Dear Friends of ancient mythology! Demeter was one of the most important goddesses of ancient Greece. And so she is understandably one of the deities most frequently depicted on coins. Her depiction has interested me for a long time. Her standard attributes always include the ears of grain in her hand, often together with a head of a poppy, and a burning torch, sometimes two torches. The torch may be surrounded by a snake. More rarely it is accompanied by an additional cista mystica from which a snake rises. But there are also pictures of her riding a biga with torches in her hand, pulled by winged snakes. She is often veiled, as befits one of the most venerable goddesses. Sometimes she wears a Kalathos, but not always. Coin #1: Moesia inferior, Nikopolis ad Istrum, Diadumenian, AD 217-218 AE 27, 13.88g, 0° struck under governor Statius Longinus Obv.: M OΠEΛ ΔIAΔOV - MENIANOC K Bust, draped and cuirassed, seen from front, bare-headed, r. Rev.: VΠ CTA ΛONΓINOV NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠPOC / IC Demeter, in long robe and mantle, veiled, standing frontal, looking l., resting with raised left hand on a long, burning torch, around which a snake is coiling and holding ears of grain in her extended right hand over a cista mystica with open lid, from which a second snake rises. Ref.: a) not in AMNG: Rev. AMNG I/1, 1836 b) Varbanov 3722 c) Hristova/Hoeft/Jekov (2020) No. 8.25.5.4 (same dies) rare, almost VF, dark green Patina Etymology: Even the ancient world recognised a composite in its name, the second part of which is μητερ (Greek = mother). The first element has not been unanimously clarified until today. Of course γη- = earth (especially the Orphicists) is discussed, so that she would then be the earth mother (Pauly). It is possible that Demeter already appears in Linear A as da-ma-te. Mythology: Demeter was the daughter of Uranos and his sister Rhea. Like all his children, she was eaten by Uranos after her birth, but spat out again when Metis gave him an emetic. She was considered the goddess of the field and of fruits, especially of grain. At first the grain grew among the other grasses and herbs and was unknown to man. She taught them how to collect and store it, sow it and bake bread with it. Before that, people had fed only on acorns (Virgil, Georgica). According to some, this was done in Egypt, according to others by the Athenians or in Sicily. Egypt was considered by the Greeks to be the oldest country in the world and the source of all knowledge, Sicily was an important supplier of grain in ancient times In the Orphic Hymns it is said that she also invented ploughing with oxen. According to Kallimachos and Diodoros Siculus, she is said to have been the inventor of the laws and to have urged people to respect the property of others. That is why in Greek she was called thesmophoros = bearer of the laws. Because of her beauty her brother Zeus fell in love with her and sired Persephone with her. Her brother Poseidon also desired her. She tried to escape him by turning into a horse and joining the herd of horses of king Onkios in Arcadia. But she was not successful. Poseidon recognised her anyway, turned into a horse as well and sired the famous black-maned stallion Areion and a daughter with her. Their name is sometimes called Despoina or Hera. But her real name could not be mentioned outside the mysteries (Apollodor; Pausanias). This misdeed grieved her so much that she wrapped herself in black clothes, avoided the other gods, and finally retreated into a cave. She no longer cared for the grain, everything withered away, and man and cattle began to suffer and die of hunger. No one knew where she was until Pan, who roamed everywhere, discovered her in Arcadia and reported this to Zeus. Zeus sent the Parzec to her and they succeeded to persuade Demeter to change her mind. Demeter herself, on the other hand, loved Jasion above all, a son of Zeus and Elektra. To him she gave birth to Pluto, the god of wealth and prosperity. But Zeus' jealousy was so great that he killed Jasion with a bolt of lightning. I have already told the story of Persephone's abduction by Hades in detail. Among the other known mythologies of the Demeter is the story of Triptolemos, the oldest son of Keleus in Eleusis, to whom she gave her snake biga so that he could spread the use of grain throughout the world. To this story belongs the following coin (both stories are, by the way, in my first volume of mythology from 2017). Coin #2 Cilicia, Kelenderis, Elagabal, 218-222 AE 22, 6.16g, 330° Obv.: M(?) AVP AN - TΩNINOC (both N's retrograde) Laureate head r. Rev.: K - E - [ΛE]NΔEPITΩN (both N's retrograde) Demeter holding torch in her raised right hand driving r. in a biga, which is drawn by two winged snakes Ref.: SNG Levante 548 (same dies); SNG von Aulock 5650 rare, good VF, extraordinary style Pedigree: ex Hirsch auction 168 (1990), lot 729 ex Gorny & Mosch auction 108 (2001), lot 1525 ex. Münzen und Medaillen 20 (2006), lot 233 Note: Here Demeter drives the snake biga, which she later gave to Triptolemos. If someone had helped her find Persephone, he was rewarded by Demeter. In gratitude she gave Phytalos the branch of a fig tree and taught him how to plant and cultivate it. She gave Pandareios the gift of eating as much as he wanted without harming him. On the other hand, she took revenge on those who had not helped her. To Ascalabos, who had mocked her when she drank thirstily from a bowl, she poured the rest of the barley-filled water (kykeon) into his face, turning him into a spotted lizard (Greek: askalabotes). Lynkos, king of the Scythians, who wanted to execute Triptolemos, she turned into a lynx (Greek lynkos). Erysichthon, who who cut down a forest sacred to her she gave insatiable hunger, so that he finally ate himself. Acheron, who had revealed that Persephone had eaten some pomegranate seeds, so she had to stay in the underworld, she turned into a night owl. According to others, she had hung an enormous stone around his neck. Background: According to Pauly she was a special form of the earth goddess with a strong emphasis on the agricultural aspect. Hiding in a cave, the abduction of her daughter into the underworld and the snakes tied to her show that there was a connection to the chthonic gods. But unlike the underworld gods, she was rather peaceful and not threatening. She was a harvest goddess with wheat blond hair (Iliad). The farmers prayed to her for good harvests. In Crete "harvest" even meant "to pay homage to Demeter". The origin of her complex form was probably Thessaly with a connection to the pelasgian Dos = Pheraia. Their connection to Iasion and Plutos also speaks for this. These were not grain demons, but chthonic healers (Pauly). According to some, she was once a queen in Sicily whose daughter was kidnapped by a pirate who took her to Pluto. In Sicily, the granary of antiquity, there was a true Demeter religion, which, like the mother in Persephone/Kore, lamented the disappearance of the plant world. With the gathering of Core flowers in the meadows, hopes of immortality were attached to the rebirth of nature in spring. This was also expressed in the balance between the chthonic and epichthonic nature of the corn. and underworld goddess Demeter herself. From the Christian side, such as Augustinus, the idea of a cyclical process of creation associated with Demeter was vehemently rejected, as it was contrary to her eschatological idea that history should be directed towards one goal. The mystical seeds of Demeter as the guide to rebirth did not only include the grains of the field, but also the flocks of the dead! Thus not only did her Eleusinian retinue include agricultural demons such as Dysaules and cultural heroes such as Triptolemos, but also infernal beings such as Baubo and Daeira. In the theology of Orphism, she is fused with the Magna Mater, which also includes Kabires and Idaean Dactyls Festivals of Demeter: The most important place of worship for Demeter was in Eleusis, which is said to have been an entrance to the underworld. The Eleusinian Mysteries were held every year in their honour. But with the spread of Christianity, the cult of Eleusis lost its importance. After an attempt by Emperor Julian II. Apostata to revive the mysteries, Emperor Theodosius I had the temple closed in 392. Four years later the Temple of Eleusis was finally destroyed by the Visigoths under Alaric I. Coin #3 Thrace, Anchialos, Gordian III, 238-244 AE 25, 9.8g, 24.74mm, 225 a so-called "Dreier (= value of Three)" Obv.: AVT K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AVΓ Laureate head.r. Rev.: AΓXIAΛ - EΩN Demeter, richly draped and veiled, sitting on a basket (cista mystica), holding in her outstretched right hand eas of grain and poppy and in her raised left hand long torch. Ref: AMNG II, 641 var. (3 ex., 1, 2 in Berlin, 3 in Sofia), Av. (3) Sofia rare, almost VF Note: Here Demeter is depicted sitting as in Knidos (see below), but on a cista mystica, and thus has a relationship with the Eleusinian Mysteries. In Greece there was the Thesmophoria, a 10-day festival in honour of Demeter. Only women were allowed to participate in this festival. In his comedy "Thesmophoriazusai", 411 B.C., Aristophanes mocks the festival: He has Euripides and his brother-in-law dressed in women's clothes mingle with the celebrants, which gives the opportunity for rough jokes. It is known that Alkibiades, together with his comrades, had imitated this festival a few years earlier, in 415. He had disguised himself as the high priest, another one had played the torchbearer. This led to the famous trial against him and to his deposition as commander-in-chief of the campaign to Sicily (the so-called Hermen Crimes). History of Art: A popular theme in antiquity was the abduction of Persephone by Hades, pictures of her stay in the underworld and her return. Triptolemos are also frequently found. But motifs from other Demeter mythology are rarely found. Here is one of these rarer depictions: Demeter sitting on a throne stretches out her hand to Metaneira, who sits before her and hands her three ears of wheat. Detail of an Apulian red-figured hydria, c. 340 BC, attributed to the Varese painter. Today in the Old Museum of the National Museum in Berlin. Metaneira, the mother of Triptolemos, had given Demeter a warm welcome when she came to Attica. Reliefs with Triptolemos and statues of Demeter are known from ancient times, such as the sitting statue of Knidos. Here Demeter is depicted in a serene, timeless posture, underlining her maternal role in the pantheon of the 12 Olympic Gods. In Knidos she was worshipped together with Hades and other underworld gods and her daughter Persephone. The marble statue dates from 350 BC and is now in the British Museum in London. Mythological representations of Demeter, on the other hand, as already mentioned, are only few in antiquity. This changed in modern times. As an example: the ceiling painting by Giovanni the Udine from the Villa Farnesina in Rome (1511/12) shows Venus, Hera and Demeter. Demeter/Ceres is often depicted in a triumphal chariot to celebrate happiness and prosperity. She was painted by Rubens with Pan and nymphs. The motto of Terenz "Sine Cerere et Libero friget Venus" (= without fruit and wine Venus freezes) also served as a model for emblems and paintings. Sources: (1) Homer, Ilias (2) Hesiod, Theogony (3) Vergil, Georgica (4) Ovid, Ars amatoria (5) Callimachos, Hymnes (6) Apollodoros, Bibliotheke (7) Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheke (8) Pausanias, Voyages in Greece Secondary Lietratur: (1) Benjamin Hederich, Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon (2) Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher, Lexikon der Mythologie (3) Karl Kerenyi, Die Mythologie der Griechen (4) Robert von Ranke-Graves, Griechische Mythologie (5) Der Kleine Pauly (6) Reclams Lexikon der antiken Götter und Heroen in der Kunst (7) Hans-Joachim Hoeft, Münzen und antike Mythologie - Reise in ein fernes Land, 2017 Online Sources: (1) theoi.com (2) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demeter_of_Knidos (3) sammlung.theologie.uni-halle.de/demeter/ (4) Wikipedia Best regards
The Athens NewStyle series is sprinkled with Eleusian references, Torches,Kernos,Bakhos,Demeter, Triptolemos,Ears of Grain, Poppy,Thyrsos. Examples from my collection follow; Athens New Style Tetradrachm 163/2 BC Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 35.5mm 16.29g Thompson issue 2 Thompson catalogue : Obs 7 : Rev NEW Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora 2 magistrates 1 monogram in LF & in RF 2 Symbols Kernos in RF: Bakhos below amphora All within a surrounding olive wreath Athens New Style Tetradrachm 155/4 BC Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 33mm 17.2gm Thompson issue 10 Thompson catalogue: Obs 50 : Rev: (not in plates)/ NEW? Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora 2 Complex magistrates monograms in both fields LF symbol: Ear of Grain All surrounded by olive wreath Athens New Style Tetradrachm 150/9 BC Obs: Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 34.5mm 16.70gm Thompson issue 15 Thompson catalogue: Obs 99: Rev (not in plates)/ NEW? Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora 2 magistrates : AMMO ΔΙΟ LF symbol : Kernos All surrounded by an olive wreath Athens New Style Tetradrachm 144/3 BC Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 16.75gm 34mm Thompson issue 21 Thompson catalogue : Obs : GAZIANTEP 185 : Rev NEW Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora on which month mark Ε control ΤΙ below 2 complex magistrates monograms RF symbol : Filleted Thyrsos All within a surrounding olive wreath Athens New Style Tetradrachm 113/2 BC Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 29mm 16.73 gm Thompson issue 52 Thompson catalogue : Obs 680 : Rev NEW Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora on which month mark M control ME below 3 magistrates : EUMAREIDES KLEOMEN PYRRI RF symbol : Triptolemos in biga pulled by snakes All within a surrounding olive wreath
Great write up and coins, @Jochen1 I only have the Roman version as CERES RI Titus 79-81 CE AR Denarius Ceres seated corn ear poppy torch
Obs: Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 32mm !6.75g Thompson issue 61 Thompson catalogue Obs 802 : Rev h (not in plates) Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora on which month mark Η ? control ΑΠ below 3 magistrates : ANDREAS CHIRANAUTES DEMETRI RF symbol : Dionysus & Demeter All within a surrounding olive wreath Athens New Style Tetradrachm 82/1 BC Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 29 mm 16.82 gm Thompson issue 83 Thompson catalogue: Obs 1183 Rev: not in plates/ NEW Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora on which month mark K control ΔI below 2 magistrates : LYSANDROS OINOPHILOS RF symbol : Poppy Head between 2 Grain Ears All surrounded by an olive wreath
Fantastic write up! I feel like I am posting the same coins again and again, but I can't really leave out my own lovely Demeter from such a thread. She was after all my favorite coin of 2020 and most of you agreed as she topped the poll.
Johhen!, You've authored another sensational article with great illustrations ! You are the Master of Mythology. The large bronze coin depicting Diadumenian has a wonderful portrait for a provincial coin, & the reverse composition ties in well with your written material.
I LOVE the snake biga! Great write-up, as usual, @Jochen1. Here are some of my provincials with Demeter. This coin used to be unlisted in RPC, but not anymore! Gordian AD 238-244 and Tranquillina. Roman provincial Æ 28.6 mm, 11.36 g, 7 h. Thrace, Mesembria, AD 241-244. Obv: ΑVΤ Κ Μ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC ΑVΓ CΕΒ-ΤΡΑΝΚVΛ|ΛΙΝΑ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian and draped bust of Tranquillina, wearing stephane, confronted. Rev: ΜΕCΑΜΒΡ-Ι-ΑΝΩΝ, Demeter standing left, wearing stephane, holding phiale and long torch. Refs: RPC VII.2, — (unassigned; ID 48421); Varbanov 4190; Karayotov 87; Corpus Nummorum 425 (citing Varbanov); SNG Copenhagen --; BMC --; Moushmov --; Lindgren --; Mionnet suppl 2 --; Sear --; Wiczay --. Note: Double die-match to Karayatov 87. This one appears to be unlisted anywhere: Plautilla, AD 202-205 Roman provincial Æ 15.8 mm, 3.08 g Bithynia, Nicaea Obv: ΠΛΑVΤΙΛΛΑ CEΒΑCΤΗ, bare-headed and dr. bust, right Rev: ΝΙΚΑ-ΙΕΩΝ, Demeter standing left, holding long torch. Refs: BMC --; Sear --; RG --; Lindgren I --; SNG von Aulock --; SNG Copenhagen --; Mionnet Suppl 5 --. This one is from Anchialus and marked with a gamma (=3), a variant of the coin that is not described in the standard references. Julia Domna, AD 193-217. Roman provincial triassarion, 10.88 gm, 26.8 mm, 7 h. Thrace, Anchialos, AD 193-211. Obv: ΙΟVΛΙΑ-ΔΟΜΝΑ C, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: ΑΓΧΙΑΛ-ЄΩΝ, Demeter seated left, holding grain ears and scepter; Γ (mark of value = 3) in exergue. Refs: AMNG II (Strack) 503 var.; Varbanov II 297 var.; Moushmov 2840 var.
CERES RI Faustina Sr 138-140 CE after 146 CE DIVA AR Denarius m Antoninus Pius 17.4mm 3.2g Ceres torch fold RIC 362 RSC 104
Great post as usual, I always enjoy your write-ups. Here is my only Demeter: Hadrian, Alexandria, BI Tetradrachm, 136-137 AD (24.5mm., 13.20g). Laureate head of Hadrian r./ Rev. Demeter wearing peplos standing l. holding corn-ears and sceptre.
Fantastic article and great coins! My only coin featuring Ceres isn't that good, but on it she appears together with her daughter Proserpina: Claudius II (268-270), Antoninianus, Antioch mint, 4th emission (Late 270). Obverse: IMP C CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate left-facing head. Reverse: CONC-OR AVG, Proserpina standing right, holding long-handled torch in hand, facing Ceres standing left, holding corn-ears in right hand and long-handled torch in left hand. RIC 200, RIC V online 1073
Thank you for your comments. The following coin is an essential part of the great Demeter theme: The procession of the Kalathos of Demeter The Coin: Titus, 79-81 AD AR - Denar, 3.22g, 18.14mm, 180 Rome, January - June 79 (as Caesar) Obv.: T CAESAR IMP VESPASIANUS (from lower r. counterclockwise) Laureate bust r. Rev.: TRP VIII COS VII slow quadriga l., on top of it high, garlands-decorated basket with grain ears Ref:: RIC II, (Vepasian) 206var (Quadriga r.); CBN (Vespasian) 226-7 and pl. XXXIV; C.336; BMC 256 scarce, good VF, old cabinet tint Pedigree: ex coll. Lawrence M. Woolslayer (certificate of David Sear, 13.12.2005) "The quadriga with the basket of corn-ears shows the procession of the calathus of Ceres, sung by Callimachus in his hymn; it already had appeared on coins of the moneyers of Augustus in 17 BC. It is unmistakenly derived from Alexandria, and suggests the importance of Egypt as the granary of Rome, even besides any endeavours of the Emperor to revive Italian agriculture." (Mattingly, BMCR II, p. xIii) The hymn of Kallimachos: "[Begin singing], virgins, and sing the chorus, mothers: 'Demeter, cordially welcome, you much nourishing, you many bushelful! And just as the light-haired mares bring the holy basket, four in number, so will the great Goddess come to us, reigning far and wide, bringing a glorious spring, a bright summer and winter, and the autumn, year after year she will shield us. (Kallimachos, Hymnos VI, 118th translation by by me, Kallimachos, Works, 2004 WBG) Note: Kallimachos of Cyrene (305-240 BC,) was a significant Hellenistic poet and scholar. Best regards
@Jochen1 - as always a pleasure to read your write-ups on mythology. I am generally curious about how Italian and Greek myths joined over time, so I will post this coin of Ceres / Demeter with Liber maybe a hint of Italian myth? And a note from Ovid that is equally Ceres and Demeter: "The goddess of all that is fertile (Ceres), fastened twin dragons to her chariot, curbing them with the bit, between their teeth, and was carried through the air, between heaven and earth. Reaching Eleusis, by Athens, city of Tritonian Minerva, she gave her swift chariot to Triptolemus, and ordered him to scatter the seeds she gave, partly in untilled soil, partly in fields reclaimed, after lying for a long time fallow." - Ovid Metamorphoses, Book V, 642-643. M. Volteius M.f., 75 BC, AR Denarius, Rome mint Obv: Head of Bacchus (or Liber) right, wearing ivy wreath Rev: Ceres, standing in chariot, holding lighted torches, driving biga of snakes right; pileus to left Ref: Crawford 385/3; Sydenham 776; Volteia 3
Metapontion Ar Nomos 290-280 BC Obv Head of Demeter right wreathed in barley. Rv Ear of Barley Johnson D3.1 7.87 grms 20mm Photo by W. Hansen
A fascinating write-up, @Jochen1 -- as always! -- with wonderful illustrations. I distinctly remember being particularly fascinated from young childhood by the myth of Demeter and Persephone. First under the title of "Proserpina and Pluto" in my copy of A Child's Book of Myths (published in 1924 with illustrations by Margaret Evans Price), and a bit later in Bulfinch's Mythology. Here's the illustration of Ceres from the first one: Unfortunately, I have no coins depicting either Demeter or Ceres. A subject that's definitely high on my want list!
Julia Domna Odessa AE23 Demeter and Persephone Boeotia Federal coinage c. 220 BC AE18 Demeter / Poseidon overstruck on Antigonas Gonatas - This has been shown here many times first by SteveX6 from whom I got it almost two years ago when his collection was dispersed.
ARTABANOS I (126-122) Tetradrachm, Seleucia S.21.4 v. - 15.64 g - 28 mm Diademed bust of Artabanos right Demeter enthroned left, holding Nike and cornucopiae, nereid supporting throne; in outer left field, horse's head; in exergue, two monograms.
Why is it Demeter on the reverse? The similar reverse of the slightly earlier Demetrios l Soter type it was Tyche with a sceptre and no Nike.
