Assessments on an Unpublished Tarsus Coin and the Marsyas Statue of Tarsus Origin

Abstract

The tragic story of Marsyas has inspired many artifacts over many periods. This story is depicted in vase paintings, statues, sculpture groups, reliefs, sarcophagi, gems and coins. The inspiration for these descriptions is the Athena and Marsyas sculpture group of Myron, one of the Classical Period artists. After this group of sculptures, the artists dealt with and depicted the most tragic part of the Marsyas story, the music competition with the God Apollo and the punishment of Marsyas. Within the scope of the study, first of all, the story of Marsyas and its reflection on artifacts are discussed. Then, the main subject of the study, a coin belonging to Maximinus Thrax I, which was recovered from Tarsus, is unpublished scientifically and dated back to the 3rd century AD, depicting the musical contest between Apollo and Marsyas, is examined in detail. Later, a comparative evaluation is made of the coin and the Marsyas statue, which has the same subject, recovered from Tarsus and is currently exhibited in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, and a new composition proposal is made for the statue.