The cheeky Thracian
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To mark Valentine’s Day, here is a slightly risqué selection where you wouldn’t expect it!
The island of Thasos, not far from Samothrace, celebrated not victory but indeed love on the obverse of several of its coins, which quite clearly depict the coupling of a satyr and a nymph.
Surprising, a little salacious, and quite fantastic.
Coin Islands off Thrace
Stater, ca. 412-404 BC, Thasos, AU(55-58), Silver
Coin Islands off Thrace
Stater, ca. 480-460 BC, Thasos, EF(40-45), Silver
Coin Thrace
Thasos, Helios, Stater, 480 - 463 BC, Thasos, EF(40-45), Silver
Picture: "Nymphs and Satyr" by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1873)(Public Domain)
