Catalog
Siglos
| Issuer | Paphos |
|---|---|
| Year | 525 BC - 480 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 10.65 g |
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| Obverse description | Bull standing to left in profile, rendered in archaic relief with striated musculature on the shoulder and flanks. The animal is depicted with head raised and tail extended, conveying a naturalistic yet stylized presentation characteristic of early Cypriot coinage. A ground line runs beneath the figure, anchoring the composition within the field. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (525 BC - 480 BC) |
| Additional information |
Paphos was one of the most politically active of the Cypriot city-kingdoms during the Persian period, and sigloi from this mint date to a era when Cyprus sat uncomfortably between Achaemenid overlordship and persistent Greek cultural pull. The island formally submitted to Cambyses II around 525 BC — which gives this issue its opening date — but individual dynasts retained enough autonomy to strike their own coinage throughout.
The Ionian Revolt of 499–494 BC briefly drew several Cypriot kingdoms into open rebellion against Persia. Paphos joined. The revolt collapsed, and with it any pretense of political independence for a generation.