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<p>[QUOTE="Curtis, post: 8254748, member: 26430"]Good topic and coins!</p><p><br /></p><p>I've got one that is <i><b>not exactly</b></i> Dionysos and Bacchus and Bacchanalia, but a lesser-known set of rites and deities that share much in common with and are probably related to them: Kabeiros and his drinking festivals (specifically at Thessalonica).</p><p><br /></p><p>The following example (<b><u>NOT MINE</u></b>) shows Kabeiros holding a particularly voluminous <i>Rhyton </i>(drinking horn)<i>.</i> RPC II, 327 (Thessalonica, Flavian?), spec. #13, from CNG EA 214, 290:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1455105[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i><font size="4">(Note, I've posted some comments previously, so there may be some copy-pasting and some paraphrasing from my own text/notes.)</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Coins of Thessalonica tend to be of special historical interest partly because of the city's association with the Biblical “Thessalonians” and "Acts." Since the Biblical texts describe the Thessalonian pagans engaging in ritual drunkenness and sexuality, scholars have often believed that the "drunken pagans" were worshipping Dionysos.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, a similar cult was that of Kabeiros, who also happened to be the Patron God of Thessaloniki (at least in the Roman period). Wherever archaeological and later historical sources refer to the "cult of Dionysos" or "temple of Dionysos" in Thessalonica (as they often do), we should probably substitute Kabeiros as the more accurate local incarnation (at least by the late first century CE).</p><p><br /></p><p>Although Kabeiric worship is little understood, it was clearly related to the cult of Dionysos: wine-drinking was a central rite, evidenced by the curved drinking vessels – tusks known as <i>rhyta</i> or rhytons – which are the standard paraphernalia with which Kabeiros is depicted (and usually a hammer).</p><p><br /></p><p>It is my opinion (I still need to check what Touratsoglou wrote about these) that the curved features at each corner of the temple on this coin (see also the next) represent the upturned drinking vessels, or <i>rhyta</i>. At the apex, it appears there may also be an inverted hammer between two crossed <i>rhyta.</i></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Macedon, Thessalonica. Philip II AE27, 2nd Pythian Games issue, depicting the Temple of Kabeiros on the reverse.</b></p><p><a href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/69113" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/69113" rel="nofollow">RPC VII.2 (Temp) 69113</a> (this coin illustrated)</p><p>(Unlike the other two, this one <b>IS MINE</b>):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1455110[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The corner decoration detail is stronger on this earlier example from Gordian III (struck for the <i>first</i> Pythian Games, "ΠΥΘΙΑ" in exergue), clearly depicting the same temple. <a href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/59074" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/59074" rel="nofollow">RPC VII.2 (Temp) 59074</a> = Touratsoglou 167/352 = Weber 2297 = BM 1920,0805.1684. Again, this one is <b><u>NOT MINE</u></b>:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1455114[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse legend on my coin (exergue: ΠΥΘΙΑΔΙ Β) indicates it was struck on the occasion of the Second Pythian Games at Thessalonica (see Head, <i>Historia Numorum; </i>these are local/regional games, not the major panhellenic Pythiad at Delphi).</p><p><br /></p><p>Based on ample numismatic (and limited epigraphic) evidence, the games were held in honor of Kabeiros.</p><p><br /></p><p>The temple depicted is almost certainly a Temple of Kabeiros (on other coins of Thessalonica a cult statue of Kabeiros appears inside of it).</p><p><br /></p><p>There was a "sacred area" in Thessalonica where Jewish and Pagan temples have been excavated by archaeologists (Verhoef 2011; see also Edson 1948; Vickers 1972; <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AncientCoins/comments/s87g08/the_back_of_the_coin_is_where_the_history_lives/htekbjf/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AncientCoins/comments/s87g08/the_back_of_the_coin_is_where_the_history_lives/htekbjf/" rel="nofollow">the bibliography (for my related reddit post) links these refs online</a>). However, this particular temple has not been found. "Temple sharing" was likely practiced, so the temple may not have been Kabeiros' alone. This image may be a good likeness (it remains highly consistent across issues and reigns), but it may also be an idealized temple archetype.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Curtis, post: 8254748, member: 26430"]Good topic and coins! I've got one that is [I][B]not exactly[/B][/I] Dionysos and Bacchus and Bacchanalia, but a lesser-known set of rites and deities that share much in common with and are probably related to them: Kabeiros and his drinking festivals (specifically at Thessalonica). The following example ([B][U]NOT MINE[/U][/B]) shows Kabeiros holding a particularly voluminous [I]Rhyton [/I](drinking horn)[I].[/I] RPC II, 327 (Thessalonica, Flavian?), spec. #13, from CNG EA 214, 290: [ATTACH=full]1455105[/ATTACH] [I][SIZE=4](Note, I've posted some comments previously, so there may be some copy-pasting and some paraphrasing from my own text/notes.)[/SIZE][/I] Coins of Thessalonica tend to be of special historical interest partly because of the city's association with the Biblical “Thessalonians” and "Acts." Since the Biblical texts describe the Thessalonian pagans engaging in ritual drunkenness and sexuality, scholars have often believed that the "drunken pagans" were worshipping Dionysos. However, a similar cult was that of Kabeiros, who also happened to be the Patron God of Thessaloniki (at least in the Roman period). Wherever archaeological and later historical sources refer to the "cult of Dionysos" or "temple of Dionysos" in Thessalonica (as they often do), we should probably substitute Kabeiros as the more accurate local incarnation (at least by the late first century CE). Although Kabeiric worship is little understood, it was clearly related to the cult of Dionysos: wine-drinking was a central rite, evidenced by the curved drinking vessels – tusks known as [I]rhyta[/I] or rhytons – which are the standard paraphernalia with which Kabeiros is depicted (and usually a hammer). It is my opinion (I still need to check what Touratsoglou wrote about these) that the curved features at each corner of the temple on this coin (see also the next) represent the upturned drinking vessels, or [I]rhyta[/I]. At the apex, it appears there may also be an inverted hammer between two crossed [I]rhyta.[/I] [B]Macedon, Thessalonica. Philip II AE27, 2nd Pythian Games issue, depicting the Temple of Kabeiros on the reverse.[/B] [URL='https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/69113']RPC VII.2 (Temp) 69113[/URL] (this coin illustrated) (Unlike the other two, this one [B]IS MINE[/B]): [ATTACH=full]1455110[/ATTACH] The corner decoration detail is stronger on this earlier example from Gordian III (struck for the [I]first[/I] Pythian Games, "ΠΥΘΙΑ" in exergue), clearly depicting the same temple. [URL='https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/59074']RPC VII.2 (Temp) 59074[/URL] = Touratsoglou 167/352 = Weber 2297 = BM 1920,0805.1684. Again, this one is [B][U]NOT MINE[/U][/B]: [ATTACH=full]1455114[/ATTACH] The reverse legend on my coin (exergue: ΠΥΘΙΑΔΙ Β) indicates it was struck on the occasion of the Second Pythian Games at Thessalonica (see Head, [I]Historia Numorum; [/I]these are local/regional games, not the major panhellenic Pythiad at Delphi). Based on ample numismatic (and limited epigraphic) evidence, the games were held in honor of Kabeiros. The temple depicted is almost certainly a Temple of Kabeiros (on other coins of Thessalonica a cult statue of Kabeiros appears inside of it). There was a "sacred area" in Thessalonica where Jewish and Pagan temples have been excavated by archaeologists (Verhoef 2011; see also Edson 1948; Vickers 1972; [URL='https://www.reddit.com/r/AncientCoins/comments/s87g08/the_back_of_the_coin_is_where_the_history_lives/htekbjf/']the bibliography (for my related reddit post) links these refs online[/URL]). However, this particular temple has not been found. "Temple sharing" was likely practiced, so the temple may not have been Kabeiros' alone. This image may be a good likeness (it remains highly consistent across issues and reigns), but it may also be an idealized temple archetype.[/QUOTE]
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