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.
- (C.4104)
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