We are continuing our blog series covering Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest Women on Coins publication written by Ron Guth. The series delves into the top 100 women featured on coins throughout history and was compiled with a list of four categories in mind: real (or actual) women, allegorical women who represent a concept, idea, or nationality, women in art, and goddesses. In this next entry, we examine a woman from Greek mythology that appears on both modern and ancient coins.
#79 – Arethusa
Arethusa’s story in Greek mythology labels her as a nymph who caught the attention of Alpheus, the river god. She was sunbathing in his waters, but she did not return his affections and would seek the protection of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Artemis hid her in a cloud but would eventually open the earth up to allow Arethusa to escape after she became too afraid and sweat so much she turned into a stream. She became an underground stream after her escape, but Alpheus continued to seek her out to the sea and their waters eventually melded together. They rose up together on the island of Ortigia in a freshwater fountain that still exists today. The fountain is located on the western part of the island of Ortigia which is in Syracuse in Sicily, Italy.
The likeness of Arethusa has appeared on coinage in ancient and modern times. She can be found on the silver tetradrachms and decadrachms of Syracuse during 500 to 400 BC. When it comes to modern times, Arethusa can be found on a 1998 crown issued by the country of Gibraltar. The German town of Bad Fischau minted a bronze medal in 1873 that heavily featured the same themes found on coins featuring the nymph.
According to the author, collecting difficulty can be defined as easy or difficult depending on whether they are modern or ancient coins. “Easy” would ultimately be when talking about the modern coins, but the designs of the ancient coins are more sought after but rarer making them the “difficult” kind.