Catalog
Stater
| Issuer | Gortyna |
|---|---|
| Year | 330 BC - 270 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | SvoronosCr#74 var., BMC Greek#27 |
| Obverse description | Europa seated facing within the branches of a plane tree, her body semi-nude and partially draped, raising her veil with her raised right hand in a gesture of modesty or revelation. With her left hand she restrains an eagle with fully spread wings resting in her lap, referencing the Cretan myth of Zeus in eagle form abducting the princess. The composition is rendered in the bold, confident style characteristic of Cretan coinage of the late Classical period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A bull standing to the left in a naturalistic pose, its head dramatically turned back to the right as it attempts to ward off a fly alighting upon its left rear hoof. The muscular anatomy of the animal is rendered with exceptional skill and vivid realism, a hallmark of Gortynian engraving of the late Classical period. The field is plain, with no exergual line or inscription, and the flan retains the irregular outline typical of hammered Cretan silver coinage. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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