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aprilie 2026: Imperial Portrait and Myth: A Pergamene Coin of the Severan Period

The Coin of this Month is presented by Sophie Preisler

This bronze coin from Mysian Pergamon is dated to the period between 193 and 206 AD; it measures 39 mm in diameter and weighs 25.17 g. Its obverse shows a laureate bust of Septimius Severus wearing a cuirass and a paludamentum; the legend "ΑVΤΟ ΚΑΙ Λ ϹΕΠΤ ϹΕΟVΗΡΟϹ ΠΕΡ" confirms the identity of the emperor.

Septimius Severus, born around 145 AD in Lepcis Magna (Africa Proconsularis) into an equestrian family, embarked on a classic senatorial career in Rome. Following the turmoil surrounding the assassinations of Commodus and Pertinax, he prevailed in the civil war against rivals such as Didius Julianus and Pescennius Niger, beginning his dies imperii on April 9, 193 AD. With his victory over Clodius Albinus in 197 AD, he consolidated the rule of his dynasty, which he led alongside his consort Iulia Domna of Emesa and their sons Caracalla and Geta. A striking detail on the obverse of this coin is a round countermark depicting the head of Caracalla.

Under the Severan dynasty, Pergamon — which in the 2nd century AD was one of the metropolises of Asia Minor with approximately 200,000 inhabitants — enjoyed significant imperial patronage. Despite the beginning of its decline in the early 3rd century, the city remained a cultural centre, shaped by the famous Asklepieion and the influence of the physician Galen; during this period, Caracalla even granted the city a third neokorie.

The reverse legend "ΕΠΙ ϹΤΡ ΚΛΑVΔΙΑΝΟV ΤΕΡΠΑΝ ΠΕΡΓΑΜΗΝΩΝ Β ΝΕΟΚΟΡΩΝ" refers to the high-ranking magistrate (strategos) of the city of Pergamon, Claudianus Terpandros, thereby supporting the chronological classification of the coinage. Furthermore, the reverse depicts Zeus in anthropomorphic form, kissing Ganymede, who stands beside him. This choice of motif emphasises Pergamon's connection to Greek myths that were firmly rooted in the regional heritage of Mysia. Ganymede, the son of King Tros and Kallirhoë, was considered the "fairest of all mortals." This very beauty attracted the attention of the gods and ultimately led to his abduction to Olympus, where he henceforth served Zeus as cupbearer and enchanted the immortals with his eternal youth.

While Homer (c. 730 BC), as the primary source of the myth, only vaguely hints at the erotic attraction between Zeus and the "golden-haired youth" (Hom. h. 5, 202) and primarily addresses the material compensation given to King Tros in the form of divine steeds (Hom. Il. 5,265–267; 20,231–235), the narrative evolved significantly thereafter. In later accounts, the relationship became the prototype for homoerotic love within the divine realm.

This development is clearly reflected in iconography: in vase painting, Ganymede is frequently depicted with a rooster as a traditional courting gift, a toy hoop, or a lyre. These attributes characterise him, in accordance with the Greek educational ideal, as the sought-after youth (eromenos), forming the youthful counterpart to the older lover (erastes). In sculpture and mosaic art, a Phrygian cap often identifies him as a shepherd, while in his role as cupbearer, he is shown pouring nectar. Thus, in ancient reception, the myth serves less as a mere story of abduction and more as a mythological reflection of contemporary social relationship models, the assessment of which was always closely linked to the moral and socio-political values of the era.

In Roman narratives, such as those of Ovid (Met. 10,155–161), the motif of Ganymede’s abduction by Zeus in the form of an eagle comes increasingly to the fore. This iconographic shift is mirrored in contemporary coinage: for example, coin types from Troadic Ilion (cf. CN-Type 20430, 2nd century AD) as well as from Hadrianopolis in Thrace (cf. CN-Type 5862, late 2nd to early 3rd century AD) illustrate the encounter between the divine eagle and the human youth.

This scene is given a particularly dramatic treatment in Virgil (Aen. 5,250–257), who supplements the abduction on Mount Ida with the motif of vainly barking dogs. The later literary description of the fading silhouette of Troy from the perspective of the abductee can be traced back to Statius’ Thebaid (Stat. Theb. 1,548–551). Parallel to the eroticisation of the subject matter, Crete and Euboea were also named as settings for the abduction, as these regions were literarily linked to pederasty — a connection that led Plato (Plat. leg. 636c) to claim that the Cretans had invented the myth specifically for this purpose.

The enduring fascination with the "Rape of Ganymede" manifested itself beyond antiquity in modern art, such as in the eponymous works of Michelangelo (c. 1550) and Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1630). In the early 17th century, this artistic reception found a remarkable correspondence in astronomy: with the naming of the largest moon of Jupiter after the divine cupbearer by Simon Marius, the mythological figure gained a lasting presence in an entirely new scientific context. Thus, Ganymede remains a multi-layered symbolic figure that resonates across cultural spheres until the modern day.



Literature

Lichtenberger A. 2011. Severus Pius Augustus. Studien zur sakralen Repräsentation und Rezeption der Herrschaft des Septimius Severus und seiner Familie (193–211 n. Chr.). Leiden/Boston.

Sichtermann H. 1948. Ganymed. Mythos und Gestalt in der antiken Kunst. Berlin.

Sölch B. 2012. "Ganymedes", in: M. Moog-Grünewald (ed.), Mythenrezeption. Die antike Mythologie in Literatur, Musik und Kunst von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart (Der Neue Pauly. Supplemente 5). Stuttgart/Leiden, 264–273.

Strolonga P. 2018. "Variations on the Myth of the Abduction of Ganymede: Intertextuality and Narratology", Yearbook of Ancient Greek Epic Online 2, 190–217.

Weisser B. 1995. Die kaiserzeitliche Münzprägung von Pergamon. Munich.

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