NGC Ancients: Dolphins on Roman Coins

Dolphins have fascinated people since ancient times. Ancient Greeks saw them as helpers and good omens. In ancient mythology, they are associated with serving Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, whose Roman equivalent was Neptune. They are also linked to the Roman goddess Venus, who was believed to have been born from the sea.

This month includes World Dolphin Day (September 12), so let’s take a closer look at dolphins on ancient coins. They are most famously depicted on the coins of the ancient Greek city of Taras in southern Italy, which the Romans called Tarentum. The boy riding a dolphin is believed to be either a son of Poseidon, whom a dolphin rescued from a shipwreck, or Phalanthus, the legendary founder of Taras.

This silver didrachm struck 510-500 B.C. is an early example of the coins of Tarentum, which were issued for about three centuries until the city lost its independence to Rome. We previously examined these coins in a NGC Ancients column called Dolphin-riders of Taras. In today’s column, we’ll focus on dolphins on Roman coins.

One of the earliest examples of a dolphin on Roman coinage is this bronze coin known as an “as” that was struck in Sicily circa 209-208 B.C. The obverse shows Janus while the reverse shows a dolphin to the right of a galley. At the time, Rome was fighting the second of three Punic Wars with its archrival Carthage, which demonstrated the need for strong naval power.

In 74 B.C., the Roman moneyer L. Lucretius Trio issued a silver denarius reminiscent of the ones from Taras. These Roman coins show Neptune on the obverse and a winged genius riding a dolphin on the reverse.

In 46 B.C., the Roman moneyer Mn. Cordius Rufus issued a silver denarius which closely resembles the issue of almost 30 years prior. It shows Venus on the obverse and her son Cupid riding a dolphin on the reverse.

In 48 B.C., Pompey "the Great" was locked in a civil war that he ultimately lost to his former ally from the First Triumvirate, Julius Caesar. In that year, the Pompeians issued this silver denarius at a Greek mint, showing Jupiter on the obverse and a dolphin and an eagle on the reverse. Pompey had earned respect two decades earlier by cracking down on pirates who were plaguing the Mediterranean.

A dolphin with a trident is shown on this bronze coin from Berytus in Phoenicia that was issued circa 29-27 B.C. by Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. Today, Berytus is known as Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Dolphins had been featured on coins of the ancient Phoenicians centuries earlier, including ones from nearby Tyre showing a dolphin on one side and an owl on the other.

A similar motif appears on this bronze "as" struck in Nicopolis on the western coast of Greece, which shows a dolphin wrapped around a trident. On the other side is Agrippa, a capable military leader and statesman under Emperor Augustus who died in 12 B.C.

Here’s another bronze "as" that shows Agrippa on the obverse, while the reverse features Neptune holding a small dolphin and a trident. The type was produced by several Julio-Claudian emperors from Tiberius through Nero (A.D. 14 to 68).

By the time the Roman Empire was founded, Rome controlled the shores of Mediterranean. This bronze coin from circa 25 B.C. to A.D. 24 is from Iol-Caesarea in northern Africa. It shows the head of Africa wearing an elephant skin on the obverse and a dolphin on the reverse.

This billon tetradrachm was struck in Alexandria, Egypt near the end of the reign of Emperor Nero (A.D. 54-68). It shows a radiate bust of Nero on the obverse and a galley with dolphins swimming below on the reverse. The optimistic themes on this coin conflict with reality; tyrannical Nero was about to lose his life after being forced from power.

This Gold Aureus was struck for the emperor Vitellius in A.D. 69, the "Year of the Four Emperors." The reverse shows a dolphin above a tripod-lebes, used by priests for rituals. Vitellius ruled a mere eight months until he was overthrown and killed.

This silver denarius of Titus (A.D. 79-81) shows a dolphin wrapped around an anchor. This design was adopted as a publisher’s device by the Venetian humanist Aldus Manutius (c.1449/52-1513), a renowned publisher of the Renaissance. It has since been adopted by many other publishers.

This bronze hemiassarion was struck under Antoninus Pius (A.D. 138-161) in Nicomedia, near present-day Istanbul. It shows Eros riding a dolphin.

This bronze coin struck in Corinth under Lucius Verus (A.D. 161-169) shows Melicertes-Palaemon riding a crude-looking dolphin. Around the time this coin was struck, a temple had been built in this part of Greece to Melicertes-Palaemon, the son of a queen who was said to have thrown herself and him into the sea to escape her husband, who had been driven mad by the goddess Hera. A dolphin later carried Melicertes-Palaemon to Corinth.

Eros is again seen riding on a dolphin on this bronze coin struck for Diadumenian as Caesar (A.D. 217-218) at Deultum. Located in modern-day Bulgaria, Deultum is just across the southern Black Sea from Nicomedia.

This bronze coin of Julia Mamaea (mother of Emperor Alexander Severus) was struck A.D. 222-235 and shows an eagle above a dolphin. It was struck in Istros (just up the coast from Deultum). The eagle-and-dolphin theme echoes coins struck in the area about 500 years earlier.

Also from Deultum is this base metal coin depicting a dolphin, struck under Maximinus I (A.D. 235-238).

This bronze medallion was struck under Philip I (A.D. 244-259) in Phocaea, located on the western coast of modern-day Turkey. Its remarkable design of a dog biting a dolphin remains an enigma to numismatists, but likely corresponds to a local myth that is not preserved.

Poseidon often is shown holding a dolphin on Roman coins, but he sometimes is depicted with a dolphin under his foot. Such is the case with this billon tetradrachm of Claudius II (A.D. 268-270), which was issued in Egypt. In addition to a trident, Poseidon also holds an ear of grain.

Finally, this billon double-denarius of Aurelian (A.D. 270-275) struck at a mint in the Balkans shows a dolphin underneath the emperor as he clasps hands with Concordia. This coin is typically seen without the dolphin.

In addition to dolphins, mythological sea creatures, including the hippocamp and capricorn, fascinated people of ancient times. You can read about their connections to coins in a previous NGC Ancients column: Mythological Creatures, Part 2.

Images courtesy of Classical Numismatic Group.

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