One of the more enjoyable parts of covering Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest Ancient Coins series is that many of the coins that make up the list are tied to Greek mythology. Some have less information attached to them, others have long backstories that not only inform us of the reason for the design but let us into a world that involves so many intricacies. With author Harlan J. Berk at the helm, we take a closer look at this next entry that dives deep into that world. Friendly reminder if you have been following along in the series: the book presents the earliest coins first despite their rank among the top 100.
#38 – Delphic Tridrachm (Greece – Circa 479 BC)
A small town located in the mountains north of the Gulf of Corinth in central Greece, Delphi was the home to the Temple of Apollo, which is one of the most significant and richest temples of the ancient world. It also features its famous oracle. Before the Greeks arrived, Delphi paid tribute to the earth fertility goddess Gaia in addition to the python, which was her totem that carried prayers to her deep underground. Legend states that Apollo killed the serpent but also commemorated it by naming his priestess the Pythia. Pythia was who brought worshippers and their questions to Apollo and gave his oracular answers. The oracle would give advice to any who came, including Greeks, non-Greeks, nobles, private individuals, and even kings.
Mythology presents that the Pythia sat in a chamber deep inside the temple. It was there that she was exposed to a rock omitting hypnotic vapors from its cleft. She was said to have inhaled the vapors, which induced a “trancelike state” and allowed her to communicate with the oracle. Berk cites ancient author Diodorus and his writings of this “phenomenon” and how it was discovered. He states that “some goats feeding near a chasm in the rocks became intoxicated by fumes emitting from the opening. The strange antics of the goats caught the attention of the herdsman and led him to the spot where the temple was built.”
When offerings were made to Apollo by kings or cities in particular, they were kept in a special treasury display. Private individual offerings were kept in the temple itself. The town of Delphi did not issue coins, but the gifts of private individuals, Berk states, may have been used to convert and issue into coins before 490 BC to help fund building activity at the temple.
Of these coins issued, the Delphic tridrachm was struck shortly after 479 BC when the Greeks defeated Xerxes and the Persian forces. The obverse depicts two ram-headed rhytons side by side. Rhytons were an ancient Greek drinking horn used as ceremonial vessels when pouring out offerings of wine to Apollo. These vessels were seized by the Persians and replicated years later by Greek artists. The ram’s head represented Apollo in his role as the god of domestic herds and flocks. The Delphic tridrachm also features two dolphins leaping above the rhytons, referencing Apollo’s special cult name, “Apollo Delphinos.” The name of the city also surrounds the design.
The reverse of the coin, according to Berk, resembles a coffered ceiling. It is divided into four deep squares, each of which contains a dolphin and a palmette, or spread leaves or sections used as ornamentation. The design is said to replicate the actual ceiling of the temple at Delphi.