THRACIAN ISLANDS. Thasos. Ca. 435-400 BC. AR drachm (15mm, 3.52 gm). NGC XF 4/5 - 5/5. Ca. 435-411 BC. Nude ithyphallic satyr running right, carrying nymph, her right hand raised / Quadripartite incuse mill-sail punch with stippled surfaces. Le Rider, Thasiennes 8. HGC 6, 336. From the Historical Scholar Collection. Ex Harlan Berk, private sale with old dealer tag The iconography of these coins is sometimes described as a satyr ravishing a nymph. Given the importance of the cult of Dionysus to Thrace, a more likely explanation is that the two mythological figures are engaged in a ritualistic Dionysian dance.

HID09801242017

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