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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Gortyna |
|---|---|
| Year | 300 BC - 270 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Hemidrachm (1/2) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Bare head of Europa facing left, rendered in profile with fine archaic-to-early-classical style. The hair is elaborately dressed, drawn back from the forehead and gathered into a bun at the nape of the neck, with wavy locks visible above the ear. The portrait displays a graceful, youthful facial type characteristic of Cretan coinage of the early third century BC, with a well-modelled eye and slightly open lips. The field is plain and uninscribed. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Three-quarter facing head of a bull turned to the right, rendered with bold plasticity and powerful musculature typical of the Gortynian die-cutting tradition. The animal's broad muzzle, prominent nostrils, and upward-curving horns are clearly delineated, while the eyes and forehead display careful modelling in high relief. The image alludes to the myth of Zeus transformed into a bull who abducted Europa, a mythological theme central to Gortyna's civic identity. The field is plain and devoid of inscription or exergual line. |
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| Additional information |
Gortyna was among Crete's most powerful poleis during this period, its coinage reflecting a civic identity distinct from the island's other minting centers at Knossos and Phaistos. The hemidrachm denomination served interisland commerce at a moment when Cretan cities were deeply enmeshed in mercenary networks — Cretan slingers and archers commanded premium rates across the Hellenistic world, and small silver fractions were the practical currency of soldier pay and port-town trade.
Svoronos 68 places this type within a well-documented sequence, though die studies on Gortynian silver remain incomplete relative to mainland issues.