Obverse: Pegasus Flying towards the Left
Reverse: Helmeted Head of Athena, Facing Left
Corinth, located on the narrow isthmus between northern Greece and the
southern peninsula (Peloponnese), was one of the great cities of the ancient
world. The site seems to have been occupied in Neolithic and Mycenaean times,
but truly came into its own in the eighth century B.C., when eight small
villages united to form the city. Corinth quickly became rich and famous for the
export of its beautiful geometric and animal pottery. By the mid-eighth century
it had became populous enough to establish colonies in Ithica and Korkyra on the
Aegean islands, and Syracuse in Sicily. Controlling land and sea communications
between central and southern Greece, it remained a major power until it began to
be eclipsed by Athens in the sixth century B.C. It remained a key player in the
Classical and Hellenistic eras, though usually in alliance with more militarily
powerful city-states, until its final destruction by the Romans in 146 BC.
More than money, coins are a symbol of the state that
struck them, of a specific time and location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This stunning hand-struck coin reveals an
expertise of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking
in contemporary machine-made currencies. The Corinthian stater was the primary
trade coin of central to Northern Greece and the Eastern Adriatic coast. This
Corinthian stater features Pegasus on the obverse and the head of Athena clad in
a Corinthian soldier’s helmet on the reverse. Variations of this type were
struck both by Corinth and its many colonies, including, for a time, mighty
Syracuse. Termed "colts" or "Pegasi," the coins were as
popular as the widely used "owls" of Athens. This magnificent coin is
a memorial to the ancient glories of Corinth passed down from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to generation.
