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Drachm - Kleippos and Gorgopas 196 BC - 146 BC
Silver | 6.2 g | 22 mm |
Issuer | Thessalian League (Thessaly) |
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Type | Standard circulation coin |
Years | 196 BC - 146 BC |
Value | Drachm (1) |
Currency | Drachm |
Composition | Silver |
Weight | 6.2 g |
Diameter | 22 mm |
Thickness | 2 mm |
Shape | Round (irregular) |
Technique | Hammered |
Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
Demonetized | Yes |
Updated | 2024-10-10 |
Numista | N#46797 |
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Rarity index | 92% |
Reverse
Athena Itonia advancing right, holding shield horizontally on extended left arm and brandishing long spear at shoulder level with right hand
magistrates names above spear and below in ex.
Script: Greek
Lettering:
ΚΛΕΙΠΠΟΣ
ΘΕΣΣΑ - ΛΩΝ
ΓΟΡΓΩΡΑΣ
Translation:
Kleippos
Thessaly
Gorgopas
Comment
Zeus was worshipped at Dodona as "Zeus Naios" or "Naos" (god of the spring below the oak)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodona
(Itonia, Itonias or Itonis (Gr. Ἰτωνία, Ἰτωνίας or Ἰτωνίς) was an epithet of the Greek goddess Athena worshiped widely in Thessaly and elsewhere. The name was derived from the town of Iton in the south of Phthiotis.)
The cult for Athena Itonia associated Athena in some mystical manner with the god of the lower world who is called Hades by Strabo, but in Pausanias, who must be speaking of the same cult, is called Zeus. It may be that Athena Itonia had something of the character which in her primitive worship she had at Athens, and that she was a goddess who fostered the growths of the earth and who therefore had some affinity to the Chthonic deities.
In Iton there was a celebrated sanctuary and festivals for this cult, and is hence also called incola Itoni ("resident of Iton"). From Iton her worship spread into Boeotia, where she was the chief deity of war, and the country about Lake Copais. In her temple between Pherae and Larissa were hung the shields won from the Gauls in the last victory of Greece over barbarism, although a fragment from Bacchylides indicates that Athena Itonia was not only a war goddess, but a goddess of the arts of peace, especially poetry.
The temple of Athena Itonia in Coronea was the meeting-place of the Panboeotian Confederacy, and where the Pamboeotia was celebrated, in the neighborhood of a grove of Athena.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itonia
Interesting fact
The Drachm coin from the Thessalian League featuring Kleippos and Gorgopas is notable for its unique design, which depicts the heads of two mythical creatures, a Griffin and a Gorgon, on opposite sides of the coin. This design was meant to symbolize the protection and strength of the Thessalian League, as the Griffin was believed to be a powerful and fierce creature, while the Gorgon was feared for its ability to turn people to stone with a single glance. The use of these mythical creatures on the coin reflects the rich cultural heritage and mythology of ancient Greece.