Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 120 6-7 Oct 2020
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Crete, Cnossus
Drachm circa 330-300, AR 5.18 g. Head of Hera l. wearing sphendone decorated with palmettes, earring and necklace. Rev. Labyrinth; at sides A – P and in exergue KNΩΣI. Svoronos 70 and pl. VI, 7. Traité III, 1548 and pl. CCL, 14. SNG Lockett 2529. Dewing 1987. SNG Copenhagen 374.
Very rare. A pleasant specimen of this interesting issue with a lovely old cabinet
tone. Several light scratches on obverse, otherwise good very fine
Ex Hirsch sale 171, 1991, 249. From a private European collection.
Although it had been inhabited since the Neolithic period, in the Bronze Age Knossos grew into a major city centred on a palace complex that may have been home to as many as 100,000 people. Knossos served as a political and cultural capital for the Minoan civilization - the distinctive culture of Bronze Age Crete named after the mythological King Minos of Knossos. The impressive remains of the Minoan palace complex of Knossos were excavated by Sir Arthur Evans beginning in 1901 and resulted in the discovery of two previously unknown early Greek scripts, Linear A and Linear B. The invasions and natural disasters that brought about the collapse of many Bronze Age states around 1200-1100 B.C. also ended Minoan civilization. Nevertheless, whilst the age of the palace was gone, Knossos survived to become one of the most important cities of Crete in the Iron Age. In the Classical and Hellenistic periods, Knossos was frequently at war with neighbouring Cretan cities, especially Lyttos and Polyrrhenia. This coin may have been produced in the context of these inter-city struggles. The glory days of Minoan civilization were far in the past when this drachm was struck, nevertheless, the reverse type harks back to the time when King Minos ruled from Knossos and the Greeks of both the surrounding islands and even the mainland paid him tribute. Here we see an aerial view of the famous Labyrinth. Minos ordered this maze-like prison constructed to contain the monstrous Minotaur, a cannibalistic half-man, half-bull creature born from the unnatural love of Minos' queen, Pasiphae, and the Cretan Bull. Minos demanded youths and maidens to be sent to Knossos as tribute by subject cities. These were sent into the Labyrinth and soon became hopelessly lost in its winding passages before they were devoured by the Minotaur. This horrific custom only came to an end when the hero Theseus had himself included among the human tribute from Athens. With the help of Minos' daughter, Ariadne, Theseus killed the monster and found his way out of the Labyrinth thanks to a ball of string he had unwound as he advanced.
Drachm circa 330-300, AR 5.18 g. Head of Hera l. wearing sphendone decorated with palmettes, earring and necklace. Rev. Labyrinth; at sides A – P and in exergue KNΩΣI. Svoronos 70 and pl. VI, 7. Traité III, 1548 and pl. CCL, 14. SNG Lockett 2529. Dewing 1987. SNG Copenhagen 374.
Very rare. A pleasant specimen of this interesting issue with a lovely old cabinet
tone. Several light scratches on obverse, otherwise good very fine
Ex Hirsch sale 171, 1991, 249. From a private European collection.
Although it had been inhabited since the Neolithic period, in the Bronze Age Knossos grew into a major city centred on a palace complex that may have been home to as many as 100,000 people. Knossos served as a political and cultural capital for the Minoan civilization - the distinctive culture of Bronze Age Crete named after the mythological King Minos of Knossos. The impressive remains of the Minoan palace complex of Knossos were excavated by Sir Arthur Evans beginning in 1901 and resulted in the discovery of two previously unknown early Greek scripts, Linear A and Linear B. The invasions and natural disasters that brought about the collapse of many Bronze Age states around 1200-1100 B.C. also ended Minoan civilization. Nevertheless, whilst the age of the palace was gone, Knossos survived to become one of the most important cities of Crete in the Iron Age. In the Classical and Hellenistic periods, Knossos was frequently at war with neighbouring Cretan cities, especially Lyttos and Polyrrhenia. This coin may have been produced in the context of these inter-city struggles. The glory days of Minoan civilization were far in the past when this drachm was struck, nevertheless, the reverse type harks back to the time when King Minos ruled from Knossos and the Greeks of both the surrounding islands and even the mainland paid him tribute. Here we see an aerial view of the famous Labyrinth. Minos ordered this maze-like prison constructed to contain the monstrous Minotaur, a cannibalistic half-man, half-bull creature born from the unnatural love of Minos' queen, Pasiphae, and the Cretan Bull. Minos demanded youths and maidens to be sent to Knossos as tribute by subject cities. These were sent into the Labyrinth and soon became hopelessly lost in its winding passages before they were devoured by the Minotaur. This horrific custom only came to an end when the hero Theseus had himself included among the human tribute from Athens. With the help of Minos' daughter, Ariadne, Theseus killed the monster and found his way out of the Labyrinth thanks to a ball of string he had unwound as he advanced.