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Stater
| Issuer | Knossos |
|---|---|
| Year | 330 BC - 300 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Hammered |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A square meander labyrinth of distinctly swastika form, composed of interlocking right-angled Greek key-pattern corridors arranged symmetrically about a central square. Four pellets are disposed in a square configuration at the centre of the design, evoking the legendary Labyrinth of Knossos associated with the Minotaur myth. The design fills the entire flan and is executed with precision characteristic of Knossian coinage of the late fourth century BC. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Knossos |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Knossos maintained its own mint well into the Hellenistic period despite the city's political subordination to various Cretan power struggles, and these late staters reflect a mint operating under considerable pressure from the expanding influence of Kydonia and Lyttos. The weight standard used here follows the Aeginetic tradition long dominant in Crete rather than the Attic standard spreading elsewhere in the Greek world — a monetary conservatism that characterizes Knossian coinage of this period.
The SNG Copenhagen and BMC specimens assigned to this type show notable die-link variation across the series, suggesting multiple working die pairs in simultaneous use during a compressed striking window.