Roman Republican Denarius # 40 -- another "panther" that's really a leopard

I’m sorry when I don’t understand the jokes, English isn’t my mother language. About the serious issue, the opposition between tradition (mos maiorum) vs. innovation (often coming from Greek culture) was the main combat field in the Republican political and cultural environment. Also Roman deities are often wrongly considered to be the same of Greece with different names, but this is far from the historical truth. For example Liber was a deity related to agricolture and to the wet seeds (e. g. Fruit seeds) and then to grapes and wine. So he was also assimilated to the greek Dyonisos, to Pan and Bacchus.
But for a conservative who stood for the Mos Maiorum that assimilation was a degeneration. So the most evident part of the cult of Bacchus (Bacchanals) was forbidden.
This coin could symbolize (but is pure theory) Liber (the tradition, obverse) prevailing over Bacchus (innovation, degeneration, defeated and represented by the deposed mask on the altar, surrounded by his symbols, the panther and the tyrsus)

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

No apology necessary, the additional information is appreciated - thank you.