The city of Gortyn, laying in the south of the Greek island of Crete, was one of the oldest and strongest cities in Crete during ancient history, and in constant competition (sometimes they shook hands) with Knossos. The polis of Gortyn During the Hellenistic times, Gortyn still mainly used silver coins and it's fractions. Until around 250 BC the Gortynians decided to introduce bronze coins for the first time. They stopped producing all small denomination silver fractions (obols) and moved to token bronze coins, apparently with the same fiduciary value as the previous mentioned silver obols. The use of these bronze coins was imposed by the law, and using the old silver obols was strictly forbidden. An interesting text from Gortyn explains the new decision: "Gods. This was decided by the polis after a vote, with 300 men being present. People must use the bronze coinage issued by the polis, and no one is to accept the silver obols. If anyone accepts silver obols, or refuses to accept the bronze coinage, or sells anything in exchange of grain, he will be fined five silver staters". (Austin 2006) It is interesting to note that it seems quite common for low level transactions to still be performed in grain, rather than money. And hereby one of the first bronze coins from Gortyn: Crete, Gortyna. AE Bronze. Circa 245-221 B.C. Obverse: Diademed head of Artemis right, bow and quiver over shoulder. Reverse: ΓΟΡΤΥΝΙΩΝ Bull standing left, his head turned back to right; all within wreath. Reference: BMC 63. Jackson pl. 12, 5. Joy 465. SNG Copenhagen 458. Svoronos, Numismatique 107. 11,02g; 25mm On the obverse the Cretan Artemis can be seen. She was worshiped in some parts of the island under the names of Britomartis and Diktynna, and appears to have been a native goddess of hunters and fishermen, having also perhaps, a lunar character. She was more or less assimilated to the Hellenic Artemis, and is represented as Artemis on the coin. Please share your coins from Crete, coins with Artemis and coins with a bull!
Great coin Pavlos, I am a big fan of Crete and it's history. Fantastic place to visit unfortunately I haven't found a coin that I like from there yet but after seeing yours I have a new focus.
Beautiful coin and great write up! I also have no coins from Crete. I grew up in a small town named Crete, named after another town where the founders came from, that was named after the island A coin from Crete is on my bucket list. I was lucky enough to Visit Crete in 2013 for 2 days before a deployment. I spend most of the time in Chania since that was were my hotel was. It was absolutely beautiful and I would love to go back some day and explore more of the island and the history.
Lovely bronze! I'd like one of those some day. The text regarding the use of bronze coins instead of silver fractions is interesting too. Here's an example of one of the staters that would have made up the stipulated five stater (ouch!) fine. CRETE, Gortyna AR Stater. 11.68g, 27mm x 24.5mm. CRETE, Gortyna, circa 330-270 BC. BMC Crete pg. 38, 9, pl. IX. 8 (same rev die); SNG Cop 442; Svoronos 59. O: Europa, wearing chiton with short sleeves and peplos over lower limbs, seated right in platanus tree; right hand on tree, heading resting pensively on left arm which is bent and supported by her knee. R: Bull standing right, head reverted, right hind leg lifted. Ex Matthew Curtis Collection; ex Classical Numismatic Group 100 (7 October 2015), lot 1398 A later bronze of Gortyn, struck in alliance with Knossos, from the time the two rivals came together in an attempt to dominate the island. CRETE, Knossos AE19. 5.83g, 19.4mm. Knossos-Gortyna alliance issue, struck circa 220 BC. Svoronos 122; SNG Copenhagen 378; Lindgren II 1721. 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. From BMC Crete : “It is recorded by Polybius (iv. 53-55; cp. Vii. 12,9) that in the year 220 BC, a league was constituted between Cnossus and Gortyna, the object of which was to bring the other cities of Crete under their supreme control; and in this object, we are told, they succeeded, though the important town of Lyttus at first held out against them.” I managed to pick up this neat little bronze of Lyttos yesterday: CRETE, Lyttos AE13. 2.52g, 13mm. CRETE, Lyttos, 3rd century BC. Svoronos, Crete, 70. O: Eagle standing right with wings spread. R: ΛYTI Hear of a boar to right.
Thank you. Coins from Crete are indeed very interesting, the history as well. I look forward seeing your first coin! The region of Chania and Rethymnon are the most beautiful of the Island, a lot more green as well. I have probably went 30 times to Crete already, it's lovely. Great coins @zumbly, I was looking forwards seeing your beautiful coins already. I still need to get a nice stater and a coin with the labyrinth, I hope to get them one day. And a very nice little bronze! The boar head is one of the sharpest I have seen on this issue. I have a coin from Lyttos as well with an eagle, also from the time period of 250 BC (the coin almost reminds me of the Ptolemaic coins). There is supposed to be a little boar head on the right, you can barely see it. Crete, Lyttos. Æ coin (250-221 B.C.) Obverse: Laureate head of Zeus right. Reverse: ΛYTT; Eagle standing right, with wings spread; monogram between legs; to right, head of boar right. Reference: Svoronos 75; Slg. Traeger 273. 5.52g; 17mm
Great write up. It must have been challenging to enforce the new coinage. I bet people were used to silver and were very suspicious of the bronze coins... They probably felt they were being ripped off by the state. I have been only once to Crete, and remember fondly the Knossos palace. I didn't go to Gortyna as I was unaware of it until now, which is a shame as it looks lovely and I know that there are some really nice beaches in that region.
I have been to Crete a few times also and I love the island. Have been to Gortyn and Knossos and wish I could revisit some day. @zumbly Does the labyrinth on your second coin refer to the Minotaur legend by any chance?
Yup, Knossos used both the types of the Labyrinth as well as the Minotaur on their coins. The staters showing both are very rare and even lesser examples get pricey.
Very nice write up, @Pavlos . I really like that AE. The Bull's stance is very interesting. I want tone! None from KRETE! Bummer. OLD BULLS KARIA / CARIA, Hydissos or Chersonesus 450 BCE AR hemiobol 0.3, 6.7mm Obv: Forepart of bull to l. Rev: Two foreparts of bulls confronting Ref: SNG von Aulock 6669; SNG Keckman 911-912; SNG Tuebingen 3327-3329 Kolchis 5th-4th C BCE BI hemidrachm 11.5mm 1.8g Archaic female head possibly Georgian goddess Dali - Bull head border SNG Cop 98 Sicily Selinus AR Litra 400 BCE 10mm 0.67g Man-faced bull Nymph on rock touching serpent Selinon leaf - Mildenberg 27 GELA AR Didrachm 490-480 BCE Horseman with spear r - Forepart of man-headed bull r Uncert West Asia Minor Karia 5th C. BCE A R tetartemorion 5mm 0.15g Female - Frprt Bull man r Kayhan 968 except right facing bull Phlius Phliasia Peloponnesus AE12 1.8g 400-350 BCE Bull butting - PHI 4 pellets BMC 16
This one went through my hands many years ago: Gortyna Crete AR Drachm. 250-230 BC Ox: Laureate bust of Zeus right (c/m: bull butting right) Rx: GORTINIWN, Europa seated on bull right, AR (ligate) below; (c/m: bust of Apollo right)
Interesting write-up @Pavlos! Here's an Artemis that was located NE across the Aegean from Crete: IONIA. Ephesos. Hadrian (117-138). AE. Hadrian laureate head right. / Statue of Artemis Ephesia facing within tetrastyle temple. 21 mm. 5.89 g.
The Minotaur types are fantastic but have eluded me thus far. One I was planning on bidding on turned out to be fake and the others have been either claimed by friends or I've been outbid. But, my stater is one of my favorite coins, even if it doesn't have a minotaur in it!
From an unidentified "Roman?" eBay auction, I seem to have got my first ancient from Crete, a big one at 28 mm. A Crete for the cretin - which is to say, any corrections very welcome because I have no idea what I'm doing. I had some difficulty tracking this down, and I am not 100% certain on the "Cretarch" Kydas, as this was one of those Greek coins where the name is scattered all over the place in the reverse fields. Charming, but hard to read - and since there were three "Cretarchs" (at least) and not all the letters are visible, I may have picked the wrong one. Here's a Harvard Museum example: https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/102345 An interesting issue, it seems, with Marc Antony connections - minted around the time he gave Crete to Cleopatra: "...but in the 30s B.C. Crete seems to have been governed by the confederation of the Kretaieis, under the supervision of Kydas the Cretarch. The whole 'dossier' (Rouanet-Liesenfelt 1984) shows a person by this name appearing on inscriptions (IC IV.250, IV.251), on coins (Svoronos 1890, 334 no. 1 and pl. 32 fig. 1; Raven 1938, 154-8, Burnett et al. 1992, 222), and also mentioned in Cicero (Phil. 5.13). Rouanet-Leisenfelt believes that Marc Antony created this confederation and chose Kydas to rule it, probably between 43 BC (the end of Brutus' proconsulate and Actium). If Kydas was ruling Crete, or a part of it, Crete and Cyrencaica were not united...The uncertainty of the date of the coin issues presented above, the vagueness of Kydas' chronology, and the contradiction of sources have led several scholars to date the union between Crete and Cyrenaica only to 27 B.C...." "From Cyrene to Gortyn. Notes on the Relationship Between Crete and Cyrenaica under Roman Domination (1st Century BC-4th Century AD)" by François Chevrollier. Published in Roman Crete: New Perspectives by Jane E. Francis, Anna Kouremenos. Cicero did not like Kydas ("Cyda of Crete" in this translation) - not Roman enough, apparently: Philippics, 5.13 Cicero translated by C. D. Yonge 13 I do long to plead in behalf of some defendant before that tribunal—Cyda of Crete; a prodigy even in that island; the most audacious and abandoned of men. But even suppose he were not so. Does he understand Latin? Is he qualified by birth and station to be a judge? Does he—which is most important—does he know anything about our laws and manners? Is he even acquainted with any of the citizens? Why, Crete is better known to you than Rome is to Cyda. In fact, the selection and appointment of the judges has usually been confined to our own citizens. But who ever knew, or could possibly have known this Gortynian judge? For Lysiades, the Athenian, we most of us do know. For he is the son of Phædrus, an eminent philosopher. And, besides, he is a witty man, so that he will be able to get on very well with Marcus Curius, who will be one of his colleagues, and with whom he is in the habit of playing. https://lexundria.com/cic_phil/5.13/y With letters enhanced - that "K" on the left might be wishful thinking, but the other three on the right are visible. Crete, Knossos Æ 28 (c. 40-30 B.C.) Kydas, magistrate Laureate head of Zeus facing right, thunderbolt before chin / [K - Y] / Δ - A / Σ , in three lines across field, eagle standing right, open wings. RPC I, 224, 934; Svoronos 142; SNG Copenhagen 388. (9.78 grams / 28 mm)
