Greece, Caria Islands off Caria, Rhodos, ca. 230 to 205 BCE. AR didrachm (6.4 g). On obverse, the head of Helios facing slightly right. On the reverse, rose with bud to right. A wonderful example of this popular type. SNG Keckman 534V. Size: 0.75" W (1.9 cm)

Rhodos was one of the great Greek maritime ports, located on a spearhead-shaped island. Ancient myth held that the island was created by a union between the nymph Rhode and the sun god Helios; hence his depiction here. Helios was honored by the people of Rhodes not just on coinage. Using the proceeds from ironclad siege towers they took from the defeated Demetrius Poliorcetes ("The Besieger"), they built one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Colossus of Rhodes. At 100 feet high, it was a rather more impressive depiction of Helios than this coin - but it snapped at the knees after an earthquake in 226 BCE, and this coin is still here, so maybe it is ultimately the better tribute.

Provenance: Ex-Matrisciano Collection, California

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#120810

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