The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 16, 2026

A silver coin, an ancient currency shown from two sides, depicts raised relief with a dark gray patina. On the left, a Gorgon's head shows wide eyes, a broad nose, and a protruding tongue, framed by curled snakes. On the right, a bull stands on a thin ground line, facing our left. Stamped letters "PI" appear below its belly. Worn metallic surfaces highlight ancient details in the recessed areas.

Hemidrachm: Gorgoneion (obverse); Bull (reverse)

c. 400 BCE

Greek, minted at Parion

(Mysia)
silver
Diameter: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.991
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Ancient Parion (Latin Parium) lay in the region of Mysia, now northwest Turkey, on the Hellespont.

Description

Like the coins of several other ancient cities, those of Parion feature the gorgoneion, or frontal face of Medusa, surrounded by serpents. On the reverse, a bull looks back across its body, with the letters Ρ Ι between its legs. More centrally struck examples preserve two more letters above—Π Α, to give ΠΑΡΙ (PARI), identifying the mint of Parion. The name recalls that of the Cycladic island Paros, one of Parion’s colonizers (with Miletos and Erythrae).
  • (Charles T. Seltman)
  • "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 4 (1917): 64-67. Mentioned: p. 64 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Hemidrachm: Gorgoneion (obverse); Bull (reverse)|url=false|author=|year=c. 400 BCE|access-date=16 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.991