Serpentarium Mundi by Alexei Alexeev The Ancient Ophidian Iconography Resource (Mundus Vetus, 3000 BC - 650 AD)
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Figure 025 of 048 OLYMPIAS: GALLERY | LIBRARY | REGISTRY Figure 027 of 048
Figure III-5-oly-026. Veiled Olympias reclining on a sofa (couch, kline) and being startled by Zeus-Ammon, appearing as a serpent. | Opposite side (obverse): Alexander the Great's diademed head rightward.

● Artefact
Object Category: Coin
View: Reverse
Medium: Bronze
Denomination: Unknown
Size/Diameter: 28 mm
Weight: 13.2 gm
● Context
Creator: Unknown
Mint: Beroia?
Region: Macedonia
Authority/Issuer: Gordian III (r. 238-
244 AD)
Sitter(s): Alexander the Great
(r. 336-323 BC)
Period: Middle Roman Imperial, Crisis of the Third Century, Gordian Dynasty
Date: 238-244 AD
Provenience: Unknown
● Collection
Ownership: Staatlichen Museen
Location: Berlin
Inventory №: 18214361
 
● Iconographic Type: Hexagenic™ Nomenclature Summary
Type: III.5a.oly.4.ber·go3.2a
Ontolocators
(Prefix):
volume: III. coins
chapter (part): 5. notables & anonyms (a. historical figures)
Integrals
(Stem):
subject: oly. Olympias
feature: 4. startled by Zeus-Ammon as serpent
Differentials
(Suffix):
idiosyncrasy: ber. Beroia? (go3. Gordian III)
variation: 2. sofa with nonfigurative armrest; Olympias reclining (a. Alexander the Great diademed on obverse)
● Iconographic Type: Formal Semantic Indicators™
Identifiers
(Beings):
deity.1: [Zeus-Ammon] "creature.1" [serpent]
hero: Ø
mortal: Ø
notable.1: Olympias
anonym: Ø
animal: Ø
creature.1: serpent "deity.1" [Zeus-Ammon]
object.1: sofa [couch/kline]
object.2: veil [velum/mantle?/palla?]
object.3: stola [dress]
object.4: groundline
symbol: Ø
pair: Ø
duplet: Ø
group: Ø
set: Ø
cluster: Ø
artwork: Ø
label.1: ΚΟΙΝΟΝ·ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΩΝ·ΝΕΩ·ΚΟ [legend]
Descriptors
(Properties):
epithet: Ø
syncretism: Ø
prosopon: Ø
morphology.1: "notable.1" [Olympias] (general: homogeneous; human; female) (head: human; female; with hair mainly obscured) (upper·body: human; female; torso with two arms and two hands) (lower·body: human; female; with two legs and two feet)
morphology.2: "creature.1" ["deity.1" [Zeus-Ammon] as serpent] (general: homogeneous; ophiomorphic; large) (head: ophidian; bearded?) (upper·body: ophidian) (lower·body: ophidian)
morphology.3: "object.1" [sofa] (composite; with long seat, nonfigurative armrest, and four legs; covered with folding drapery)
morphology.4: "object.2" [veil] (homogeneous; single piece of fabric)
morphology.5: "object.3" [stola] (homogeneous; single piece of fabric; long)
morphology.6: "object.4" [groundline] (homogeneous; straight; slender; full-span)
aspect.1: "notable.1" [Olympias] (general: upright; reclining leftward-frontward; leaning rightward; dressed) (head: upright; leftward) (upper·body: upright, frontward-leftward; right·arm bent, raised, with right·hand open leftward; left·arm straight, lowered, with left·hand grounded) (lower·body: horizontal; leftward; right·leg bent slightly, extended leftward, with right·foot obscured; left·leg straight, extended leftward, with left·foot obscured)
aspect.2: "creature.1" ["deity.1" [Zeus-Ammon] as serpent] (general: upright; rearing upward-rightward; undulating) (head: raised; rightward-upward) (upper·body: upright; rearing upward-rightward; undulating) (lower·body: upright; rearing upward-rightward; swirling; tail swirling, with tip pointing downward)
aspect.3: "object.1" [sofa] (horizontal; upward; frontward)
aspect.4: "object.2" [veil] (free-flowing; folding)
aspect.5: "object.3" [stola] (wrapped; free-flowing; folding)
aspect.6: "object.4" [groundline] (horizontal)
vector.1: "main composition" (left → right)
Operators
(Relations):
contact.1: "notable.1" [Olympias] ⟨reclining ⟨on⟩⟩ "object.1" [sofa]
contact.2: "notable.1" [Olympias] ⟨wearing ⟨on head and shoulders⟩⟩ "object.2" [veil]
contact.3: "notable.1" [Olympias] ⟨wearing ⟨on whole body⟩⟩ "object.3" [stola]
contact.4: "creature.1" ["deity.1" [Zeus-Ammon] as serpent] ⟨startling⟩ "notable.1" [Olympias]
contact.5: "creature.1" ["deity.1" [Zeus-Ammon] as serpent] ⟨rearing ⟨atop⟩⟩ "object.1" [sofa]
contact.6: "object.1" [sofa] ⟨standing ⟨upon⟩⟩ "object.4" [groundline]
conflict: Ø
context: Ø
contiguity: Ø
inversion.1: obverse: Alexander the Great's head {profile; rightward; wearing lion-skin headdress}; ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ [legend]; thunderbolt {miniature}
● Iconographic Type: Prominence
Occurrences
(Registered Instances):
very rare 1-6 specimens
sparse 7-18 specimens
common 19-60 specimens
abundant 60+ specimens
● Iconographic Type: Selected Universal Subject References
ICONCLASS
(Codes and Descriptions):
98C(OLYMPIAS) (story of) Olympias
98C(OLYMPIAS)2 love affairs of Olympias
98C(OLYMPIAS)21
(+1)
Olympias, mother of Alexander the Great, embraced by a serpent or a dragon (+ in allegorical or symbolic frame or setting; with allegorical or symbolic accessories)

Source-Image(s): Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Münzkabinett (www.ikmk.smb.museum; © Courtesy of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin). The full list of numismatic and exonumic images' sources is available on the Coins introductory page. The detailed descriptions of artefacts (provenience, dates, etc.) are generally taken verbatim from the providers of the original source-images. Figure is prepared by Alexei Alexeev.

● Page Publishing Patron: Anonymous Benefactor (will change to your name after the page's adoption).
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