ISLANDS OFF THRACE – Thasos – AR Tetradrachm
Circa 140–110 BC
Obverse: Wreathed head of youthful Dionysos right, crowned with an ivy wreath tied with trailing ribbons. His refined features and serene expression reflect the idealized Hellenistic vision of the wine god, patron of revelry, fertility, and theatre — and the divine figure most closely associated with Thasos’s identity and prosperity.
Reverse: Herakles stands facing, head turned left, nude but for the lion skin draped over his left arm. In his right hand he grips a club, symbol of strength and heroic triumphs; the lion skin recalls his legendary first labor. The Μ in the inner left field denotes the issue. This pairing of Dionysos and Herakles — both revered in Thasian cult and legend — formed a potent emblem of divine protection, heroism, and abundance.
References: Prokopov, Silberpragung, Group X; Le Rider, Thasiennes 51; HGC 6, 358
Metal: Silver (AR)
Collector’s Note:
This handsome tetradrachm is both a product and a symbol of Thasos’s golden age in the late Hellenistic period. Struck at a time when the island’s silver coinage dominated trade in the northern Aegean and the Thracian interior, it pairs Thasos’s two great protectors — Dionysos, whose cult sustained the island’s cultural life, and Herakles, heroic founder and defender. The artistry captures the refined elegance of the late Hellenistic style, while the coin’s wide circulation ensured that Thasos’s identity and prestige reached far beyond its shores. A classic and historically resonant type, sought after by collectors for its beauty and mythic resonance.
ISLANDS OFF THRACE – Thasos – AR Tetradrachm
Circa 140–110 BC
Obverse: Wreathed head of youthful Dionysos right, crowned with an ivy wreath tied with trailing ribbons. His refined features and serene expression reflect the idealized Hellenistic vision of the wine god, patron of revelry, fertility, and theatre — and the divine figure most closely associated with Thasos’s identity and prosperity.
Reverse: Herakles stands facing, head turned left, nude but for the lion skin draped over his left arm. In his right hand he grips a club, symbol of strength and heroic triumphs; the lion skin recalls his legendary first labor. The Μ in the inner left field denotes the issue. This pairing of Dionysos and Herakles — both revered in Thasian cult and legend — formed a potent emblem of divine protection, heroism, and abundance.
References: Prokopov, Silberpragung, Group X; Le Rider, Thasiennes 51; HGC 6, 358
Metal: Silver (AR)
Collector’s Note:
This handsome tetradrachm is both a product and a symbol of Thasos’s golden age in the late Hellenistic period. Struck at a time when the island’s silver coinage dominated trade in the northern Aegean and the Thracian interior, it pairs Thasos’s two great protectors — Dionysos, whose cult sustained the island’s cultural life, and Herakles, heroic founder and defender. The artistry captures the refined elegance of the late Hellenistic style, while the coin’s wide circulation ensured that Thasos’s identity and prestige reached far beyond its shores. A classic and historically resonant type, sought after by collectors for its beauty and mythic resonance.
