Mysia. Pergamon. Asklepios and Serpent.
Lot 128 · Consigned by mjd
Closed
Description
MYSIA. Pergamon.
Æ (mid–late 2nd century BC). 5.41 g.
Obverse: Laureate head of Asklepios right, serene and idealized, emphasizing the god’s healing authority and the city’s famed medical sanctuary.
Reverse: ΑΣΚΛΕΠΙΟΥ / ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ. Serpent coiled right around an omphalos, a potent emblem of renewal and divine protection.
Context & Significance:
Pergamon was one of the great healing centers of the Hellenistic world, home to the renowned Asklepieion that drew supplicants from across the Aegean. Bronze issues such as this explicitly name Asklepios as Soter (“Savior”), underscoring the civic pride and religious identity bound to therapeutic cult practice. The serpent—Askepios’ sacred companion—encircling the omphalos reinforces themes of regeneration and cosmic order, imagery especially appropriate for a city whose reputation rested on divine medicine.