In the Ancient Greek tale of Perseus and Andromeda, the hero defeated Ketos, the mighty sea monster, using Medusa's severed head. Best remembered for her snake hair and horrific face, Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters, and could turn her adversaries to stone with a fearsome stare. Images of the gorgoneion appear across the classical world. Hideous faces with menacing grins and ferocious eyes, they served an apotropaic function; that is, they were symbols of protection.1 Worn on breastplates, they could help defend the wearer in battle. Placed above the door of a building, they could protect the household from evil spirits and thieves. The gorgoneion image was also a popular design choice for coins issued by the city-states of ancient Greece.
Athens (c. 525 BC), Silver ‘Wappenmunzen’ Tetradrachm. Seltman 319-322. Image: Baldwin’s.
The frightening facing can be seen gazing out from coins minted in numerous locations across Italy, Greece and Asia Minor. The Macedonian city of Neapolis, the Mysian cities of Parium and Kyzikos, and even the great Athens itself issued coins depicting gorgoneia at some point. Why though, was the horrific face chosen as a motif for such a public and widespread object? The process of forging has existed since the very beginnings of currency. Even the earliest coins of Ionia and Lydia were copied; imitations produced with base-metal cores in place of the gold/silver alloy. For as long as coins have existed, unscrupulous individuals have taken the opportunity to take advantage of lesser-informed people and make money. The practice, of course, was highly illegal in the states where it was practiced. Throughout history the punishments for counterfeiting have been severe. In Dante’s Inferno, the counterfeiters are explicably noted as inhabiting the 8th circle of hell, along with the alchemists, presumably for their avarice. In Medieval England, the counterfeiters were sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered – the most horrific method of execution.
Roman Republic, Silver Serrated Denarius. Issued in an attempt to prevent counterfeiting, the Denarius Serratus was something of a failure.
In any case, the problem of counterfeiting had dogged coin-producing states for centuries. During the Roman Republic, the problem had gotten so out of hand that the mint attempted to solve the issue. By minting a special type of denarius with serrated edges, spenders could be confident the coins they were using contained pure silver, as they could, quite literally, see inside the coin. At least, that was the plan. In actuality, forgers adapted their methods and simply made silver-plated copies of the serrated coins. The series was something of a failure and the denarius serratus was abandoned from 64 BC onwards.2 Nearly two decades later, the facing gorgoneion would appear on Roman coins. Issued in 47 BC by the moneyer Lucius Plautius Plancus, these coins bore highly artistic and quite frightening Medusa heads. The series was struck from a large number of different dies, with varying artistic styles, some horrific, others less-so. The moneyer’s name appears below the head. The design has been explained as a reference to Plancus’ family history. The poet Ovid explains that, during a dispute, the tibicines, slaves of the family, were snuck back into Rome and forced to wear masks so as not to be recognised.3
Image: Roman Republic, L. Plautius Plancus (47 BC), Silver Denarius. Coins of this moneyer bore hideous depictions of Medusa. Crawford 453/1c.
I believe the Medusa design may serve a dual purpose, and one which might also apply to earlier coin issues from the Greek world – that of magical protection. In the archaeological record, gorgoneia appear on all manner of objects. Even ovens adorned with the gruesome have been discovered – the faces presumably placed there to protect the bread.4 Gorgon heads were used on everyday objects, shrines and municipal architecture, so perhaps the appearance on currency served a similar purpose. On a wider scale, gorgon heads on coins could have protected the currency of the issuing authority. They may have had a relevant artistic use – perhaps recounting historical events associated with the place of minting or the issuer, but the design could also have represented an attempt to discourage damage to the currency through counterfeiting. Some coin forgers may even have been afraid of the design and shunned copying it. If correct the intention would have been for the apotropaic nature of the gorgoneion to affect the wider economy and thus offer protection for the state itself.
Macedon, Neapolis (c. 500-480 BC), Silver Stater. Did the gorgoneion represent a form of divine protection for the state’s currency?
But did this use of the gorgon design actually work? Unsurprisingly, plated copies of genuine coins depicting gorgoneia do exist. A study of gorgon head imitations against genuine articles, and their relative proportions compared with other issues could yield fascinating results. In the wider archaeologic record, other portable objects adorned with gorgon heads may also have prevented forgery of state-owned property. As an example, seal stamps adorned with gorgoneia have been seen as a method of preventing tampering and forgery of documents, notably the pinakia of Athens dating to the 4th Century BC.5 This was the time when Athens was the superpower of the Greek world. While the seals themselves inherently guaranteed the authenticity of the document they were stamped on, the use of the imagery may also have provided magical protection for official documentation.
A piece of everyday design found in every corner of the Greek and Roman worlds, the magical gorgoneion protected people and objects from harm. As we’ve seen, it may also have protected the coins and, thus, the economies of entire nations.
Excerpt from an upcoming publication by Dominic Chorney, to be published by Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's.
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1 Wallensten, 2024, p. 95. 2 Sellers, 2013, p. 29. 3 Dumezil, 1980, p. 163: Ovid (Fasti, vi, 651). 4 Faraone, 2018, p. 40. 5 Kroll, 1890, p. 317