Apollo was a major ancient deity, essentially Greek but also worshipped in Rome. He had many aspects. He was depicted as a beautiful youth, often called "shining," the brother of the virgin goddess Diana. Like her, he hunted with a silver bow, and he was called the far-shooter. He slew the dragon Python and games were held in honour of this victory at Delphi, where wreaths of laurel were given to the victors. Laurel was chosen because it was sacred to Apollo.

Apollo was also the patron of the famous Oracle at Delphi. A priestess called the Pythia would breathe the fumes emerging from a cleft in the rock and utter prophecies inspired by the god. The prophetic chamber also contained a navel-stone, the Omphalos, which symbolised its place in the centre of the Hellenic world. Some Greek coins showed Apollo seated on the Omphalos, and such a coin is on the near right. It is a bronze coin of Antiochos I, and on it, Apollo holds out an arrow in his right hand and rests his left on a bow.

Apollo was also in charge of good health, in his own right or through his son Aesculapius. The laurel that was sacred to him (the shrub we know as bay) was known to have health-giving and cleansing properties. And there is more – Mercury made the first lyre for Apollo from a tortoise shell, and he was the patron god of music.

On the far right is another common Greek depiction on a bronze coin of Philip II of Macedonia, showing just the deity's head. On this coin his hair is bound with a tainia, but he was also often shown crowned with a laurel wreath.

During the Roman Republic, one of the main annual Roman games was in honour of Apollo, but he was seen as a fairly minor healing deity. His temple was in the Circus Flaminius, outside the pomerium (the formal and ritual boundary of the city). There are several Roman Republican coins which show his wreathed head. Here are two slightly different interpretations. What these and all the others have in common is an elegance and beauty which is often almost feminine in appearance.

On the far left, an impassive face which might be carved from marble under a row of ringlets. The hair is carefully and elaborately dressed and there is nothing impromptu about it. Next to it, a different but just as careful and elaborate coiffure, with two long ringlets setting off his neck. The symbol behind his head is his lyre. This face is a little more human and youthful.

Augustus built a temple of Apollo near the temple of the Magna Mater on the Palatine hill, inside the pomerium. This signalled an increase in his importance. Augustus held that Apollo had helped him tovictory against Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium. In fact, Augustus also founded a temple of Apollo on the outskirts of his new city of Nikopolis near Actium, and instituted a four-yearly festival of Actian Apollo across the Hellenic world. The temple on the Palatine was given a role in Augustus' Saecular Games; on their third day, it was the location for sacrifice and prayers to Apollo and Diana, and the first singing of the Saecular hymn.

Later depictions of Apollo concentrated on aspects other than his youth and beauty. Two of the coins on the right show him pouring a libation from a phiale. In the centre, a provincial bronze of Diadumenian from Nikopolis ad Istrum shows Apollo holding a bow.

To its left is a rather unusual type of Roman imperial coin, in that it does not show the emperor at all. This side shows Apollo in the form of a famous statue of the time by Braxis of Athens, with Apollo carrying his lyre. Click the picture to see the obverse, which shows another famous statue, the Tyche of Antioch by Eutychides. This is one of a group of coins issued during the persecution of Christians by the Tetrarchy.

The coin on the far right also shows a version of a famous statue. It is another provincial Roman coin, this time from Markianopolis, and shows the Lycian Apollo, in which Apollo leans on a tree-stump on which a snake is climbing, with one hand held over his head. On the coin, he is not actually resting on the tree; this being just an image rather than an actual statue, there is no need for the extra support that contact would provide.

This denarius of Commodus is a type not found under any other emperor, on which Apollo is named as the foreteller or advisor, perhaps in reference to his oracular role. The word used, MONET, is famous for its use in connection with the goddess Juno. The temple of Juno Moneta, Juno the advisor, housed Rome's mint, so the word "moneta" became associated with money, and in fact is the root of the word "money." But Apollo has no other connection with money, so the original meaning is more likely here.

Apollo is shown in a pose which is typical of Securitas, indicating casual confidence; legs crossed, leaning on a column, hand sweeping back his hair. But Securitas is female and is always clothed, and here Apollo is nude.

Something of the same casual attitude is evident in these three coins, which show Apollo with his lyre and a laurel branch. On the near right, a denarius of Caracalla on which Apollo is standing, resting one hand on his lyre. To allow this posture to work, the lyre stands on a convenient short column. In the centre, Apollo is seated, with his lyre on the arm of his throne; his left elbow rests on it and his legs are crossed. On the far right, the lyre rests on the tripod which is so often shown with Apollo. These lyres do not resemble tortoise shells in the least, and must be a better developed type of instrument than the one made for him by Mercury.

On those three coins, the laurel branch is brandished on high. On this antoninianus of Gallienus, it droops to the floor. Behind Apollo is a tripod with a dish on top. The legend is SALVS AVG, the Health of the Emperor. This seems likely to represent a branch of laurel used for its healthy and cleansing properties, dipped into water and then used to sprinkle or sweep. There is more about the uses and depictions of laurel on my "branches everywhere" page.

The tripod was associated with Apollo because he was the patron deity of the famous oracle at Delphi, where the priestess who made the prophecies sat on a tripod to do so. It was often shown with this deep bowl or basin on top.

Finally, two coins relating to Apollo's prowess as an archer. On the near right, an antoninianus of Valerian with the legend APOLINI PROPVG, "Dedicated to Apollo who fights for us". Apollo is wielding his silver bow. It is drawn, ready to shoot an arrow.

Valerian's son Gallienus issued a series of coins showing animals and mythical beasts, and invoking the help of the gods; the coin on the far right is one of these. Like Apollo, the centaur wields a bow, and the legend is APOLLINI CONS AVG, "Dedicated to Apollo, Preserver of the Emperor." There are some more unusual creatures on my "monsters on ancient coins" page.

These books provided some, but not all, of the information on this page. Much of the rest came from postings and discussions on the excellent Forum Classical Numismatics Discussion Board.

A Dictionary of Roman Coins by Seth William Stevenson, F.S.A., C Roach Smith, F.S.A., and Frederic W. Madden, M.R.A.S. First published by George Bell and Sons, 1889. Reprinted by B A Seaby Ltd, London in 1964.

Religions of Rome: Volume 1, A History by Mary Beard, John North and Simon Price. Published by Cambridge University Press in 1998.

Coinage and History of the Roman Empire c. 82 B.C. – A.D. 490. Volume 2 – Coinage, by David L. Vagi, published in 1990 by Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. Hardback, two volumes.

Religion in the Ancient Greek City by Louise Bruit Zaidman and Pauline Schmitt Pantel, tranclated by Paul Cartledge. (Original title: La Religion grecque). Published by Cambridge University Press in 1992.

These books are covered in a bit more detail on my page on coin reference books.