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Siglos
| Issuer | Kourion |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 480 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Facing lion's head rendered in archaic style, occupying the majority of the flan. The mane is indicated by radiating incised lines framing the broad, frontal visage, with prominent open jaws and detailed facial features characteristic of early Cypriot coinage. The design fills the field with bold, compact relief typical of the hammered silver coinage of the Archaic period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Frontal head of a bull facing right, set within a shallow incuse square formed by the punch of the reverse die. The bull's head is rendered with horns prominently displayed and detailed facial musculature. A Cypriot syllabic legend appears above the bull's head within the incuse field. The overall composition is typical of Archaic Cypriot civic coinage, with the incuse providing a stark, deeply recessed border around the central type. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Kourion was one of the ten Cypriot city-kingdoms that submitted earth and water to Persia before the Ionian Revolt, and its kings maintained that loyalty through the Persian Wars. The city's coinage from this period reflects a mint operating under Achaemenid political orbit while still drawing on distinctly local Cypro-archaic artistic traditions — a combination that makes these early Kourian issues culturally hybrid objects, not simply provincial Persian weight standards.
The siglos weight standard itself was imposed across Cyprus through Persian administrative pressure during precisely this window.