Elagabalus’ Priapus

Last week, this coin was delivered at my home. It's been a long time since I've been looking for a piece like this. It was not very easy to find. In Greek mythology, Priapus was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. Priapus is marked by his oversized, permanent erection, which gave rise to the medical term priapism. He became a popular figure in Roman erotic art and Latin literature, and is the subject of the often humorously obscene collection of verse called the Priapeia. Priapus and his giant phallus represent three different kinds of prosperity: growth, represented by his enormous phallus; affluence and fertility, symbolized by the basket of fruit at his phallus.

Elagabalus. Moesia, Nicopolis ad Istrum Mint 218-222 AD. Obverse: AYT K M AVR ANTWNINOS Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: NIKOPOLITWN PROC ICTROPriapus standing left, holding patera and basket of fruits set on phallus. References: Varbanov 3863 Scarce. Size: 17mm, 2.63g.

Ithyphallic coins are relatively frequent in antiquity, with classic examples being minted in Siris, Thasos, and of course from the Roman period of the Severian dynasty minted in Nicopolis ad Istrum.
Such coins demonstrate how much there were no problems related to bodily exposure, considered natural (including corporeal bodily perfection as a way of approaching the gods), versus the excessive moral control we observe today.
Post your ityphallic or “priapic” coins!

 

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Now that is some coin. Very interesting way to show a fertility god. Makes me feel inadequate.

 

Great coin, they certainly weren't shy. I have one of the earliest representations of their boldness. Thasos circa 500 BC Drachm.

 

A perfect reverse for that emperor ... if one is to believe the ancient gossip!

 

I remember visiting a few museums in Greece (when I was in the Navy.) Lots, and lots, and lots, and LOTS of sexually themed objects. Stuff you never see in museums here due to our hangups about sexuality. Interesting to see it on a coin. Thanks for sharing.

 

Fertility gods were relatively common in the ancient world and point out the differences in morals between then and now. For comparison here is the Egyptian god Min. He was linked to the creation myths and his worship was centered in Coptos, a town later known as Justinianopolis in the Byzantine period.

 

I'd love to get one of these, cool coin @Multatuli !

Oh man, I hope gift tree didn't hire this guy to deliver their fruit baskets!

 

Cool! I've been wanting one of these.

I'll offer a Corinth stater with a control symbol delicately described in references as pudenda virilia. The rendering is crude rather than realistic, but it seems to me that there may be more going on there..
CORINTHIA, Corinth
AR Stater. 8.37g, 22.7mm. Circa 400-375 BC. Pegasi 155; Ravel 599. O: Pegasos flying left, Q below. R: Helmeted head of Athena right; EYΘ (retrograde) before, 'pudenda virilia' behind.
Ex John Hayes Collection; Ex Veilinghuis Eeckhout bvba Auction 7 (12 Nov 2011) Lot 11

 

What a beautiful coin.

 

Thanks, AA! It's one of my favorites.

 

Lovely coins, folks!

I love these Thasos, @Ancient Aussie, but until this moment, I didn’t have an opportunity to get one. But it’s always on my want list.

That’s true! Elagabalus probably was the most eccentric Roman emperor, in all the questions.

Lol! I imagine the capacity of balance and strength of this god in balancing this hat a la Carmen Miranda’s hat in his membrum virilis ...

 

Awesome coin! Magnificent! One the best Corinthian staters that I saw!

 

Of course it should be noted that Elagabalus was not shy about having himself portrayed wearing one of his favorite decorations on his crown. Typically called, in typically puritanical tradition "The Horn" - it was, in fact, a mummified bull's penis:

I am not sure what the significance might have been. It may have been related to worship of the Apis-bull, but Elagabalus had been high-priest of his own cult which worshiped a large stone - probably a meteorite. He would have been likely to have had more of an inside track on various other Eastern cults during this period of proliferation of cults, many of which were hybrids containing elements of both Eastern and Western gods and traditions, than any outside the priesthood. It may have held some specific cross-over importance for him in his own sect.

 

I understand that Elagabulus name in Syriac/Aramaic was Alla Gebel or Allah's mountain, and so we get the Latinized form we are used to. Islam also worships a large stone, inside the ka'aba, so there may have been a linkage between Elagabalus cult and an early precursor to Islam.

 

I believe this is the (rather controversial) suggestion of one researcher or two, rather than anything like an established fact.

 

Great addition!

 

Woohoo, I have wifi today! Not tomorrow, but for today I do I've missed CoinTalk and will never be able to catch up but I'll catch what I can.

Priapus is one of those ancient entities who causes gasps, blushing, and crude jokes in our modern society but his idealization makes perfect sense for the time. I have a few examples, including one of the OP variety.


MOESIA INFERIOR, Nikopolis ad Istrum. Elagabalus
AE 18 mm, 2.8 gm
Obv: AVT K M AVP ANTΩNINOC, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right
Rev: NIKOΠOΛITΩ NΠPOCICTPO N, Priapus standing left, drawing back his cloak to expose his phallus, bowl of fruit balanced on phallus, right hand extended pouring from patera
Ref: Varbanov 3811, AMNG 2022 (I own neither of those references and cannot verify the numbers)


MOESIA INFERIOR, Nikopolis ad Istrum
Julia Domna, Augusta
AE 22 mm, 4.5 gm
Obv: IOVΛIA ΔOMNA CEBAC; draped bust right
Rev: NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠPOC ICT; ithyphallic Priapus standing right
Ref: Varbanov 2858
Man, I really should get Varbanov's books. Anyone wanna sell theirs?

And another @zumbly-inspired purchase:


CORINTHIA, Corinth
c. 400-375 BCE
AR stater. 20 mm, 8.25 gm
Obv: Pegasus flying left; qoppa below
Rev: helmeted head of Athena right; EYO (retrograde) above; pudenda virilia behind
Ref: Ravel 599; Calciati 155; Pegasi I p. 198, 155

For a while I was motivated to collect a "set" of ithyphallic Priapus provincials but I lost interest other coins became higher priority. There are a handful of different emperors/empresses who have such a reverse.

 

Nice to see you back in the saddle, if even only for the day for now. I have to confess to Priapus-envy whenever I see that coin of yours .

 

Great to see you again, @TIF! I hope that your WiFi (and of course all the other things) get to the normal pretty soon.
About your coins, I’m speechless...!
Great examples!

 

Welcome back @TIF even if it is for the day! Gosh, even had to break out my slab cracken shirt a couple times during your absence!

Interesting how we “omg” on Priapus, but today’s advertising have no qualms to exhibit reavealing female figures, virtually leaving nothing to the imagination...