Asclepius’ statue in Epidaurus. Silver drachma from Epidaurus with depiction of the statue of Asclepius 350-330 π.Χ. ΝΜ 1902/3 ΙΑ 1
Place where the object is located
Numismatic Museum of Greece
Story of the object
The silver drachma was found in Epidaurus and is dated back in 350-330 BC. The mint of the city of Epidaurus functions from the early Hellenistic era (323-243 BC). Asclepius appears in the first mintages of the city, on silver drachmas such as our object. In the front part of the coin we may find the laureated head of Asclepius or Apollo Maleatus. On the back we find image of the statue of Asclepius created by Thracymedes and described by Pausanias. If we accept this hypothesis, then we have the earliest depiction of worship statue on a Peloponnesian coin. Pierre Requier studied all 16 coins found in the treasures of Epidaurus and came to the conclusion that these were coins circulating only in Epidaurus and specifically in the temple of Asclepius.
EARLY USE
Coinage bearing the image of Asclepius had a long tradition, in some cases dating back to the fifth century B.C.E., in a small number of Greek cities with important sanctuaries of the god, such as Pergamon and Kos. Under the Roman Empire, however, the number of provincial cities minting Asclepius coins grew dramatically. The type of the enthroned Asclepius may be found in the Roman mintages of Epidaurus as well, though a dog under the throne is seen only in the Hellenistic, in the mintages of Hadrian and in those of M. Aurelius. The fact that the coins depicting enthroned Asclepius became more popular during the Antonine era possibly relates to the historical facts of the era and the epidemic of plague that decimated the population of the Empire. Nonetheless, we may not deny the possibility that the dissemination of the specific type of depiction may be linked with the special bonds created between the neighboring Peloponnesian cities and the common funding of some important project in the temple of Asclepius in Epidaurus.
RELATIVE LITERATURE
• RE5 / Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, vol.V: Pertinax to Elagabalus (148, p.458)
• PCR / Principal coins of the Romans: Volume I: The Republic c. 290 - 31 BC; Volume II: The Principate 31 BC - AD 296; Volume III: The Dominate AD 294 - 498. (723)
• RIC4 / The Roman imperial coinage, vol. 4: Pertinax - Uranius Antonius (270a, p.251)
• Rowan 2012 / Under Divine Auspices, Divine Ideology and the Visualisation of Imperial Power in the Severan Period (p.129-131 & fig.44)
EARLY USE
Coinage bearing the image of Asclepius had a long tradition, in some cases dating back to the fifth century B.C.E., in a small number of Greek cities with important sanctuaries of the god, such as Pergamon and Kos. Under the Roman Empire, however, the number of provincial cities minting Asclepius coins grew dramatically. The type of the enthroned Asclepius may be found in the Roman mintages of Epidaurus as well, though a dog under the throne is seen only in the Hellenistic, in the mintages of Hadrian and in those of M. Aurelius. The fact that the coins depicting enthroned Asclepius became more popular during the Antonine era possibly relates to the historical facts of the era and the epidemic of plague that decimated the population of the Empire. Nonetheless, we may not deny the possibility that the dissemination of the specific type of depiction may be linked with the special bonds created between the neighboring Peloponnesian cities and the common funding of some important project in the temple of Asclepius in Epidaurus.
RELATIVE LITERATURE
• RE5 / Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, vol.V: Pertinax to Elagabalus (148, p.458)
• PCR / Principal coins of the Romans: Volume I: The Republic c. 290 - 31 BC; Volume II: The Principate 31 BC - AD 296; Volume III: The Dominate AD 294 - 498. (723)
• RIC4 / The Roman imperial coinage, vol. 4: Pertinax - Uranius Antonius (270a, p.251)
• Rowan 2012 / Under Divine Auspices, Divine Ideology and the Visualisation of Imperial Power in the Severan Period (p.129-131 & fig.44)
Unit of the Educational Material connected (2 - 1)
Label
The coin is hosted by Numismatic Museum of Greece, Item ΝΜ 1902/3 ΙΑ 1
