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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Etruscan
Hand Holding a Dove, 3rd century BCE
Terracotta
Many ancient societies, including the Etruscans, attempted to divine the future from earthly omens. Etruscan religion was based on three books of prescribed religious practices, each concerning predictions. It is believed that these books inspired the famous Roman Sibylline Books. Etruscan diviners came in two kinds: augurs, who interpreted the movements of birds, and haruspices, who interpreted the entrails of sacrificed animals. This object relates to the practice of augury, evoking the hand of an augur holding a dove at the moment before its release into the sky. The temporal nature of this piece is twofold. It concerns divination, a system of ascertaining what will occur in the future, and it represents a pivotal moment in the process itself, the instant right before the answers will become known.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Two-drachma coin (didrachm), 575-400 BCE
Silver
The Greek colony of Metapontum on the southern tip of the Italian peninsula was primarily a farming colony. The city’s patron goddess was Demeter, the goddess of crops, and their civic symbol was the ear of barley. Like the coins representing patron deities who were worshipped throughout the rest of the Greek world, this coin depicts a crop which, though especially important to the residents of Metapontum, was used throughout the Mediterranean region. It is an example of the many unifying traits and aims of ancient Greece, in spite of its myriad states and divisions.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Eight-drachma coin (octodrachm), 261-252 BCE
Gold
This coin is unusual not only because it is gold, but also because it portrays a woman, Arsinoe II, who ruled Egypt alongside her husband Ptolemy II. Although her reign was short, she was an exceedingly popular ruler, and was deified by her people almost immediately upon her death. She is shown here wearing a diadem and veil, both symbols of ancient religion. To the left of her head are the horns of Zeus Ammon, the Libyan god Alexander claimed as a father. Arsinoe’s depiction with such important religious symbols attests to the power she held in her community.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Two-drachma coin (didrachm), 550-500 BCE
Silver
Aegina is thought to be one of the first places in Greece to adopt a system of coinage. These early, simply engraved coins were recognized throughout the ancient world as legitimate currency. Like many coin images, the turtle on the obverse of the coin was a pun. The word “turtle” had been a nickname for Aegina’s silver mines before the island began minting coins. The turtle is cast in high relief to stand up to years of use. The dots down its back serve both aesthetic and practical purposes. These bumps would gradually show wear on the coin, indicating when a buyer should reweigh the coin to recalculate its value.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Two-drachma coin (didrachm), 300-298 BCE
Silver
Featured on this coin is the famous silphium plant, which grew almost exclusively in Cyrene. In his Natural History, the Roman author Pliny described the plant as being “greatly in vogue for medicinal as well as other purposes, being sold at the same rate as silver.” These other purposes may have included birth control for women and feed for cattle. Pliny later wrote that the last stalk of the plant on the island was “sent as a curiosity to the Emperor Nero.” The plant became extinct soon after, and survives today only in ancient writing and imagery.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Roman
Cinerary Urn, 1st century CE
Marble
At the time this piece was made, cremation was the favored form of burial for all Roman social classes. Marble cinerary urns with carved decoration were quite popular in the first century CE as containers for the ashes of the deceased. This urn takes the form of a miniature temple decorated with vegetal motifs and implements used for the burial ritual, such as a bowl for a liquid offering (patera) and a funerary wreath. The Latin inscription reads: “To the Shades of the Dead. Anotonia Saturnina made [commissioned] this for her husband Delicatus, imperial slave, and Marcus Antoninus his son made it for his well-deserving father.”
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Ten-drachma coin (decadrachm), 405-400 BCE
Silver
As the images on coins became increasingly detailed, masters of the craft emerged. Two of the most famous die-engravers of the ancient world, Kimon and Euainetos, produced silver decadrachms for the city of Syracuse. These large coins were most likely prizes for victors of the city’s annual Assinarian Games. The obverse of this coin, which depicts a quadriga or four-horse chariot, was engraved by Kimon. Kimon’s work shows dramatic movement, with horses charging in one direction while the goddess of Victory flies above.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist
Roundel for a shield or breast plate, early 600s BCE-late 500s BCE
Bronze
The Villanovans are often characterized as warrior-farmers. Using the various mines and metal ores at their disposal, they became experts in metalworking, equipping themselves with bronze weapons. A disc like this one would have been used as armor. It was either suspended in front of the warrior’s heart (thus the term kardiophylakes, or “heart protectors”) or inserted into a wooden shield that would be carried. These discs often included depictions of animals. The deer represented here might illustrate a local pride in indigenous fauna. The design of this disc, with its concentric circles and abstract patterns, was influenced by Greek Geometric style.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Stater coin, 360-330 BCE
Silver
Arkas was the child of the god Zeus and the mortal Kallisto. Hera, Zeus’s wife, jealously transformed Kallisto into a bear, rendering the newborn Arkas an orphan. On this coin, the messenger god Hermes takes Arkas to be raised by the god’s own mother. In ancient art, Hermes is often depicted not only transporting children to caretakers, but also transporting the dead to the underworld. The die-engraver of this coin did not depict Hermes in flight. Rather, he represented the god’s movement more effectively by portraying him mid-stride on the ground.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Four-drachma coin (tetradrachm), ca. 277-239 BCE
Silver
This coin, with its unique martial imagery, may have been minted to pay a specific army. Like many coins created for military payment, it may have been reformed from the art, armor, or other metals of the very enemy the army defeated. Therefore this object illustrates that coins are shape-shifters as well as world travelers. The malleability of metal lends itself to frequent transformation, so few metal artifacts survive; many metal objects surviving from antiquity originally had another form.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Stater coin, ca. 323 BCE
Gold
Coins were often minted at the behest of rulers and powerful citizens, who usually dictated what was portrayed. Here, Alexander the Great’s choice of content communicates his martial objectives: to represent himself as capable of commanding the Corinthian League of Greek city-states that his recently deceased father, Philip II of Macedon, had united. The obverse of the coin shows the warrior goddess Athena in her war helmet, while the reverse shows Nike, goddess of victory. These symbols were meant to reinforce Alexander’s inherited power.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Four-drachma coin (tetradrachm), ca. 420-355 BCE
Silver
Depicted on this coin is a lyre, a popular instrument in the ancient world. The Greeks commemorated births, harvests, banquets, and deaths with music. Poetry was written to have musical accompaniment, musical competitions were held during athletic contests, and musicians gained fame for their skill and compositions. This coin honors Apollo, god of the sun and music. Apollo’s representations share a repetitive yet unique nature. The sun rises every day and the beats and rhythms of music can be repeated, but no day or performance is ever the same.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Four-drachma coin (tetradrachm), ca. 394-304 BCE
Silver
Helios was an eastern sun god who was assimilated into Greek culture. On this coin, his unique frontal depiction allows his hair to fan out, much like the rays of the sun. Roses like the one on the reverse of the coin were so abundant on the island that it was said that sailors could smell the shore miles away. Here, it is also a pun on the name of Rhodes, which sounds very similar to the Greek word for flower, rhodon.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Two-drachma coin (didrachm), 525 BC - 475 BCE
Incuse silver
This coin exemplifies the trend toward artistic imagery in Greek numismatics. The engraver did not choose to represent the god Poseidon, but instead depicted a famous statue of the deity. Referencing a work of art shows that ancient coins were not designed with purely utilitarian motives. This coin also reflects the endurance of certain styles of art. Although this archaic style of sculpture was no longer employed by the time this coin was minted, the statue was still considered worthy of representation.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Four-drachma coin (tetradrachm), After ca. 460 BCE
Silver
The 6th-century Athenian ruler Peisistratus established the Panathenaea, a festival honoring the region’s patron goddess, Athena. At that time, Peisistratus minted what is thought to be the first two-sided coin in the world. Whereas earlier coins had one side in relief and the other “incuse,” or indented, these new coins had two uniquely engraved reliefs. Each featured imagery reflecting the Athenian pride in their city-state, from Athena’s Attic helmet to the sprigs of olive next to the region’s revered bird, with an inscription meaning “of the Athenians.” Variations of this coin type were used for centuries in Athens, and visitors to Greece today will recognize the owl on this coin from the Greek euro.
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In 2010, I wrote object labels for the reinstallation of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum's Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries.
Unknown artist, Greek
Stater coin, 500-480 BCE
Silver
Neapolis was a colony founded to mine the precious metals of Mount Pangaeus, the mythical home of the Gorgons. Gorgons like the one pictured on this coin were mythological beings with snakes for hair whose glance turned humans to stone. Despite this fierce reputation, Gorgons were believed to protect Mount Pangaeus, and thus the livelihood of the Greeks living there. This coin therefore is a unique example of the patron deity type. The Gorgon shown was believed to have protected the very substance of which it was made.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Stater coin, 320-270 BCE
Silver
The island of Crete, site of the prehistoric Minoan civilization (3000–1000 BCE) had a colored history when this coin was minted. Homer wrote of the Cretan King Minos, whose wife gave birth to the half-man half-bull Minotaur. At the king’s behest, the craftsman Daedalus designed a labyrinth to contain the creature. The hero Theseus slew the Minotaur with the help of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos. The story of the Minotaur and his labyrinth was cherished on Crete for centuries. The portrayal of the famed labyrinth on this coin shows the enduring nature of cultural mythology.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Four-drachma coin (tetradrachm), 297-282 BCE
Silver
Upon his death, Alexander the Great divided his empire among several of his officers. The general Lysimachos, who received the province of Thrace, minted a coin to justify his power. The obverse of the coin references the occasion during which Alexander had been hailed as a son of Zeus Ammon, a horned Libyan god. The reverse of the coin shows a seated Athena holding winged Victory, who crowns the name Lysimachos. Lysimachos at once honors Alexander and the gods by revering them, and promotes himself by alluding to his relationship with the gods and their entrusting him with power.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Stater coin, ca. 421-365 BCE
Silver
In the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, the city of Elis hosted the Olympic Games. These games were highly profitable for the Eleians, and at the end of each festival they had an excess of silver that they used to mint their own coinage. This coin features a realistically rendered eagle head and a winged thunderbolt. These symbols are attributes of the father god Zeus, who is rarely depicted on coinage. This unique choice of symbols of Zeus was appropriate for the city hosting the games honoring the gods.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Stater coin, ca. 360 - 350 BCE
Silver
The people of Corinth honored the winged horse Pegasus depicted on the obverse of this coin. The hero Bellerophon was believed to have first bridled the horse at the peak of the city’s mountainous citadel, the Acrocorinthus. There, Pegasus was thought to have stamped his hoof and opened up the Peirene spring, an important source of water for the city. The reverse of the coin shows the goddess Athena, a deity of wisdom who was worshiped across the ancient world. This coin therefore exemplifies the varying nature of Greek religion, as it honors both a local animal hero and a universal deity.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Two-drachma coin (didrachm), 380-345 BCE
Silver
This coin depicts Phalanthos, a native Spartan and the founder of the Greek colony of Tarentum. According to legend, Phalanthos was once saved by a dolphin during a shipwreck. He was therefore often depicted as he is here, astride a dolphin. The horseman on the obverse of the coin examines a pillar topped with the head of a god, called a herm. The stillness of this scene offers a contrast to the leaping dolphin and Phalanthos on the reverse.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Four-drachma coin (tetradrachm), 313-305 BCE
Silver
Coins were often minted to pay mercenaries, a history that is reflected in their imagery. On the reverse of the coin, Nike, the goddess of victory, decorates a trophy. As early as the 6th century BCE, the Greeks and Persians had begun to dedicate suits of enemy armor to the gods after a victory on the battlefield, calling them “trophies.” This concept of victory is tempered by the obverse image of Persephone, goddess of the underworld which was the final resting place of slain soldiers. Although Nike and the trophy represent victory in the mortal world, all dead are equal in Persephone’s realm. The coin therefore comments on the temporality of the victories of war achieved by the mercenaries.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Four-drachma coin (tetradrachm), 300-295 BCE
Silver
At the time these coins were minted, Demetrius had just won the nickname “Poliorcetes,” or “the Besieger,” in recognition of his contributions to the siege of Rhodes. Despite an unsuccessful outcome, Demetrius was respected for the machines he built as well as his boldness and determination. Soon after the siege, he was elected king by the armies of Macedon. Demetrius’s life ended in tragedy, however, when his troops deserted him and he was forced to surrender to King Seleucus of Cilicia. He died three years later in 283 BCE. The reverse of this coin, featuring the sea god Poseidon, could symbolize Demetrius’s naval victories. This coin exemplifies the utilitarian nature of coinage. Despite the fact that Demetrius was eventually disgraced, coins bearing his image retained their value.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Four-drachma coin (tetradachm), ca. 227-221 BCE
Silver
This coin exemplifies the great skill of early die-engravers. The delicate carving of the wood planks of the ship and the contours of Poseidon’s face show a precise attention to detail. The inscription on the hull of Apollo’s ship means “King Antigonus,” and refers to Antigonus Doson, the ex-general of Alexander who ordered the minting. This bold statement is tempered by pious representations of two gods in the coin’s imagery: Poseidon, god of the sea, and Apollo, god of the sun. The coin commemorates the victory of the battle of Andros, one of the many victories achieved by this respected ruler.
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Object label written for the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Unknown artist, Greek
Four-drachma coin (tetradrachm), 323-285 BCE
Silver
Ptolemy I Soter, the first of the Macedonian kings of Egypt, was a general of Alexander the Great who distinguished himself in his martial and administrative organization of Egypt after the death of his commander. This coin is distinctive in the realism shown in the face of the ruler. Ptolemy’s humanity is emphasized by the shadows and sinews of his portrait. The eyes are sunken, the chin protruding, and the face angular. Around his neck he wears an aegis, or religious collar, similar to that of Zeus.