Knossos-Gortyna mashup, circa 220 BC

My prize from FSR 106 finally got here a few days ago, after a minor postal hiccup left it sitting in the post office for over a week. I managed to have it re-sent, and when it arrived, I eagerly but carefully opened the envelope, taking care to avoid damaging the 120 or so postage stamps (not kidding!) that Frank had painstakingly stuck onto it.

The coin is a relatively hard-to-score bronze from Crete, dating to the period of alliance between Knossos and Gortyna and the subsequent Lyttian War of 220 BC. More often than not rivals, they came together in the latter half of the 3rd century BC and exerted their dominance over the island until only the city of Lyttos stood against them. Lyttos secured the support of the Achaean League and Philip V of Macedonia, and soon thereafter, instigated other Cretan cities to turn against the alliance. Open war inevitably broke out, and although Lyttos itself was destroyed in the conflict, the alliance between Knossos and Gortyna was weakened, and they were eventually defeated by their enemies.

This so-called 'alliance issue' is interesting for employing on each side the symbolic types of the two allied cities. On the obverse is Europa seated on a bull, a type long used by the Gortynians, and on the reverse is a depiction of the famed Labyrinth of Knossos. On my coin, the Gortyna side proves to be the weaker half of the alliance, but thankfully, the side with the Labyrinth picks up the slack, with a very detailed and well-struck maze design that's not at all a given for this issue. A tight flan results in some of the corners of the Labyrinth being lost, but I see that as a fairly minor quibble considering the great price I managed to pick this piece up for. I think an upgrade is not going to be easy to come by, and very likely out of my price range, too. In short, I think this one's a keeper!


CRETE, Knossos
AE19. 5.83g, 19.4mm. Knossos-Gortyna alliance issue, struck circa 220 BC. Svoronos 122; SNG Copenhagen 378. O: Europa, holding veil, seated left on bull leaping left; radiating lines in periphery, two dolphins below. R: [Κ-Ν-Ω-ΣΙ-ΩΝ], Labyrinth; star above.

 

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A wonderful acquisition @zumbly . Congrats on adding such an interesting and significant coin to your already impressive collection.

 

Thanks for the kind words, Orfew. I’ve been on the lookout for some years now, and am really pleased to have acquired this particular piece.

 

Well, you know I'm envious of that acquisition-- but happy it went to a coin pal! What a great pickup and your writeup enhances the coin, as always

My only labyrinth coin is homemade.


AR 36 mm, 26.2 gm
Obv: labyrinth; ΩBEPΛOOK below
Rev: HIK EΣT IOHNNY; crossed axes
Ref: SNG Tiffily, Shining 1

 

I have changed the toning a few times and should dig it out and see what it looks like now-- haven't checked it in a couple of years. This was made from pure silver clay and I wasn't happy with the end result. These fantasy ancients look better when struck.

 

Very jealous of the generous flan that yours has!

 

Great coin and an interesting write up! I was waiting for you to post this coin

You know what, i'll just throw in my bronze coin from Gortyna:


Crete, Gortyna. Circa 85-82 BC.
Obverse: Head of Hermes left, wearing petasos.
Reverse: Bull butting left; caduceus above; in exergue: ΓΟΡΤ; all within circle of dots.
Reference: SNG Cop 461

 

Thanks! I was hoping you would post that one here. It’s a really nice little Cretan bronze.