Ancient coins featuring Medusa, a snake-haired figure from Greek mythology, may have served as tools of psychological warfare in the kingdom of Pontus more than 2,000 years ago, according to a new study linking their imagery to a ruler’s struggle against Rome. The designs presented a familiar story of danger and triumph as King Mithradates VI sought support across Anatolia, in what is now Turkey.
The research, published in the Journal of Literature and Humanities, was conducted by Şengül Dilek Ful of Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University. Ful examined coins minted at Kabeira, Komana and Taulara, ancient centers within today’s Tokat province, along with archaeological objects preserved in regional museums.
The coins, dated to periods between 120 and 63 B.C., carried two main designs. One paired the helmeted Greek goddess Athena with Perseus holding Medusa’s severed head. Another placed Medusa’s face on a shield or protective garment, with Nike, the goddess of victory, on the reverse. Some also show Medusa’s lifeless body behind Perseus.
How ancient coins linked Medusa to psychological warfare
Ful argues the choice was deliberate. Mithradates portrayed himself as a liberator resisting Roman domination, and the coin designs supported that political message.
Perseus, who completed a seemingly impossible mission and then used Medusa’s deadly gaze against opponents, offered a fitting image of victory. The symbols were intended to “intimidate the enemy and symbolize impending victory,” the study says.
In Greek mythology, Medusa was the only mortal among three Gorgon sisters. Her gaze was believed to turn living creatures to stone. After killing her with help from the gods, Perseus could wield her severed head against his enemies. That made her likeness both a warning to foes and a sign of protection.
The research also follows the image beyond the coins. In Roman-era Tokat, Medusa appeared on building blocks and burial monuments, as well as six terracotta plaques and four bronze fittings examined by Ful. A plaque uncovered in a Roman bath at Sebastopolis in 2017 portrayed her with wavy hair and small wings near her forehead.
Medusa’s image later protected tombs and other objects
A stone grave marker discovered near Niksar in 1982, dated to the third or fourth century A.D., displays her head above an inscription. A marble coffin fragment also carries Medusa images.
Such carvings were believed to discourage grave robbers and evil spirits, while some ancient traditions associated Medusa with guiding the dead into the afterlife.
Small bronze discs provide another glimpse of her reach. Similar objects were used in the Roman world to decorate military gear, horse harnesses and furniture, although the precise uses of the Tokat examples remain uncertain.
Together, the finds show that Medusa’s image endured in the region into late antiquity, long after its appearance on the king’s coins.
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