“Unseen God” or “Giver of Wealth”?: Image of Hades on Ancient Coins

Abstract

Hades belonged to the deities whose attention mortals did not aspire to attract. However, in archaeological sources there is a sufficient amount of evidence about the monetisation of the deity’s cult. Among all the stories about Hades, the story about the abduction of Persephone became the most famous on the periphery of the ancient world (in the Northern Black Sea region or in Asia Minor). Moreover, the city of Nysa in the province of Asia made this plot one of the most widespread in its coinage and culture in general, because it positioned itself as the place where this abduction took place. Thus, the figure of Hades was institutionalised in various coin types, which is extremely interesting.