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Æ13
| Issuer | Praisos |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 200 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Facing gorgoneion (head of Medusa) depicted in archaic style, with small wings flanking the temples, and a pair of serpents coiled about the neck; the head is rendered with characteristic bulging eyes and protruding tongue, the whole occupying the central field of the flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Bee displayed with outspread wings shown in plan view, the segmented body rendered in relief at center; a rose with petals and leaves appears to the left in the field. The composition is characteristic of Cretan civic bronze coinage of the Hellenistic period, with no visible legend. |
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| Additional information |
Praisos was one of the last Eteocretan cities — its inhabitants claimed descent from the pre-Greek population of Crete and maintained a distinct non-Greek language into the Hellenistic period. The city was destroyed around 140 BC by neighboring Hierapytna, which systematically eliminated it as a rival. Bronze coinage attributed to Praisos is scarce precisely because the issuing authority ceased to exist violently and completely, with no successor state continuing the type.