Catalog
Hemistater
| Issuer | Gortyna |
|---|---|
| Year | 330 BC - 270 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Gold Hemistater (10) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Europa seated facing within the branches of a plane tree, her body rendered in three-quarter view with drapery falling about her lower limbs. A bird, likely an eagle, perches to the left among the foliage, referencing the Cretan myth of Zeus and Europa. The composition is deeply struck in high relief, characteristic of the fine engraving tradition of Hellenistic Crete. The field is plain, with no legend or inscription on this side. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A bull charging to the left in high relief, rendered with vigorous naturalism typical of Hellenistic Cretan coinage. The animal is depicted with musculature carefully articulated, set above a ground line. The ethnic legend ΓΟΡΤΥΝΙΩΝ (of the Gortynians) is arranged around the bull in two lines, divided across the upper and lower fields, and is bordered by a partial dotted bead-and-reel ornamental circle. The overall design reflects the civic pride and artistic sophistication of the Gortynian mint during the late Classical to early Hellenistic period. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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