Didrachm (Coin) Depicting the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux)
225-214 BCE, issued by the Roman Republic
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Diam.: 2.3 cm (15/16 in.)
Classification
coin
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
9920
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The front of this coin depicts a Janiform head of the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux), wearing crowns of laurels and surrounded by a decorative border of dots. On the back the god Jupiter wields a thunderbolt while riding in a four horse chariot, called a quadriga, which is driven by the figure of Victory. Beneath them, ROMA is inscribed in a rectangle.
About the Artist
Ancient Roman
The artists attributed to "Ancient Roman" in museum collections represent the anonymous craftsmen who produced the vast output of sculpture, frescoes, mosaics, and reliefs defining Roman visual culture from the Republic (c. 509–27 BCE) to the late Empire (c. 395 CE). Individual identities remain elusive, as Roman makers were typically viewed as skilled tradesmen—often enslaved Greeks or provincial...