor. The cults of four river gods are known in the Aeolis region: Hermus, Xanthus, Titnaius, and Boionites. Titnaius appears to be the earliest documented. A 2018 study of the archeological site of Tisna and surroundings discovered a "sacred spring", and a sanctuary on Sarıkale Hill, which may have been associated with sacrifices to the River god, and the cult of Tisnaios.

How many River gods might be lurking in CT member collections....post your coins of river gods, man faced bulls or anything else that you might find interesting or entertaining.

 

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What an interesting type, @Sulla80! A very handsome example, too!

My river gods tend to be small and swimming near the bottom of the coins.


Philip II, AD 244-249.
Roman provincial Æ 23.8 mm, 8.42 g, 11 h.
Mesopotamia, Nisibis, AD 244-49.
Obv: ΑVΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟVΛΙ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟC CЄB, radiate and cuirassed bust left
Rev: IOV CЄΠ KOΛΩ NЄCIBI MHT, tetrastyle temple; statue of Tyche within, ram above Tyche's head, river god below.
Refs: BMC 22-23*; Sear GIC 4157; SNG Cop 240*; SNG Hunterian 2.
*BMC and SNG Cop erroneously attribute this coin to Philip I.


Anonymous issue under Maximinus II.
Roman billon quarter follis, 1.35 g, 16.3 mm, 11 h.
Antioch, officina 6, AD 311-312.
Obv: GENIO ANTIOCHENI, Tyche of Antioch seated facing; river god Orontes swimming below.
Rev: APOLLONI SANCTO, Apollo standing left holding patera and lyre; S in right field, SMA in ex.
Refs: RCV 14927; Vagi 2954; Van Heesch 3(a); McAlee 170f.


Gordian III and Tranquillina, AD 241-244.
Roman provincial Æ 31.3 mm, 20.16 g, 12 h.
Mesopotamia, Singara.
Obv: AVTOK K M ANT ΓOPΔIANON CAB TPANKVΛΛINA CЄB, confronted busts of Gordian, laureate, draped and cuirassed on left, and Tranquillina, draped and wearing stephane on right.
Rev: AVP CЄΠ KOΛ CINΓAPA, Tyche seated left on rock, holding branch; the centaur Sagittarius above to left, discharging arrow, river god swimming left below.
Refs: BMC 8-12; SNG Copenhagen 256; Lindgren 2627, Sear 3804.

 

That’s a beauty @Sulla80, great pickup! I can share a couple of river gods:


Trebonianus Gallus, 251-253, Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch, AE Octassarion (30 mm, 18.53 g). Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of T. Gallus to right. Rev.ANTIOXEΩN MHTPO KOΛΩN / Δ-E / S C Tyche of Antioch seated facing with river god Orontes swimming left below; all within tetrastyle portable shrine surmounted by ram leaping right; on bottom of shrine, carrying poles. RPC IX 1851.


Scythia, Olbia. Circa 310-280 BC., (AE 28 mm, 9.07 g), Horned head of river god Borysthenes to left/ Rev. OΛBIO Axe and bow in bowcase.

 

Caracalla AD 198-217. Rome Denarius. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate head of Caracalla to right / PONTIF TR P X COS II, Emperor standing facing, head right, holding spear and parazonium; two river gods reclining to right and left, holding reeds, seated female at feet of emperor.

Reed-wreathed head of river-god Strymon right. Rev: MAKEΔONΩN. Decorated trident.

 

Perhaps the granddaddy of them all is Nilos...

Hadrian, AE drachm, Nilos reclining.

Egypt, Alexandria - Hadrian. (117-138)
Year 127-128

Type: AE Drachm, 32mm 24.42 grams

Obverse: AVT KAI TPAI AAPIA CEB, Laureate draped and cuirassed bust right

Reverse: LDW (delta) EK in exergue, Nilos reclining left upon a crocodile, holding cornucopia and reed, Genius emerging from the cornucopia and pointing at letters IS in upper field

Reference: Milne 1269





And another from Melas in Anatolia by the bad boy Caracalla:

PAMPHYLIA. Side. Caracalla, 198-217. Pentassarion (?) (Bronze, 30 mm, 17.51 g, 1 h). AY K M AY CEY ANTΩNЄINOC Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Caracalla to right; above, star; on cheek, countermark: Є within circular incuse. Rev. CIΔH/TΩΝ The river-god Melas reclining left, holding pomegranate tree in his right hand and leaning left on urn from which water flows. SNG Paris -. SNG PFPS 699. SNG von Aulock -. For countermark, Howgego 803. Very rare. Areas of weakness, otherwise, about very fine.

 

I have one:

Crispina
Attaea, Mysia
178-192 AD
Magistrate Rufus
Obverse: KΡICΠEINA CEBACT, draped bust right
Reverse: AΡX ΡOYΦOC ATTAITΩN, river-god Kaikos reclining left, holding an oak tree and leaning against a cornucopiae.

 

Nice coins - I especially like the reverse on the Gordian III with Tranquillina. The question these coins with Tyche and river gods raise for me - are they local to the city of issue or perhaps just as the state of New Jersey would like to have the Statue of Liberty on their state quarter, they represent some larger regional link of Tyche and River god?
Mesopotamia, Nisibis
River god == Mygdonius? or perhaps Euphrates or Tigris?
Antioch on the Orontes
River god == Orontes (this seems pretty solid)
Mesopotamia, Singara
I can find references to the Tigris or Scythe?

Antioch on the Orontes
River god == Orontes
Scythia, Olbia
River god == Borysthenes

Here we get again some question - which rivers would these be - 207 is the date on this coin according to RIC 96. I have read the suggestion that Britannia is the captive with the Tyne and Eden river gods lorded over by Caracalla?
Macedonia, under Philip V-Perseus
River god == Strymon

No question on this River god from Alexandria, Egypt: The Nile
Side, Pamphylia
River god == Melas

Attaea, Mysia
River god == Kaikos

7-10 Rivers already surfaced.

 

Cool, @Sulla80 !


RI Hanniballianus Caesar Æ Nummus 337 SECVRITAS PVBLICA Euphrates seated Constantinople CONSS Rex Regum of Pontos RIC 147



Sicily Gela AR Litra Horse-Achelous (River God) 0.63g 13mm 465-450 BCE HGC 2 p 373

 

Pantikapeum - Пантикапеум



The city state of Pantikapeum was quite possibly founded by Greeks from Miletos in Asia Minor, they possibly settled the Cimmerian Bosporus beginning in the 7th century BC. This city is located roughly near modern Kerch in Ukraine. Coinage with the satyr, Pan and the bull reverse with the legend PAN was issued beginning in the 3rd century BC.

 

River gods and pseudo autonomous issues are areas of interest for me.

Phrygia, Laodikea ad Lycum
Hemiassarion from the time of the Severans
Personification of Demos
River god Lykos in form of wolf with paw on overturned amphora


Lydia, Saitta
Pseudo autonomos assarion, time of Caracalla ro Elagabalus
Draped bust of Mên Aziotennos with crescent and Phrygian cap
River god Hermos

 

@Shea19 & i share the same 2 types river-god coins (tho his are of higher quality)..kool! Borysthenes on Obia drachm, Orontes on Treb. Gallus Antioch provincial.(28mm,17.57gms)

 

At least one collector made river gods his collecting theme. The collection was sold by Helios in auction 3, Helios 3, 2009, April 29-30. 482 lots with river gods!

I have a web site that lists pre-internet catalogs with various collecting themes:
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/catalogs/Themes.html
If you have a collecting theme, you might consider adding catalogs to your library. It is great fun to see what other collectors have assembled in an area that interests you.

Here is a tetradrachm of Hadrian minted at Alexandria in Roman Egypt with Nilus reclining on a crocodile.



Hadrian, 117-138.
24-23 mm. Year LIZ = 17 = 133

 

Sulla, Interesting article . The best example of a river god on a provincial coin that was once in my collection is pictured below. The river god Orentes is swimming below the Tyche of Antioch.

 

I bought this coin just because of the busy pediment



Maxentius
A.D. 307- 308
25x28mm 5.3gm
IMP MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right.
CONSERV VRB SVAE, Roma seated in hexastyle temple holding globe & sceptre, Jupiter and Hercules flanked by river gods in pediment, Victories as acroteria; H in left field.
In ex. RQ
RIC VI Rome 205

 

I've always found the personification of natural features to be both a curious and interesting aspect of ancient mythology, especially rivers. My collection contains two of these:



NERO
AE Sestertius (26.56 g.) Lugdunum circa 65 A.D. RIC 441
NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P Laureate head of Nero left. Rev. PORT AVG Port of Ostia, river Tiber reclining below.



HADRIAN 117 - 138 A.D.
AV Aureus (7.14 g.) Rome ca. 130 A.D.
RIC II 313 var. RIC II.3 1439
HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P Bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. Nilus reclining l., holding cornucopiae and reed, leaning on rock; behind, hippopotamus among reeds and below, crocodile l.

 

@Agricantus , I don’t think I’ve ever seen that type before, what a great coin…love that reverse!

 

Another example with Orontes:



Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD). AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 15.10 g, 12h). Antioch mint, Seleucis Pieria, Syria. Dated year 29 of the Actian Era and Cos. XII = October-December 3 BC. ΚAIΣAPOΣ ΣΕ-BAΣTOY (‘of Augustus Caesar’), laureate head of Augustus right, bead and reel border / ETOYΣ ΘΚ NIKHΣ ( 'Year 29 of the victory'), Tyche, holding palm frond in right hand, seated right on rocky outcropping; at her feet, half-length figure of river-god Orontes swimming right; in right field two monograms and IB (consular date) to right, border of dots.

I included some photos of sculptures of the god Orontes in an article on the god and river by that name here: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/antioch-on-the-orontes.370411/

 

Nice one @Sulla80 . That is a very nice style portrait on the obverse.

Here are some of my river gods.

The Danube



The Nile

 

Tetradrachm of Gela 480/475-475/470 BC Obv. Slow quadriga walking right. Nike crowning horses. Rv Forepart of man headed bull charging right. Jenkins 110 Group II Early. HGC 338 17.45 grams 24 mm photo by W. Hansen This coin was minted just after the city transitioned from the minting of didrachms to that of tetradrachms. The depiction of a river as a man headed bull is evocative as it celebrates both the life giving qualities of a river as well as its destructive power.