Dear Friends of ancient mythology! Anyone who collects coins from Markianopolis should pay attention to Apollo Lykeios. It is the most typical depiction for Markianopolis. The coin: Moesia inferior, Markianopolis, Caracalla&Julia Domna, AD 198-217 AE 28, 13.47g, 27.78mm, 15° struck under governor Quintilianus, 213-216 obv. ANTΩNINOC AVΓOVCTOC IOVΛIA ΔOMNA. Laureate head of Caracalla r. and bust of Julia Domna, draped, l. rev: VΠ KVNTIΛIANOV MAPKIANOΠOΛI in left and right field TΩ - N Apollo Lykeios, nude, stg. frontal, looking r., right hand over the head, holding in extended l. hand a bow with arrow over a tree stump around which a snake is winding l. in upper left field E (for Pentassarion) ref. a) AMNG I/1, 663, plate XV, 1 (1 ex., Paris, same die) b) not in Varbanov c) Hristova/Jekov (2014) No 6.19.7.5 (this coin) d) not in Pfeiffer Rare, almost VZ, pretty green patina, my most beautiful Apollo Lykeios! An interesting variation can be found on coins for Gordian III, Philipp I and Philipp II. There is an object on the left side, probably for reasons of symmetry to the tree stump with the snake. Some show the quiver with the robe placed over it. On this coin, struck for Severus Alexander&Julia Mamaea under Umbrius Tereventinus, HrJ(2014) 6.34.7.2 (this coin), it is the open quiver with the arrows. Etymology: Lykeios has the Greek root λυκ- = bright and is thus the light god already described in the Homeric hymns for Apollo. His relationship to the wolf is pure folk etymology (Roscher), although it was gladly taken up by writers and poets, e.g. Aischylos, Sophokles etc., and was decorated with local myths (Pausanias). But a relationship with Lykia in Asia minor is possible, because its name is connected with the ancient cult of the Anatolian light god. In Athens, but also in Metapontium, we have indications of a cult of Apollo Lykeios in rather early times. There he was the guardian of the Lykeion. This famous Lykeion was located northeast of Athens outside the city and included not only the sanctuary of Apollo but also the Gymnasion, in which the sophists taught, Protagoras and then Aristoteles with his students, whose name "Peripatetics" comes from the covered walk (peripatos). This statue is already mentioned and described by Lukian, but without assignment to an artist. It was created in the 4th century B.C. by the great sculptor Praxiteles (around 390-around 320 B.C.), from whom we know also the Apollo Sauroktonos. It was obviously not intended as a cult image, but for the Temenos, the park-like temple district of the Lykeion. Euphranor, a contemporary of Praxiteles, was also discussed as creator, but is no longer an option today for stylistic reasons (his figures are too muscular).The Lykeion was heavily devastated by Philip V in 200 BC. The same was true of Sulla during the siege of Athens (Kleiner Pauly). The exact location was discovered by chance during construction work and is located east of the Acropolis near the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art. The Lykeion takes its name from the wolf's head sculptures with which it was decorated (Greek λύκος = "wolf") (Wikipedia). Roscher thinks that the name of the Lykeion can be traced back to Lykos, the son of Pandion, the son of Erichthonios, who was king of Euboia (Pausanias; Stephan. Byz.). In Argos there was an Apollo Lykoktonos (= wolf killer), who was considered there as protector of the herds and to whom wolves were sacrificed. Lykoktonos is also the name of the deadly poisonous yellow wolfsbane (Aconitum lycoctonum), with which wolves used to be fended off. Own photo taken at the Upper Neckar, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History of art: The statue of Apollo Lykeios immediately became famous and was copied again and again, exactly with this typical, sensual, hand-over-the-head position. Since this statue stands rather frontally, it could be used well for temples, especially when a newly founded city needed one, or as a consecration gift inside and outside the sanctuary. Lukian writes that Apollo leans against a stele, with a bow in his left hand and that he holds his right hand over his head as after a great effort, e.g. after a fight. Lukian is one of the best sources for sculptures because he has seen them himself. Pick (AMNG) writes that the tree stump can be recognized as laurel on carefully executed coins. He thinks, because the copies show the most different supports, that the original statue itself was made of bronze and therefore did not need a support. The copies, however, were usually made of marble and varied the support. We know that the Romans loved marble and therefore all Roman copies are made of marble. Today we know that the original statue was indeed made of bronze, but also had a support for compositional completeness. Marble statue of Apollo Lykeios from the Louvre. It's a good match for the depiction on the coin from Markianopolis. The position with the hand above the head was also used for other statues. For example for Dionysos, who can often only be distinguished from Apollo by his attributes like wine or panther. This marble statue is the Ludovisian Dionysus. It is a Roman work from the 2nd century A.D. which was found in the 16th century on the Quirinal in Rome and was acquired for the collection of the Villa Ludovisi. The same pose was used in Nikopolis to depict the mountain god Haimos on coins. This is HrHJ (2018) 8.26.43.2 struck for Elagabal under Novius Rufus: Summary: Finally a compilation of the different Lykeios interpretations: (1) Lykeios = the bright one, like Phoibos. Identical in nature to the lion-shaped Anatolian god of light. (2) Lykeios = the Lykian. This opinion was the great Wilamowitz, and it could well explain the fact that he was defending Troy against the Achaeans, which is indicating an Asia Minor origin. This interpretation is supported by Hittite Inscriptions. (3) Lykeios from Lykos = the wolf. Apollo Lykeios as the protector of the shepherds and the Flocks of sheep from wolf raids. This is an expression of an old 'wolf god' Lycan-Lycurgus. Apollo is, according to today's knowledge, a great arch-guiding healing and death god of Scythian-Indogermanoc Northern people, who manifested his underworldly aspect in the wolf symbol. At the time of the general break-ins in the Aegean he was merged with the Letoids of Asia Minor, the consorts of sons and brothers of the Mediterranean virgin mother Leto-Artemis. The famous oracle god, which he always was in historical time, always preserved a certain foreign character, which probably also explains the appreciation of the Delphic Apollo by the Lydian king Kroisos Sources: (1) Homer. hymn. ad Apollinem (2) Lukian of Samosate (3) Pausanias, Voyages (4) Stephanos of Byzantium, Ethnika Literature: (1) Benjamin Hederich, Gründliches Mythologisches Lexikon, 1770 (online too) (2) Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher, Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie, 1885 (online too) (3) Bernhardt Pick, AMNG (4) Der Kleine Pauly (5) Wikipedia Excursion: Apollo Lykeios - or rather not? If one deals with Apollo Lykeios, then the next coin belongs absolutely to this topic. The Apollo shown is regularly called Apollo Lykeios. The Coin: Cilicia, Tarsos, Maximinus I, AD 225-238 AE 37, 19.31g, 180° obv. AVT.K.Γ.IOV.OVH.MAΞIMEINOC in l. and r. field Π-Π bust, draped and cuirassed, radiate, r. rev. TAPCOV THC MHTPOΠOΛEΩ[C] Apollo Lykeios, nude, laureate, standing facing, holding a dead wolfe in each hand. in l. field AMK, in r. field Γ.B ref. SNG Levante 1099 (this coin); SNG France 1590 (same die) rare, about VF, dark green Patina pedigree: CNG Auction 70, Lot 578, 2005 Note: AMK stands for ''πρωτος, μεγιστος, καλλιστος" (= the first, the greatest, the most beautiful). These epitheta were given to Tarsos - like other cities - in AD 215 on the occasion of the campaign of Caracalla against the Parthians. Γ.B are numbers, 3 and 2, and mean "capital of three provinces, owner of two neocorias". When Tarsos received a third neocoria under Valerian, this inscription changed to Γ.Γ (Curtis Clay) But if you take a closer look at the so-called dead wolves, they look more like dogs and not like wolves! Patricia Lawrence was kind enough to point out a completely different interpretation of the reverse: BekircanTahberer has published in the 'Celator' the assumption that there are really 2 dogs that Apollo wears here. Lychopron, a poet of the 3rd century, speaks of the mythological figures Mopsus and Amphilochos as the 'Dogs of Apollo' who accompany him, just as the dogs accompany Artemis. So these dogs would symbolize Mopsus and Amphilochos. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that until now no Apollo statue has been found in Tarsos, in contrast to Mallos, where Mopsos and Amphilochos were highly revered, and where Apollo statues also stood. Mopsos himself was a son of Apollo, Amphiolochos was the son of Amphiaraos of Argolis, an Apollo priest. Thus both have a close relationship to Apollo. Mopsos had been given his fortune telling skills by Apollo. One must know that at this time there was a fierce competition between the cities for the establishment of necorias and consecration sites. For example, if a city had a famous fortune telling temple, like Mallos, it was like a license to print money. From everywhere people streamed into the city, with them the money, and the city became rich. That was then how the cities fight today to become venues for a World Cup. Unfortunately, we have the problem that the early Anatolians failed to keep any records, or if they did, they were not cancelled or perished. In any case, the statue depicted is a typical cult statue for a temple, and not a portrait in a small landscape shrine. It was probably as beautiful and significant as that of Kanachos in Miletos, where Apollo holds a stag in his hand. Unfortunately we don't have the opportunity to find out if it really dates back to the 6th century or is just a 'miraculous discovery' from later times. In any case, this is not Apollo Lykeios, because he always has his hand on his head, as can be seen on the famous statue from Athens. Literature: (1) Bekircan Tahberer, Apollo Lykeos in Ancient Tarsus Numismatics, Celator #30 (2) Der Kleine Pauly Thanks to Curtis Clay and Pat Lawrence! Best regards
