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Stater
| Issuer | Lyttos (Crete (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 320 BC - 270 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Eagle displayed in flight to right with wings fully spread, rendered in high relief with carefully detailed feathering. The bird's powerful talons grip a prey animal beneath, its head turned forward with beak open in a commanding posture. The reverse of the flan bears incuse linear marks, likely remnants of the striking punch, visible in the lower field. The design is executed in the vigorous, naturalistic style characteristic of early Cretan coinage. No legend appears on this side. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ΛΥΤΤΙΟΝ |
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| Additional information |
Lyttos was among the most powerful poleis of ancient Crete, locked for centuries in bitter rivalry with Knossos. That rivalry ultimately proved fatal: around 220 BC, while Lyttos's citizen army was on campaign, Knossian forces razed the city entirely and enslaved those left behind. This stater predates that destruction, placing it in a period when Lyttos still commanded significant military and political weight across the island.
Svoronos's classification of Cretan coinage remains the foundational reference for this series despite being published in 1890.