Ancient Greek Dolphin Rider “Boy on the Dolphin” Silver Nomos 14K Gold and Sterling Silver Pendant | Artifact #4616
Ancient Greek Dolphin Rider “Boy on the Dolphin” Silver Nomos 14K Gold and Sterling Silver Pendant | Artifact #4616 is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
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Ancient Greek Dolphin Rider Coin Pendant — A 2,300-Year-Old Symbol of Courage and Safe Passage
Please Note: This is an authentic Ancient Greek Treasure Coin, and you will receive the exact pendant in the photographs and description.
Pendant Size Including Bezel: 1” Across, 1 3/8” Tall - The Diameter of a U.S. Quarter
Some ancient coins are beautiful because of their artistry. Some are treasured for their rarity. And some carry an image so powerful it still speaks across more than two thousand years.
This coin embodies all three.
Struck in silver by the ancient Greek city of Taras, this legendary coin shows the Dolphin Rider - known for generations as the “Boy on the Dolphin” - carried across the sea on the back of a dolphin.
The design is not random decoration. It tells a story of courage, rescue, safe passage, and arrival at safe shores.
According to ancient myth, a founder of Taras was caught in danger at sea and might have been lost to the waves. Instead, he was carried safely to shore by a dolphin, the noble sea-dweller closely associated with Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
That image became the emblem of Taras.
A human figure above the waves, A dolphin beneath…
The courage to leave the known shore.
The courage to keep going.
The promise of safe harbor ahead.
For more than 2,300 years, the Dolphin Rider has remained one of the ancient world’s most poetic images of protection, courage, and being carried through rough waters.
Today it speaks to ocean lovers, travelers, adventurers, survivors, and anyone still navigating the storm.
Your Ancient Greek Nomos Pendant
- Denomination: Nomos
- Date: 344-235 BC
- Mint: Tarentum (Taras) in Calabria (in Present Day Southern Italy)
- Obverse (Front): A horseman
- Reverse (Back): Taras (see below) astride a dolphin
- Coin Metal: Silver
- Bezel Metal: 14Kk Gold and Proprietary, Non-Tarnishing Sterling Silver
- Articulating Nautical Shackle Bail Interior Diameter: Will accommodate chain or leather necklace up to 6.2 mm
- Pendant Size Including Bezel: 1” Across, 1 3/8” Tall - The Diameter of a U.S. Quarter
April's Notes: This is a beautifully detailed ancient Greek Dolphin Rider coin, with Taras holding a kantharos - more below on that - while astride a wonderfully regal dolphin.
On this Nomos, the dolphin is the undisputed star. The detail is especially appealing, with the full body visible from nose to tail and a wonderfully clear eye that gives the ancient image unusual life and presence. For a coin centered on the legendary Dolphin Rider, this is exactly the kind of detail we love to see.
These deeply struck ancient coins have a thickness and dimension that can be difficult to fully capture in photographs, and we often hear, “Wow, it looks even better in hand!” As always, we have set this coin in a thick, luxury-width 14K gold bezel designed to support and enhance its beauty, creating an heirloom treasure that can be worn for generations.
(Please note: this information and much more will appear on your customized Certificate of Authenticity.)
A Coin for the Journey
At Cannon Beach Treasure Company, we believe the most meaningful treasures are never just decorative.
They say something.
They carry something.
They become part of the story of the person who wears them.
The Ancient Greek Dolphin Rider is a powerful pendant for anyone who loves the sea — sailors, boaters, fishermen, divers, surfers, swimmers, coastal souls, and those who simply feel most alive near the water.
But its meaning reaches even deeper.
This is a coin for anyone beginning a journey, weathering a storm, or trying to find the courage to see the crossing through...
For the person navigating uncertainty.
For the one who is still holding on.
For the traveler, the survivor, the seeker, the adventurer.
For the one beginning again.
For the one leaving the known shore.
For the one who needs a reminder that rough waters are not the end of the story.
In the ancient world, people often carried meaningful symbols close to the body. Not as magic. Not as a lucky charm. But as a visible reminder of courage, protection, hope, and identity.
That is the spirit of this pendant.
An ancient Greek sea coin.
A symbol of safe passage.
A reminder that even in the gale, there can be a way through.
Symbolism of the Dolphin Rider
The courage to begin the journey.
The strength to keep going.
Protection through rough waters.
Rescue at sea.
Safe passage.
The promise of safe harbor.
The Legendary Dolphin Rider of Taras
The city of Taras — later known to the Romans as Tarentum and today as Taranto in southern Italy — was one of the great Greek cities of Magna Graecia.
Its coinage became famous for one unforgettable image: the Dolphin Rider.
The figure has been interpreted as Taras, the mythic son of Poseidon, or as Phalanthos, the legendary founder of the city. In either telling, the heart of the story remains the same: a human being goes out into uncertain waters, faces danger at sea, and is carried safely to shore by a dolphin.
That is why this design endured.
To the ancient Greeks of Taras, the dolphin rider was not merely an attractive sea creature. It was an emblem of origin, identity, courage, rescue, and protection — an image meaningful enough to be struck again and again on the city’s silver coins.
Today, more than two millennia later, it remains one of the most beloved and recognizable images in ancient Greek coinage.
Your Ancient Greek Coin Pendant comes with:
- Our 100% Authentic Lifetime Guarantee
- A Detailed, Multi-Page Certificate of Authenticity Researched and Written by April Knecht
- A four page Historic Brief on the history of Greek society and their coins researched and written by April Knecht
- Treasure Hunters Gazette Booklet
- Mini Museum Display for when you are not wearing your treasure
- Treasure Jewelry Care Card
Ancient Greek Dolphin Rider “Boy on the Dolphin” Silver Nomos 14K G...
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