THASOS Thracian Island 411BC Silver Greek Coin w SATYR

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Item: i17105 Certified Authentic Ancient Coin of: Greek city of Thasos on Island in the Thracian Sea Silver Trihemiobol 12mm (0.42 grams) Struck 411-350 B.C. Reference: B.M.C. 3.53-6; Sear 1755; SNG Cop II 1031 Satyr kneeling left, holding kantharos. ΘAΣ / IΩN either side of amphora; all within incuse square. * Numismatic Note: Nymphs were female spirits associated with a particular location: depending on the area, this included mountains, groves, springs, rivers, woods, valleys, and grottoes. Often these nymphs were involved with the gods, and they are frequently companioned with Artemis, Apollo, Dionysos, and the rustic Pan and Hermes. Often in mythology, the eponymous founder of a city or town becomes married to a local nymph. Occasionally, nymphs accompanied Dionysos and formed part of the Thiasos, or ecstatic retinue which included mainads, or female devotees of the god, whose actions included wild orgiastic trances and the consumption of raw flesh. Dionysos was also attended by satyrs, goat-men, who constantly attempted to engage the mainads in sexual intercourse. You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity. In Greek mythology , satyrs ( Greek : Σάτυροι , Satyroi ) are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — " satyresses " were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing.The satyrs' chief was Silenus , a minor deity associated (like Hermes and Priapus ) with fertility. These characters can be found in the only complete remaining satyr play , Cyclops, by Euripides , and the fragments of Sophocles ' The Tracking Satyrs ( Ichneutae ). The satyr play was a short, lighthearted tailpiece performed after each trilogy of tragedies in Athenian festivals honoring Dionysus . There is not enough evidence to determine whether the satyr play regularly drew on the same myths as those dramatized in the tragedies that preceded. The groundbreaking tragic playwright Aeschylus is said to have been especially loved for his satyr plays, but none of them have survived. Attic painted vases depict mature satyrs as being strongly built with flat noses, large pointed ears, long curly hair, and full beards , with wreaths of vine or ivy circling their balding heads. Satyrs often carry the thyrsus : the rod of Dionysus tipped with a pine cone.Satyrs acquired their goat -like aspect through later Roman, conflation with Faunus , a carefree Italic nature spirit of similar characteristics and identified with the Greek god Pan . Hence satyrs are most commonly described in Latin literature as having the upper half of a man and the lower half of a goat, with a goat's tail in place of the Greek tradition of horse-tailed satyrs; therefore, satyrs became nearly identical with fauns . Mature satyrs are often depicted in Roman art with goat's horns , while juveniles are often shown with bony nubs on their foreheads.Satyrs are described as roguish but faint-hearted folk — subversive and dangerous, yet shy and cowardly. As Dionysiac creatures they are lovers of wine and women, and they are ready for every physical pleasure. They roam to the music of pipes ( auloi ), cymbals , castanets , and bagpipes , and they love to dance with the nymphs (with whom they are obsessed, and whom they often pursue), and have a special form of dance called sikinnis . Because of their love of wine, they are often represented holding wine cups, and they appear often in the decorations on wine cups.. Thasos or Thassos ( Greek : Θάσος ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea , close to the coast of Thrace and the plain of the river Nestos but geographically part of Macedonia . And it is where Clive Cussler novel "The Mediterranean Caper" takes place. History Prehistory Lying close to the coast of Eastern M... read more

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