The Odyssey Told through Coins

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The Odyssey is a famous ancient Greek epic that tells the story of Odysseus’s long journey home after the Trojan War ended. Let’s sail alongside Odysseus as we learn about ancient coins that represent some of the challenges the hero faced on his adventurous voyage. 

Lotus Eaters: Cilicia Silver Stater

After the war, Odysseus and his crew just want to get home, and nothing can change that—until they end up on the Island of the Lotus Eaters. Luckily for Odysseus, the people who live on the island are friendly and offer his crew lotus fruit to eat. Unluckily for Odysseus, this unfortunate fruit makes his men forget that they’re trying to go home! Odysseus has to drag his men back to the ships and make a quick escape. 

A lotus flower can be seen on this Cilicia silver stater. This coin was minted in the 4th century B.C. in Cilicia, a region located on the northeast side of the Mediterranean Sea. The obverse of this coin depicts a Persian soldier and ruler named Pharnabazus. On top of Pharnabazus’s scepter is a lotus flower. The reverse depicts a head wearing a Greek Attic helmet. The lotus flower is on the scepter to represent divine power and authority.  

Polyphemus: Copper/Bronze Litra

Nobody can defeat an angry cyclops, especially if Nobody is Odysseus! When Odysseus and his crew anger the cyclops Polyphemus, Odysseus tricks the cyclops by telling him that his name is Nobody. When Polyphemus falls asleep, the men blind him by stabbing him in the eye. None of Polyphemus’s cyclopes neighbors come to help him because he says that “Nobody” is attacking him. But when Odysseus foolishly reveals his real identity while escaping, it causes Polyphemus’s father, Poseidon, the god of the sea, to send violent storms his way. 

Poseidon, wearing a headband, is depicted on the obverse of this litra from Sicily. Minted in the 4th century B.C., this coin is made of a copper and bronze alloy. The reverse depicts Poseidon’s weapon and symbol, the trident, with a dolphin on either side of it.

Laestrygonians: Sidon Double Shekel 

Odysseus’s fleet of 12 ships is made up of penteconters, a type of ancient war galley that was rowed by 50 men. This impressive fleet is no match for the Laestrygonians, a group of man-eating giants that Odysseus and his crew encounter. The Laestrygonians hurl boulders at the ships and devour the crew. Only Odysseus’s ship survives this attack.

This silver double shekel is from Sidon, an ancient city located east of the Mediterranean Sea. Minted in the 4th century B.C., this coin depicts a ship similar to the ones in Odysseus’s fleet on the obverse. The reverse depicts the King of Persia in a horse-drawn chariot with a man on either side of him.   

Circe: Abakainon Silver Stater

After their encounter with the Lotus Eaters, the surviving members of Odysseus’s crew should know better than to accept food from strangers. But they can’t seem to resist the feast thrown for them by the sorceress Circe. Luck is not on the crew’s side, and when they’re woozy from the drugged food, Circe turns them all into pigs! Odysseus is able to withstand Circe’s spells with the help of a magical plant and makes her promise to undo the spell on his men. Odysseus and Circe strike a deal, and she ends up becoming a helpful ally.   

A large pig can be seen on the reverse of this silver stater from Abakainon, which was minted in the mid-late 5th century B.C. Abakainon is located in modern-day Sicily. The obverse of this coin depicts a man wearing a laureate crown. The pig is likely included on this coin because of how important herds of swine were to the city’s economy.   

Sirens: Neapolis Didrachm

Unlike the other foes he faced, Odysseus was fully prepared to encounter the sirens. Sirens, now associated with mermaids, were depicted as half-woman, half-bird creatures in ancient times. These dangerous creatures plan to lure Odysseus and his crew to their deaths with their enchanting songs. But Odysseus is one step ahead and instructs his crew to fill their ears with beeswax. They then tie their fearless leader to the mast so he can hear their songs without jumping into the sea to his death. This plan works perfectly, and Odysseus and his crew sail by safely.   

The siren Parthenope is depicted on the obverse of this didrachm from Neapolis, which is located in modern-day Naples. This silver coin was minted in the late 4th century B.C. The reverse shows a man-headed bull named Achelous, a powerful river god who is said to be the father of sirens.  

Scylla & Charybdis: Tetradrachm of Akragas

Have you ever been stuck between a rock and a hard place? Odysseus has. In fact, the origin of this idiom can be traced back to The Odyssey, where Odysseus has to choose which monster to sail past. He can either choose to go by Charybdis, a giant beast who creates massive whirlpools, or Scylla, a six-headed creature who lives on a cliff. Odysseus chooses to sail past Scylla, which results in six of his men being eaten.  

Scylla can be seen on the tetradrachm of Akragas, an ancient Greek city state located off the coast of Sicily. These rare coins were minted in the 5th century B.C. On the obverse of this coin, two eagles are shown eating a hare. On the reverse, Scylla can be seen below a giant crab. Scylla is depicted as a beautiful mermaid-like creature, rather than a sea monster. (We know that this is Scylla because of the dogs’ heads coming out of her waist.) 

Island of Helios: Alexandria Tetradrachm

After enduring such a long and perilous journey, the remaining members of Odysseus’s crew are starving by the time they reach Thrinacia, an island full of livestock. Despite being warned that the cattle are sacred to the sun god Helios, the crew feasts on the cows. Enraged, Helios forces Zeus to take revenge on the men. Zeus destroys the last remaining ship in the fleet, and Odysseus is the only survivor. 

This tetradrachm from Alexandria depicts Roman Emperor Hadrian on the obverse, and Helios on the reverse. Minted in the early 2nd century A.D., this coin is made of billon, an alloy of a precious metal and a base metal. Helios is depicted wearing a radiate crown, which is primarily associated with sun gods, and looks like rays of light. 

Homecoming: Ithaca Bronze Drachm

After 10 years of fighting at Troy, and 10 years of fighting to get home, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he is reunited with his wife and son. His journey is an epic tale that has stood the test of time and still resonates with people nearly 3,000 years later. 

This coin is a bronze drachm, minted in the 4th century B.C. on the island of Ithaca. It depicts Odysseus wearing his signature cap, with a wreath and thunderbolt on the reverse.     

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