A very specific type of coin collecting out there among numismatists involves ancient coins. You either like them or you don’t. They either resonate or they won’t. No matter which way you lean, it is undeniable that they are unique in a way that makes them hard to ignore and their stories allow us a deeper connection to a past made up of empires and mythology. Following along with Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest Women on Coins publication, we will take a closer look at an entry that features a well-known figure in Greek mythology. As she lands on ancient coins, author Ron Guth will take us through the twists and turns of her life that ultimately decided our future.
#47 - Persephone
Born the daughter of Zeus and Demeter in Greek mythology, Persephone was known as the goddess of the underworld and of vegetation. Her beauty attracted a number of other gods including Apollo, Hermes, and Hades. Her mother, Demeter (who is also on this top 100 list), tried to hide her away from them all but Hades kidnapped her through a crack in the earth as she was gathering flowers with Athena, Artemis, and the Oceanids. In her search for her daughter, Demeter neglected the vegetation and the people on Earth began to starve.
After finding out from Helios that Hades is the one who took her, Demeter would relay the message to Zeus and he would force Hades to return Persephone. However, on one condition: she had not eaten anything in the underworld. Upon trying to retrieve her, Hades would trick Persephone into eating pomegranate seeds. With the condition not met, Persephone would be forced to return to the underworld every winter for a third of every year. As she returned to Earth, the vegetation would thrive and when she went back to the underworld, it would become barren. This would establish what we call the seasons.
Persephone can be found on many ancient coins. Syracusian tetradrachms of 317-289 BC show her has a young maiden. “Korae”, a title that appears on coins, often translates to maiden and is her name as a vegetation goddess. Some coins of Sicily and Phrygia illustrate her being taken by Hades in a chariot drawn by four horses.
Collecting difficulty, according to Guth, is easy. Ancient coins featuring Persephone are common and there are a variety of types and designs. Prices range from the low hundreds to the tens of thousands.