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Type/Object Name: Ob:Head of satyr, wearing ivy wreath. | Re: Griffin with javelin in mouth, standing on wheat ear. Inscription ΠΑΝ (“PAN” = abbreviation of Pantikapaion). 

Dates: 340-325 BCE

Medium: Gold, Stater

Dimensions: Diameter 21.9 mm, Weight 9.0840 g

Credit Line: Courtesy of John Nebel

Notes: Complex Ideas on Small Objects

Pantikapaion was a Greek city on the shore of the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea. In antiquity, Pantikapaion was famous for its gold and its rich agricultural land. The ruler of Pantikapaion at the time this gold coin was made was a man named Satyrus. The satyr on the obverse may be a visual reference to his name. The reverse of the coin shows a winged lion-griffin. In Greek mythology, griffins protected the gold of this area, and the image on this coin probably refers to that story. The griffin stands on a wheat stalk that may symbolize the agricultural “gold” of the area. This griffin looks much more like a Greek panther than the usual lion-griffin of the time (like , illustrated on a seal found in an ancient cemetery near Pantikapaion). The panther-like appearance here may be intended as a visual reference to the city’s name. The letters “pan” shown around the griffin are the first three letters of the city’s name and of the Greek word “pantheros.” 

Collection: Coin, John Nebel

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