Catalog
Tetrobol - Anthes
| Issuer | Kos |
|---|---|
| Year | 180 BC - 170 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 | Round (irregular) |
| 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 | Laureate head of Asklepios facing right, rendered in fine archaic style with thick, tightly curled hair and beard. The facial features are boldly modelled, with a strong brow and prominent nose characteristic of Hellenistic civic coinage from Kos. The neck is truncated and the portrait fills the flan. No legend appears on the obverse. The die work reflects the accomplished engraving tradition of the Koan mint in the second century BC. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ΑΝΘΕΣ ΚΩΙΩΝ |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Kos maintained a remarkably stable silver coinage through the Hellenistic period, operating under the shadow of Rhodian commercial dominance in the southeastern Aegean. The magistrate name Anthes appears on a small cluster of issues from this decade, tying the emission to a specific administrative tenure rather than a continuous mint output — which partly explains why individual magistrate-signed types survive in modest numbers across collections.
The 170s BC placed Kos squarely in the turbulent years preceding the Third Macedonian War, with Rome's influence over Aegean polities tightening considerably after Pydna in 168 BC.