Greek Coin: Drachma

Inv. No.: c005
Provenance: Sicyon
Date: c. 400-323 B.C.
 
Obv.: Chimera, head and right foreleg raised.

Rev.: Flying dove.

At the beginning of the fourth century B.C., Sicyon entered on a period of great commercial prosperity, as its abundant coinage shows.

The chimera was a hybrid monster, with a lion head, a goat body and a dragon tail. It has been seen as a symbol of rushing torrents, as destructive as lions, as unpredictable as goats and as winding as snakes. It may be connected with Aigialeia, an ancient name of Sicyon, after Aigialeus, its first king. The dove is a link with the local cult of Aphrodite: the dove, the swan, the swallow and the sparrow are often mentioned as drawing her chariot or serving as her messengers.

Comparanda:
Cf. Grose 6242.