Hemidrachm: Chimaera (obverse); Dove (Cleveland Museum of Art 1917.979)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
400–323 BCE
The lion, king of the beasts and an animal associated with regal and heroic power, featured prominently on the coinage of many ancient Greek city-states. Artists placed the lion in a variety of poses, sometimes including the whole body, at other times the foreparts or just the head.
Although it may once have roamed nearby, for many Greeks the lion was a monster nearly as exotic as the Chimaera, of which it formed a part (together with a goat head and snake-headed tail, as seen on this Sikyonian coin). Cleveland Museum of Art object 1917.979: Hemidrachm: Chimaera (obverse); Dove (reverse), 400–323 BCE. Greek, minted at Sikyon (Peloponnesos). Silver; diameter: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.). Inscribed: ΣΙ (SI, indicates that this coin is from Sikyon); I.
Details are those of this museum object; how far it represents a wider type has not been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 3
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The monstrous chimaera adds a goat head and snake-headed tail to the already fearsome lion.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- silver
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.)
- Measurements
- Diameter: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.)
- Material and technique
- silver
Design
- Inscriptions
- ΣΙ (SI, indicates that this coin is from Sikyon); I
Identification
- Date recorded
- 400–323 BCE
- Culture period
- Greek, minted at Sikyon (Peloponnesos)
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 1917.979
- Published references
- "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 4 (1917): 64-67. Mentioned: p. 64
- Museum classification
- Coins
Documentation checklist
- Denomination
- Research required
- Issue or mint date
- Recorded
- Material
- Recorded
- Weight
- Research required
- Mint or printer
- Research required
- Mint or printer mark
- Research required
- Catalogue reference
- Research required
- Attached photograph (check rights)
- Recorded
Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: this record describes a single museum object; confirm the wider coin type and standard catalogue references (e.g. SNG, RPC, RIC) against numismatic literature.