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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Roman Collector, post: 8254654, member: 75937&quot;]I know; I know; it&#039;s the ides of March and we&#039;re all going to be talking about the death of Caesar. But it&#039;s ALSO the beginning of the Dionysia and the Bacchanalia!</p><p><br /></p><p>The bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals of the Greco-Roman god Bacchus (or Dionysus), the wine god. The bacchanalia were rites originally held in ancient Greece as the Dionysia, probably from the 10th to the 16th of the month of Elaphebolion (the lunar month straddling the vernal equinox, i.e., Mar.-Apr in the solar calendar) to celebrate the end of winter and the harvesting of the year&#039;s crops.</p><p><br /></p><p>When the rites spread to Rome, they were secret and only attended by women, in later periods men were also admitted. The festivals occurred in the grove of Simila near the Aventine Hill on March 16 and March 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dionysus appears on coins with any of several accoutrements, such as a wreath of ivy, a thyrsus, a wine jug (oenochoe), or grapes. He is often accompanied by a panther.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some of my coins depicting Dionysus!<i> Let&#039;s see yours! Let&#039;s make it a bacchanalia of Bacchus! </i></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/eumeneia-dionysus-and-tripod-jpg.1437306/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Phrygia, Eumeneia, c. 133-130 BC.</p><p>Greek Æ 21.1 mm, 6.66 g, 1 h.</p><p>Menekrates, son of Askle-, magistrate.</p><p>Obv: Head of young Dionysus wreathed with ivy, right.</p><p>Rev: Tripod-lebes with three handles surmounted by flat cover fringed with spikes, star above and on either side; to right, EYMENE and filleted laurel branch (thyrsus?); to left, MENEKΡA/AΣKΛH and labrys (double axe) with serpent-entwined handle.</p><p>Refs: BMC 25.212,14; SNG Copenhagen 382; SNG Tübingen 4008; Paris 1095; Mionnet IV, 563; SNG Oxford 1024-1025; Lindgren I 950; Istanbul 14718; Afyon 2973.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-anchialus-dionysos-jpg.941638/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Faustina Jr., 147-175.</p><p>Roman provincial Æ 9.06 g, 24.7 mm, 7 h.</p><p>Thrace, Anchialus, AD 147-149.</p><p>Obv: ΦΑVCΤΕΙΝΑ ΝΕΑ CΕΒΑCΤΗ, bare-headed and draped bust, right.</p><p>Rev: ΑNΧΙΑΛΕΩΝ, Dionysus standing left, holding cantharus and thyrsus; panther at feet, left.</p><p>Refs: AMNG 434; <a href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/4525/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/4525/" rel="nofollow">RPC 4525</a>; Varbanov 90; BMC --; SNG Copenhagen --.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-pautalia-dionysos-and-panther-jpg.1072762/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Faustina II, AD 147-175.</p><p>Roman provincial triassarion, 6.34 g, 23.4 mm, 7 h.</p><p>Thrace, Pautalia, AD 161-175.</p><p>Obv: ΦΑVCΤΕΙΝ-Α CΕΒΑCΤΗ, draped bust of Faustina II, right; band of pearls around head.</p><p>Rev: ΟVΛΠΙΑC-ΠΑVΤΑΛΙ-ΑC, Dionysus seated on panther walking, r., resting r. arm on panther, holding thyrsus.</p><p>Refs: RPC IV 8811; Ruzicka 99.</p><p>Notes: Double die match to RPC IV 8811(4) = Ruzicka 99(4) = Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum 8775.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/domna-nicopolis-dionysos-and-panther-sunlight-jpg.941639/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Julia Domna, AD 193-217.</p><p>Roman provincial Æ tetrassarion, 13.76 g, 26 mm.</p><p>Moesia Inferior, Nicopolis ad Istrum; Legate Aurelius Gallus, AD 201-204.</p><p>Obv: ΙΟVΛΙΑ ΔΟ-ΜΝΑ CΕΒΑ, bare-headed and draped bust, right.</p><p>Rev: VΠ ΑVΡ ΓΑΛΛΟV-ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ | ΠΡΟC ΙCΤΡΟ, Dionysus standing left,</p><p>naked except for boots, holding bunch of grapes and thyrsus, panther at foot left.</p><p>Refs: AMNG I 1456; Varbanov 2897; H&amp;J, <i>Nikopolis</i> 8.17.8.1 corr. (rev. legend); Mionnet Sup. 2, p. 134, 457 and pl. III, no 6.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/antony-and-octavia-cistophorus-jpg.628349/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Antony and Octavia.</p><p>AR cistophorus, 25.6 mm, 11.71 gm.</p><p>Ephesus, 39 BCE.</p><p>Obv: M ANTONINVS IMP COS DESIG ITER ET TERT, Jugate heads of Marcus Antonius and Octavia to right; he wears ivy wreath.</p><p>Rev: III VIR RPC, Cista mystica surmounted by figure of Bacchus, standing to left, holding cantharus and leaning on thyrsus; on either side, coiled serpent.</p><p>Refs: SNG Cop. 408; SNG von Aulock 6555; Franke KZR 472; RSC 3; Sydenham 1198; RPC 2202; Sear 1513; BMCRR East 135.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/severus-libero-patri-denarius-jpg.1061656/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Septimius Severus, AD 193-211.</p><p>Roman AR Denarius, 3.22 g, 16.5 mm, 11 h.</p><p>Rome Mint, AD 194.</p><p>Obv: L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP III, laureate head, right.</p><p>Rev: LIBERO PATRI, Liber standing facing, head left, cloak over left shoulder, holding oenochoe and thyrsus; at feet left, panther standing left, catching drips from the jug.</p><p>Refs: <a href="http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.4.ss.32" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.4.ss.32" rel="nofollow">RIC 32</a>; <a href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1208691&amp;partId=1&amp;searchText=Septimius+Severus+32&amp;page=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1208691&amp;partId=1&amp;searchText=Septimius+Severus+32&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow">BMCRE 64</a>-65; Cohen 301; RCV 6307; Hill 84.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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