Obverse: Portrait of Herakles Clad in the Skin of
the Nimean Lion
Reverse: A Crab and a Club Framed by a Dotted
Square
After the decline of Minoan Crete, the Achaians
arrived on the island Kos. According to Homer,
Kos, played an important part in the Trojan war.
After the fall of Troy, Podarios, son of the God
Asklepios and doctor from Thesaly, settled on
the island after being shiprecked. Podarios
founded the family of the Asklipidai, of which
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, is a
decendant. In the 11th century B.C., the Dorians
invaded Kos and expelled the Achaians. In the
7th century B.C., Kos entered a federation with
six other cities in Asia Minor, Rhodes, Kalymnos
and Nisyros. At the end of the 6th century, Kos,
along with most of the other cities in Asia Minor,
was subdued by the Perian King Darius. After
the battle of Salamina in 479 where the Persian
King Xerxes was defeated, the island was
liberated by a united Greek army. Unfortunately,
Greece unity was fleeting and during the
Peloponnesian war (431-404 B.C.) Kos allied
with Athens. For this allegience, the island paid
a high tribute when the Spartan Commander
Astochos invaded the island. In 394 B.C., after a
treaty with Sparta, the Koans once again allied
with Athens. Under the influence of Athens,
democracy was introduced and the culture,
education, and economy of Kos all thrived. This
prosperity continued unabated until King
Mausolus from Halikarnasos conquered the
island in 358 B.C. Later, the island allied with
Macedonia and Alexander the Great and, after 82
B.C., Kos became a part of the Eastern colony of
the Roman Empire. However, during the reign of
August, certain privileges originally bestowed
upon the island were revoked, instigating a
period of stagnation. This decline was followed
by a terrible earthquake in 27 B.C. signaling an
end to the glory days of Kos.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. 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 style of this coin is
modeled after those of Alexander the Great, thus
revealing his lasting influence upon this island.
This remarkable numismatic specimen is a
memorial to the island of Kos passed from the
hands of civilization to civilization, from
generation to generation.
- (C.2283)
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