Maionia (AD 193-211) AE 36 - Septimius Severus

Septimius Severus, AD 193-211. AE36 - Medallion (25.13g, 12h). AY KAI Λ CЄΠ CЄΟ ΥΗΡΟC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / ΜΑΙΟΝΩΝ, Dionysus, holding thyrsus and reins, in chariot drawn by two panthers and guided by Eros; above, maenad left playing tambourine; in exergue, ЄΠΙ ∆ΑΜΑΒ CΑΒЄ INIANOY APX ATOB.

The theme of the Dionysiac procession represents the struggle of the young god, son of Zeus and Semele, to gain his place among the gods of the Greek pantheon. In literature his progression, accompanied by satyrs and maenads, is hailed from Greece to the shores of India, i.e. the entire known world, as he brings ectasy and the knowledge of wine to all peoples.