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AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot)

@aicbyzantine.bsky.social

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Sharing artworks from the Art Institute of Chicago's Ancient and Byzantine Art department. Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social

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AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 2h

Head of a Woman with Crown www.artic.edu/artworks/341

Museum Purchase Fund

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 3h

Bowl or Cup www.artic.edu/artworks/61926

Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome as containers for oils, perfume, and tablewares. The variety of glass-making techniques reveals the changing tastes and fashions over the centuries. During the 1st century CE, cast glass was a novel form that was a luxury for the Roman household, but by the end of the century, the innovation of blown glass allowed for less labor-intensive and less expensive production, which meant people of lesser means could afford it. Blown glass became so popular it nearly supplanted ceramic and even bronze wares in the home.

Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 6h

Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying Ptolemy I Soter www.artic.edu/artworks/95975

Obverse: Head of Ptolemy I to right, diademed and wearing aegis; partial border of dotsReverse: Eagle standing on thunderbolt to left, at left the letter P and a monogram, countermark at right

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 9h

Spiral Fibula www.artic.edu/artworks/196468

This precious bronze object is a votive, or devotional gift, made as an offering to the gods. They come in many forms, such as animals, beads and brooches. Many seem once to have been attached to something else. Votives were hung from sacred trees or placed in sanctuaries around Greece. Once a shrine was full, the votives were ceremonially buried to make room for more offerings.

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Alexander

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 9h

Coin Depicting Pegasus www.artic.edu/artworks/5755

The front of this coin depicts the winged horse Pegasus, wearing a bridle and flying.
On the back the goddess Athena faces left, wearing a Corinthian style helmet.

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

Coin Portraying Empress Salonina www.artic.edu/artworks/101123

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the empress Salonina, facing right and crowned with a diadem.
On the back (reverse) Elpis, the goddess of hope, walks left holding a flower and raising the hem of her robe. A palm branch and a partial inscription are seen in the field behind her.
Salonina was married to the Roman emperor Gallienus, who reigned jointly with his father, Valerian, from 253-260, then as sole emperor to 268. The date this coin was struck is indicated in the reverse inscription "LIΔ ", which means the fourteenth year of Gallienus's reign, or 266-267 CE.

Gift of Robert L. Grover

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

Scarab: Hieroglyphs and Figures (Re-Harakhti, nb- and ma'at signs) www.artic.edu/artworks/133944

Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

As (Coin) Portraying Emperor Hadrian www.artic.edu/artworks/141704

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the head of Emperor Hadrian, facing to the right. On the back (reverse), Pax stands slightly left, holding a branch and a cornucopia.

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

Plaque: Nebmaatre/Amenhotep Ruler of Thebes www.artic.edu/artworks/133755

Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

Sestertius (Coin) Portraying Empress Faustina www.artic.edu/artworks/141714

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Jug in the Shape of a Barrel www.artic.edu/artworks/110643

Cyprus was an important center for trade and commerce throughout antiquity. By the Late Bronze Age (about 1600–1050BC), the island was producing large quantities of copper, which lured adventurous seafaring merchants to its shores in the hope of exchanging their cargo for the prized metal. Imported goods and migrant artists profoundly influenced Cypriot potters and painters, who began to create and decorate their wares differently. New products served the Cypriots’ domestic and ritual needs or made their way on outbound ships to distant lands, where they in turn inspired local artists.
A container for liquids, this vase features an elliptical body with a nipple at both ends and a vertical handle rising from the shoulder to the neck. It is decorated in bichrome (two-color) technique against a light background. The body is encircled with vertical rings of black and broad bands of reddish brown. The middle of the body features a band of concentric circles.

Museum Purchase Fund

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Coin Portraying Emperor Maximianus www.artic.edu/artworks/141505

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the head of emperor Maximianus, facing to the right. The back (reverse) depicts Elpis, the personification of hope, standing to the left, wearing a chiton and himation. She holds a flower and raises the hem of her skirt. The date this coin was struck is indicated in the obverse inscription " L B ", which means the second year of Maximianus's reign, or 287-288 CE. Maximianus reigned as emperor from 286-305 CE.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Sestertius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Severus Alexander www.artic.edu/artworks/141732

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the emperor Severus Alexander, facing right and wearing a crown of laurels.
On the back (reverse), a warrior is shown in the nude.

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Amulet of the Harpoon of Horus www.artic.edu/artworks/140833

Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Sestertius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Domitian www.artic.edu/artworks/141700

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Fragment of a Bowl www.artic.edu/artworks/92660

Anonymous Fund

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Fragment of a Herm www.artic.edu/artworks/141871

Museum Purchase Fund

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying Empress Salonina www.artic.edu/artworks/141508

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays a draped bust of the empress Salonina, facing right.The back (reverse) depicts an eaglewith a wreath in its beak and its wings open behind.
Salonina was married to the Roman emperor Gallienus, who reigned jointly with his father, Valerian, from 253-260, and then as sole emperor to 268. The date this coin was struck is indicated in the reverse inscription "LIE ", which means the fifteenth year of Gallienus's reign, or 267-268 CE.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Head of a Young Man www.artic.edu/artworks/405

Museum Purchase Fund

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Head of a Woman www.artic.edu/artworks/428

Museum Purchase Fund

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Vessel www.artic.edu/artworks/134082

Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting Head of Herakles www.artic.edu/artworks/141574

Herakles was the consummate hero. Temples across Greece and South Italy were dedicated to him, the son of Zeus, and Romans, who knew him as Hercules, celebrated him as a role model. With brute force, determination, and just enough cleverness, Herakles completed his famous Twelve Labors to become immortal. Herakles is readily identifiable by his knobby club and lion’s skin. The latter refers to his First Labor, in which he killed a magical beast who was ravaging the town of Nemea. The lion’s invincible hide made him immune to weapons, so Herakles strangled him and took his pelt.
As Greeks and then Romans swept through Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), deities were assimilated into the local pantheon. The city of Tyre issued this coin showing its god Melqart in the form of Herakles, identified by the tiny knotted lion’s paws under his chin.

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Inlay (?) in form of a Cartouche www.artic.edu/artworks/141172

The Art Institute of Chicago

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Pitcher www.artic.edu/artworks/31165

Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Vase www.artic.edu/artworks/132085

Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Hyperpyron (Coin) of John II Comnenus www.artic.edu/artworks/36670

On the front (obverse) of this coin, Christ is shown in majesty.On the back (reverse), the virgin Mary crowns a standing emperor John II Comnenus, who stands holding a globe which is topped by a cross.

Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Fragment of a Bowl www.artic.edu/artworks/11257

Anonymous Fund

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Coin Portraying Emperor Victorian I www.artic.edu/artworks/10192

On the front (obverse) of this coin the emperor Victorian I is portrayed wearing a crown and facing right.On the back (reverse) a figure representing the sun is shown standing, facing left, and holding a whip.

Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Coin Depicting an Emperor www.artic.edu/artworks/142672

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays an unidentified emperor, facing right and wearing a radiate crown.
On the back (reverse), two soldiers support a type of military standard called a labarum.

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Augustus www.artic.edu/artworks/9954

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the emperor Augustus, facing right.
On the back (reverse), Caius Caesar and Lucius Caesar (born to Marcus Agrippa and Julia the Edler) are standing, each resting a hand on a shield. Two spears, a lituus (curved augural staff) and a simpulum (ladle with long handle) are between them. The brothers were adopted by Augustus (their grandfather) as joint-heirs but died at relatively young ages (21 and 18, respectively) before they could rule. This coin commemorates their appointments as consul designatus.

Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Amulet of a Cobra with Lioness Head www.artic.edu/artworks/141260

The Art Institute of Chicago

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Pectoral Amulet of the Goddess Bastet www.artic.edu/artworks/136210

Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Bracelet www.artic.edu/artworks/833

Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Amulet of a Falcon www.artic.edu/artworks/140811

Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Flat Flask www.artic.edu/artworks/67394

Glass vessels were part of the luxurious domestic decoration displayed in wealthy households in both urban villas and rural estates in the later Roman and early Byzantine eras (about 300–725), and were used for a variety of purposes, including cosmetic containers, pitchers for water or wine, and small cup for drinking. Byzantine glass craftsmen improved upon the techniques, forms, and decorative motifs they had inherited from their Roman predecessors. An imperial edict of 337 exempted glassworkers from personal taxes and attested to their relative status in society; it remained in effect for several centuries.

Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Bird on a Stand www.artic.edu/artworks/196488

These precious bronze objects are votives, or devotional gifts, which were offered to the gods. They come in many forms. Some are miniature sculptures of animals, primarily horses, deer, and birds. Others are items of personal adornment, including beads and brooches. Many seem once to have been attached to something else. This assemblage is characteristic of the thousands of votives that were hung from sacred trees or placed in sanctuaries around Greece. Once a shrine was full, the votives were ceremonially buried to make room for more offerings.

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Alexander

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Scaraboid: Grasshopper www.artic.edu/artworks/134516

Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Scarab: Gods and Hieroglyphs www.artic.edu/artworks/134351

Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Coin Portraying Emperor Tetricus I www.artic.edu/artworks/10212

On the front (obverse) of this coin, the emperor Tetricus I is portrayed facing right and wearing a crown.
On the back (reverse), the goddess of valor stands facing left, leaning on a shield and holding a spear.

Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting a Charioteer www.artic.edu/artworks/36616

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts a seated charioteer, bearded, riding behind two mules walking right; in the field below is an olive leaf. The back (reverse) of the coin depicts a hare leaping to the right.
When Anaxilas, son of Cretines, seized power at Rhegium (modern Reggio Calabria in southern Italy) in 494 BCE, along with parts of Sicily soon after, he adopted the image of a leaping hare on his coinage as early as 480 BCE. Aristotle (quoted by Pollux, Onomasticon 5.75) reported that Anaxilas introduced hares to Sicily for the sport of hunting and also that he was victorious in the Olympic games. The image of his mule-chariot (biga) on the front of the coin commemorates this victory. The olive leaf in the field below the chariot symbolizes the olive crown awarded to victors at the Olympic Games. The hare may also symbolize the speed of Anaxilas' chariot.

Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Galba www.artic.edu/artworks/5614

The front of this coin portrays the Emperor Galba, facing right.
On the back an as yet untranslated inscription is encircled by an oak wreath.

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Hemidrachm (Coin) Depicting the God Zeus www.artic.edu/artworks/142697

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the head of the god Zeus, facing to the left. On the back (reverse), the god Pan appears, nude, and sitting on a rock.

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Coin Depicting a Horse www.artic.edu/artworks/142921

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts a horse prancing to the right. On the back (reverse), the head of a trident is depicted, decorated with scrolls.

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Coin Portraying the Emperor Gallienus www.artic.edu/artworks/142902

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Jar www.artic.edu/artworks/65548

Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying Alexander the Great www.artic.edu/artworks/9706

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the deifiled Alexander the Great, facing right with rams horns and long loose curly locks.On the back (reverse), a lidded chest with handles, a club, and a quaestor's stool are all shown encircled by a wreath of laurels.

Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Vitellius www.artic.edu/artworks/5618

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Coin Depicting the God Apollo www.artic.edu/artworks/142774

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Denarius (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Roma (?) www.artic.edu/artworks/141624

The denarius, introduced in 211 BCE, was the principal silver coin of Rome for five hundred years. The profilehead of the goddess Roma—the personification of Rome—was the most popular image depicted on silver denarii in the second and first centuries BCE.

Gift of William F. Dunham

AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot) @aicbyzantine.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Earring with Dolphin Head Finial www.artic.edu/artworks/809

Originally one of a pair, this earring is formed from gold wire that is strung with one gold, one glass and one sardonyx (stone) bead; and terminates in the form of a dolphin head.

Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Robert H. Fleming