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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0063
16 The altars of Zeus Kataibdtes
Sometimes the god is seated in his temple (figs. 5, 6)1. But
Fig. 5. Fig. 6.
usually the cult was a more modest affair. Thus on the top of
the hill Perianti in Melos there is a rough rock-cut altar simply
1 Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Galatia, etc. p. 137 Philippus Senior, p. 137 pi. 17, 6
Philippus Iunior ( = my fig. 5). Hunter Cat. Coins iii. 135 Philippus Iunior, Anson Num.
Gr. v. 65 no. 430 pi. 10 Philippus Iunior, Eckhel Doctr. num. vet.'2 iii. 260 f., Rasche
Lex. Num. ii. 1168 f. Caracalla, Philippus Senior, Philippus Iunior, Suppl. ii. 350 f.
Elagabalos, Philippus Senior, Philippus Iunior, Overbeck Gr. Kiinstmyth. Zeus p. 214 f.
Mtinztaf. 3, 17, Head Hist, num.'1 p. 777.
The legend A IOC KA T6B ATOY KYPHCTfiN involves two peculiarities in
spelling. The former, Kare^drris for Karcu/3ixT?7s, is very frequent from the time of Trajan
onward: some specimens struck by Philippus Senior even shorten the title to Kre/3dT?;s
(Brit. Mus. Cat. Corns Galatia, etc. p. 137 no. 32 AI0CKT6 BA TOY KYPHCTfiN)
—I figure a sample in my collection (fig. 6). The latter, Kvprjurwi' for Kvpp7]<TTwv, is
common on coins struck by the Philippi, and regular in ecclesiastical and Byzantine
writers (Smith Diet. Geogr. i. 737).
The running ram above the temple was regarded by W. Wroth as ' a mint-symbol,
corresponding to the Capricorn at Zeugma, and (perhaps) to the Pegasos at Samosata'
(Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Galatia, etc. pp. If., 137 n.*). The closest parallel, however, is
the running ram above the temple of Tyche at Antiocheia on the Orontes (id. p. 222
pi. 25, 12, p. 229 pi. 26, 4f.), which 'has been explained by K. O. Mtiller [Antiguitates
Antiochenae Gottingae 1839 p. 25] as a sign of the zodiac, indicating the period of the
year at which the foundation of the city took place ' (W. Wroth id. p. lix citing J. de Witte
in the Rev. Num. 1844 p. ti). Possibly the ram, when placed above a building, should
rather be taken to represent an akroterion, comparable e.g. with the eagle on coins of
Seleukeia Pieria (Append. B Syria) or with the more ambitious groups on coins of Berytos
(Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Phoenicia p. 77 f. pi. 10, 4 and 6, p. 81 ff. pi. 10, 9—11, Anson
Num. Gr. v. 54 f. nos. 361, 363 pi. 8). If so, it is probable (cp. supra i. 292 ff. for solar
a/crott'ria, i. 346 ff., 428 ff. for solar ram) that this ram was a prophylactic sun-sign.
Overbeck Gr. Kunstmyth. Zeus p. 215 hazards the very precarious suggestion that it was
'das Symbol der Wolke, aber der fruchtbaren, lichten Wolke.'
Sometimes the god is seated in his temple (figs. 5, 6)1. But
Fig. 5. Fig. 6.
usually the cult was a more modest affair. Thus on the top of
the hill Perianti in Melos there is a rough rock-cut altar simply
1 Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Galatia, etc. p. 137 Philippus Senior, p. 137 pi. 17, 6
Philippus Iunior ( = my fig. 5). Hunter Cat. Coins iii. 135 Philippus Iunior, Anson Num.
Gr. v. 65 no. 430 pi. 10 Philippus Iunior, Eckhel Doctr. num. vet.'2 iii. 260 f., Rasche
Lex. Num. ii. 1168 f. Caracalla, Philippus Senior, Philippus Iunior, Suppl. ii. 350 f.
Elagabalos, Philippus Senior, Philippus Iunior, Overbeck Gr. Kiinstmyth. Zeus p. 214 f.
Mtinztaf. 3, 17, Head Hist, num.'1 p. 777.
The legend A IOC KA T6B ATOY KYPHCTfiN involves two peculiarities in
spelling. The former, Kare^drris for Karcu/3ixT?7s, is very frequent from the time of Trajan
onward: some specimens struck by Philippus Senior even shorten the title to Kre/3dT?;s
(Brit. Mus. Cat. Corns Galatia, etc. p. 137 no. 32 AI0CKT6 BA TOY KYPHCTfiN)
—I figure a sample in my collection (fig. 6). The latter, Kvprjurwi' for Kvpp7]<TTwv, is
common on coins struck by the Philippi, and regular in ecclesiastical and Byzantine
writers (Smith Diet. Geogr. i. 737).
The running ram above the temple was regarded by W. Wroth as ' a mint-symbol,
corresponding to the Capricorn at Zeugma, and (perhaps) to the Pegasos at Samosata'
(Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Galatia, etc. pp. If., 137 n.*). The closest parallel, however, is
the running ram above the temple of Tyche at Antiocheia on the Orontes (id. p. 222
pi. 25, 12, p. 229 pi. 26, 4f.), which 'has been explained by K. O. Mtiller [Antiguitates
Antiochenae Gottingae 1839 p. 25] as a sign of the zodiac, indicating the period of the
year at which the foundation of the city took place ' (W. Wroth id. p. lix citing J. de Witte
in the Rev. Num. 1844 p. ti). Possibly the ram, when placed above a building, should
rather be taken to represent an akroterion, comparable e.g. with the eagle on coins of
Seleukeia Pieria (Append. B Syria) or with the more ambitious groups on coins of Berytos
(Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Phoenicia p. 77 f. pi. 10, 4 and 6, p. 81 ff. pi. 10, 9—11, Anson
Num. Gr. v. 54 f. nos. 361, 363 pi. 8). If so, it is probable (cp. supra i. 292 ff. for solar
a/crott'ria, i. 346 ff., 428 ff. for solar ram) that this ram was a prophylactic sun-sign.
Overbeck Gr. Kunstmyth. Zeus p. 215 hazards the very precarious suggestion that it was
'das Symbol der Wolke, aber der fruchtbaren, lichten Wolke.'