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Stater
| Issuer | Phaistos |
|---|---|
| Year | 300 BC - 270 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 |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A bull rendered in energetic motion, trotting to the left with its head lowered and tail raised, depicted in the naturalistic style typical of Cretan staters of the early Hellenistic period. The muscular body of the animal is rendered with attention to anatomical detail, conveying strength and movement. The flan is irregular and the field plain, with no legend or additional devices visible. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Phaistos, one of the oldest and most powerful cities of ancient Crete, struck its own coinage during a period of intense inter-city rivalry on the island. The city was eventually destroyed by its neighbor Gortyn, probably around 170 BC, ending its independent mint permanently — which gives any surviving Phaistian issue a hard terminus that most Greek civic coinages lack.
Svoronos remains the foundational reference for Cretan coinage despite its age, and attributions to specific Phaistian dies have not been substantially revised since his work.