1879.] !«'' [Phillips. 



and quality, were at once recoined ; a fact which would account for their 

 present scarcity* 



Cista mystica existed in the sacred rites of the Panathenaea, of Diana, 

 Eleusinia, Ceres, Theogamia Proserpine, and the Dionysia or orgies of 

 Bacchus. 



Upon the tetrad rachras of Eleusis, serpents were the symbols surrounding 

 or issuing from the cista, either as representing divine attributes, or the 

 fable of Erichthon. On others, surrounding the chest were various em- 

 blems, such as combs, the pudenda muliebre, food, drink or fruits, and it 

 was looked upon as a heinous sacrilege to divulge the meaning of these 

 recondite objects. 



A type also exists in which Bacchus, in womanly garb, is figured seated 

 upon the cista mystica, holding in his right hand a thyrsus, below which 

 are two serpents knotted and twined together. Chests, whence serpents are 

 out-issuing, are found on the coins of Anchialis in Thrace, Sardis Nikaea, 

 Pergamos, Perintlios and Teos. 



A quinarius of Augustus Caesar exists, on which is engraved the cista 

 between two serpents, and over which hovers a victory with the inscrip- 

 tion Asia Recepta. 



A fine tetradrachm of Bceotia exhibits on the obverse the familiar Boeo- 

 tian shield, and on the reverse, a cippus. The type of the buckler took its 

 origin from the renown acquired by the workmen of this nation from their 

 skill in this manufacture. In Homer we find mention made that the shield 

 of Ajax was made at Hyle in Bceotia. Some authors have imagined it to 

 be a perverted type of the Egyptian scarabasus, while the cippus represents 

 the purifications and lustrations used in the worship of Bacchus. This 

 latter opinion seems to be further borne out by the fact that the head of 

 the Indian Bacchus is also frequently found upon the coins ot this country. 



A didrachm (i. e. a piece of two drachmas) of Tarentum, exhibits 

 Taras, the fabled founder of the city (a son of Neptune), riding upon a 

 dolphin. The coinage of Tarentum is numerous, presenting many dif- 

 ferent types, is always well executed, and exhibits a high degree of culture 

 and art. 



A didrachm of Argos show T s on the obverse a running wolf, while the re- 

 verse has solely the letter "A" within the rude punch mark characteristic 

 of the ancient period of its coinage. 



On Messana we find the type to be a running hare, on the reverse a 

 figure in a chariot, of which the execution while bold is rather rude. Mes- 

 sana is fabled to have been founded about 1600 B. C. under the name of 

 Zancle, an appellation which was changed about 594 B. C. Destroyed by 

 the Carthaginians in 390 B. C, it was subsequently rebuilt, and in 282 



*Note.— Livius Dec. X. L. VII. 



Alex. Xan : Panelius de Cistophoris. Lugdun, ITU. 



Rasche Ltxicon Rei Numarise. 



