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| Issuer | Gortyn (Cyrenaica and Crete) |
|---|---|
| Year | 67 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Reverse description | A honey bee depicted in full dorsal view, occupying the central field, with wings spread symmetrically to either side and the segmented abdomen clearly articulated. The bee is rendered schematically but recognizably, consistent with the longstanding iconographic tradition of Cretan civic coinage in which the bee served as a principal civic symbol of the island's city-states. No legend or exergual inscription is present. |
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| Mintage | ND (-67) |
| Additional information |
Gortyn's bronze coinage of this period reflects the city's awkward political transition following Rome's formal annexation of Crete in 67 BC, when Q. Caecilius Metellus — later awarded the cognomen Creticus — concluded his brutal three-year campaign against the island's cities. Gortyn had surrendered to Metellus relatively early, which likely explains why the city retained enough civic autonomy to continue issuing local bronze, even as neighboring mints went silent under direct Roman administration.