Tetradrachm from Pergamon

A tetradrachm struck in Pergamon. The front face features a snake entering a cista, and on the back there are two snakes wrapped around each other, with the tail of the snake on the right wrapped around a rod.

A cista is a basket that is believed to be of Egyptian origin. It was used for both practical and religious purposes. In Greek mystery cults, including those dedicated to Dionysus and Demeter, snakes and cista were typical imagery. In this case, the snakes probably refer to the god of health and medicine, Asclepius, whose dedicated place of worship, Asclepeion, was located in Pergamon and was one of the most important in the ancient world. People would travel long distances to get there to be healed.