The Satyr Marsyas---82 BC

When this Roman Republic denarius was offered to me, along with four others, I used all of my pending May coin budget to purchase two of them---this being the one I LOVE the most! The centering and details are wonderful and the Apollo/Satyr devices literally depict a two sided coin, the 'drunken dude' as unattractive as the god is handsome. Hmmm, I noticed that either size was not that important in antiquity or old Marsyas (like George Costanza on Seinfeld) just came out of the 'pool' ...or crawled out of a pond he drunkenly fell in??

Briefly, Marsyas challenged Apollo to a musical contest and lost his hide and his life and his punishment is seen as appropriate for challenging a God. It seems several interpretations can be considered for the devices of the coin: Apollo as a symbol of harmony and Marsyas as a symbol of liberty---hence the 'Phrygian Cap' (and not simply 'bald' like Socrates LOL)...... Since this was struck posthumously, Marius died 86 BC after his 7th Consulship with Cinna, the references to harmony and freedom following the Social Wars seems reasonable but little more than optimistic propaganda since by this time Sulla was now in Italy and would soon become Dictator and ultimately crush all credible Marian resistance. Finally, the symbolism may refer to the moneyers family line (the gens Marcia)...."who claimed legendary descent from Marsyas...." Hmm, it seems Sulla would have been a more likely descendant

Lucius Marcius Censorinus denarius
Rome mint, 82 BC; 18mm, 3.85 grams (EDIT)
Laureate head of Apollo right
The satyr Marsyas bearded, naked and drunk walking left, holding a wine skin over his shoulder, wearing Phrygian cap; behind a column with Nike or Minerva, L CENSOR left.
CRR 737, RRC 363

Please post any coin that you feel is in the 'spirit' of this thread

 

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Great grab, Mikey. Love the reverse. Nice face details especially.

 

Whoa a coin with a drunk!

No wonder this one is your favorite.

 

Nice! Excellent detail.

 

Wow, @Mikey Zee , well done on that capture! What a fantastic coin, well centered, great detail, great subject. I like that...

 

I beg your pardon!!!

There are ONLY two times I imbibe----socially with others or by myself !!

Love your post Bing !! And thanks for the kind words guys!!!

 

You guys crack me up.

 

LOL! AWESOME MIKEY!!! LOL!

 

The face of Marysas could not be improved. Wonderful!

 

Ah...that came out the wrong way. Sorry

I meant that having a reverse with a drunk was interesting. I should have phrased my post better because I didn't mean to suggest you are a drunk.

Once again, I'm sorry.

 

Mikey... is that right... or possibly a typo... 18.5 grams weight for the denarius? Should be closer to 3.5 in 82 BCE?

 

Whoa! Outstanding, Mikey!

I have no coins with Marsyas but in the same vein, here are a few coins with his grandfather (or other forebear), Silenus.


MACEDON, under Roman rule
D. Junius Silanus Manlianus, praetor
142-141 BCE
AE, 20 x 22 mm, 9.5 gm
Obv: Facing mask of Silenus, wearing ivy wreath
Rev: MAKE ΔONΩN legend In two lines; D above; all within ivy wreath
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 1324

CORINTHIA, Corinth
345-307 BCE
AR stater, 8.65 gm
Obv Pegasus flying left, qoppa below
Rev: helmeted head of Athena left wearing necklace; head of Silenus behind
Ref: Ravel 1046. Calciati 408. Scarce variety


IONIA, Phokaia
EL hekte, 11 mm, 2.5 gm
c. 478-387BCE
Obv: head of young male left, wearing Silenus mask on top of head; to right, small seal downward
Rev: quadripartite incuse square.
Ref: Bodenstedt Em. 70; SNG von Aulock –; Boston MFA –; BMC 43

The foster-father of Dionysus, Silenus was the rustic god of dance and the wine press. His mode of transportation was a donkey which carted him around in Dionysus's cortege. Silenus was the father or grandfather of the seilenoi, satyrs, and nymphs.

 

Yep Brian, that's a typo I just corrected (i.e. 3.85 grams) ...Damn, I knew I should not have started drinking so early LOL

@Jwt708 ...All in fun...as Steve so often says.."Just jokes"

ABSOLUTELY LOVE your post TIF!!!!

Hmmm, Is it too early to PM my mailing address for X-MAS???

 

That is a stunning coin. This is the best I can do...


Phyrgia, Apameia
Coin: Bronze
- Turreted head of Artemis as Tyche right, bow and quiver over shoulder
APAME ARISTA KHFIS - to right and left of Marsyas, walking right on maeander pattern, naked but for cloak behind, playing the double flute.
Mint: Apameia (133-48 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 6.41g / 17mm / -
References:

• Weber 7030
• BMC 47
• Mionnet Supp. VII 143
• SNG von Aulock 3472
• SNG Tuebingen 3973

 

Wow, great coins all. Congrats MZ on that stunner.

 

that's a great lookin' denarius MZ. i remembered that bing had one as well. that satyr looks great! he really does look like his is bald, i just can't see a phygian cap there at all....but if the experts say so.

no pants, hat, and wine...that's called saturday night at my house.

 

LOL ....And we think of the Romans as 'decadent' LOL

Hey, It's Saturday....Please, PLEASE no photos

BTW: I never would've guessed anything but bald either but I yield to the 'experts' too.

 

I don't see the phrygian cap. The references I have do not refer to a cap at all. Take a look at Wildwinds under Marcia 24.

 

I have to agree with my initial impression and everyone else---no cap and the Wikipedia source is incorrect..and apparently this is a paraphrase from the reference it was incorrectly pulled from:

"Much like the half-Vulcan Mr. Spock, sporting a stocking cap regardless of the weather whenever he had to mingle with 20th Century Earthlings, Midas hid his ears under a conical cap named for his and Marsyas' homeland of Phrygia. It looked like the cap worn by Roman freed slaves, the pileus or liberty cap".

 

=> you had me at naked and drunk