Egyptian Sphinx on Roman coin

WillieBoyd2

Egyptian Sphinx on Roman coin

I received this Roman coin made in Egypt recently and it reminded me of something.


Antoninus Pius Provincial Egypt Bronze Drachm - Sphinx
Obverse: Laureate head left, "AYT K T AIL ADP ANTWNINOC CEB EYC"
Reverse: Sphinx seated right, wings raised, left forepaw on wheel, "L IZ" (year 17)
Catalog: Milne 2249
Diameter: 33mm
Weight: 19.6gm
Struck Alexandria, Egypt AD 153-154

I visited Egypt in 1987 and got to see the real thing myself.

Aethelred

Hum, I never thought of the Sphinx as having teats.

Sapyx

The Greek Sphinx was winged, and female. The earlier Egyptian ones were wingless and usually had the head (and gender) of whoever the Pharaoh was at the time.

So, technically, this is a "Greek Sphinx on a Romano-Egyptian coin".