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The Snake God Glycon and the Book That Tried to Kill It

Original: the snake with a mans face: glycon, alexander and the man who tried to kill a god with a book Somewhere around the 150s

In the 150s AD, the town of Abonoteichus on the Black Sea coast of Paphlagonia, in what is now northern Turkey, became home to a new deity: Glycon, a snake said to have a human face. The cult was promoted by Alexander of Abonoteichus, and was later savagely debunked by the satirist Lucian, whose account accused Alexander of faking the god with a puppet. The story is circulating again as an example of ancient fraud, religion and celebrity.

Why now: People are sharing the colourful ancient story of a fake snake god and Lucian's attempt to destroy it with a book.

GlyconAlexander of AbonoteichusLucianAbonoteichusPaphlagonia

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Evidence

• the snake with a mans face: glycon, alexander and the man who tried to kill a god with a book Somewhere around the 150s AD, on the Black Sea coast of Paphlagonia (north Turkey now), a little town called Abonoteichus got a god. Not one that evolved over centuries like everybody · KamiOKingPaimon · 10

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