Mysia, Pergamon Silver Tetradrachm 166-67BC

Mysia, Pergamon Silver Tetradrachm 166-67BC
28mm, 12.70g

Pergamon was the largest city in Mysia, a region situated in north western Anatolia (present day Turkey).
The obverse shows a cista mystica, a basket for sacred objects, here it contains snakes associated with the worship of Dionysos. The ivy wreath design and the thyrsus (staff entwined with snakes), on the reverse, also refer to this god. The bow case, or ‘gorytos’, shown on the reverse is linked to Herakles, the father of Telephos, who was the founder and first king of Pergamon.

These coins are typically referred to as cistophoric tetradrachms, reflecting the main currency in Asia Minor for over 300 years.