Serpentarium Mundi by Alexei Alexeev The Ancient Ophidian Iconography Resource (Mundus Vetus, 3000 BC - 650 AD)
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Figure 042 of 048 OLYMPIAS: GALLERY | LIBRARY | REGISTRY Figure 044 of 048
Figure III-5-oly-043. Veiled Olympias reclining on a sofa (couch, kline) and caressing (?) Zeus-Ammon, appearing as a serpent, with her right hand. | Opposite side (obverse): Nero's laureate-diademed head rightward.

● Artefact
Object Category: Contourniate
View: Reverse
Medium: Orichalcum
Denomination: N/A
Size/Diameter: ??? mm
Weight: 28.0 gm
● Context
Creator: Unknown
Mint: Rome
Region: Italy
Authority/Issuer: Unknown
Sitter(s): Nero (r. 54-68 AD)
Period: Late Roman Imperial
Date: 350-425 AD
Provenience: Unknown
● Collection
Ownership: Bibliothèque Nationale
de France
Location: Paris
Inventory №: ?¿?
 
● Iconographic Type: Hexagenic™ Nomenclature Summary
Type: III.5a.oly.5.rom·unk.4a
Ontolocators
(Prefix):
volume: III. coins
chapter (part): 5. notables & anonyms (a. historical figures)
Integrals
(Stem):
subject: oly. Olympias
feature: 5. caressing? Zeus-Ammon as serpent
Differentials
(Suffix):
idiosyncrasy: rom. Rome (unk. unknown authority/
issuer)
variation: 4. sofa with nonfigurative armrest; epigraphic (a. Nero laureate-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: REGINA [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; crested; bearded) (upper·body: ophidian; squamous?) (lower·body: ophidian; squamous?)
morphology.3: "object.1" [sofa] (composite; with long seat, nonfigurative armrest, and four [two visible] legs; covered with free-hanging ornamented 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; leaning rightward; dressed) (head: upright; leftward) (upper·body: upright, frontward-leftward; right·arm bent slightly, extended leftward, with right·hand open upward; left·arm bent slightly, rested, with left·hand relaxed) (lower·body: horizontal; leftward; right·leg bent slightly, extended leftward, with raised knee, and right·foot obscured; left·leg bent, extended leftward, with lowered knee, and left·foot obscured)
aspect.2: "creature.1" ["deity.1" [Zeus-Ammon] as serpent] (general: upright; rearing upward-rightward; swirling) (head: lowered; rightward-downward) (upper·body: upright; rearing upward-rightward; swirling) (lower·body: upright; rearing upward-rightward; swirling; tail undulating, 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] ⟨caressing? ⟨head of⟩⟩ "creature.1" ["deity.1" [Zeus-Ammon] as serpent]
contact.2: "notable.1" [Olympias] ⟨reclining ⟨on⟩⟩ "object.1" [sofa]
contact.3: "notable.1" [Olympias] ⟨wearing ⟨on head and shoulders⟩⟩ "object.2" [veil]
contact.4: "notable.1" [Olympias] ⟨wearing ⟨on whole body⟩⟩ "object.3" [stola]
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: Nero's head {profile; rightward; laureate-diademed}; IMP·NERO·CAESAR· AVG·P·MAX [legend]
● 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): Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département Monnaies, Médailles et Antiques (www.medaillesetantiques.bnf. fr; © Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France). 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.

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