BOEOTIA. Thebes. Circa 364-362 B.C. AR stater. 12 gm. 21 mm. Epaminondas, magistrate. Boeotian shield / Amphora; EΠ-AM across field; all within concave circle. HGC 4, 1333. BCD Boiotia 541. Hepworth, Epaminondas pl. 3, 1. Hepworth 31. Very Fine; well centered and lightly toned; slight die shift on reverse; a few minor marks.

The Zabel Collection. Purchased from CNG.

Described by Cicero as "the first man of Greece," and held by the French intellectual Montaigne as "one of the worthiest (men) that ever lived," Epaminondas was the general, military strategist, and statesman of Thebes who successfully led the Boeotians against the invading Spartans at the battle of Leuktra in 371 B.C., thus ending their nearly three centuries of military supremacy. Tragically, he was killed in 362 B.C. at the battle of Mantineia while fighting in the phalanx, by a javelin in his chest thrown by Gryllos, son of the historian Xenophon. His death left Thebes without the leadership needed to resist Philip II of Macedon, thereby changing the course of history.