Ancient Greek Lion & Apollo Miletos Silver Drachm 350 BC Sterling Silver Pendant | Artifact #3806
Ancient Greek Lion & Apollo Miletos Silver Drachm 350 BC Sterling Silver Pendant | Artifact #3806 is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
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The Beauty & Power of Ancient Greece Comes to Life through the Miletos Silver Drachm with Apollo, the God of Truth, Healing and Light and the Lion of Strength, Power and Royalty - Now in an Heirloom Pendant
Please Note: This is an authentic Ancient Greek Treasure Coin, and you will receive the exact pendant in the photographs and description.
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Crumbling ruins huge in size and scope… strewn blocks of ancient, hand-worked stone… the stair-step rise and mighty wall of a Greco-Roman theater that once held 15,000 cheering spectators… the silent remains of a lovey colonnade and the faint tracings of a grid like urban plan… This is all that remains of Miletos (sometimes spelled Miletus in English), located in what is now modern-day Turkey, just a few short miles from the east coast of the Aegean Sea.
But from these abandoned, low-lying hills strewn with vast pieces of the past, voices still echo – voices with a fascinating story to tell. What is now a stop for tourists who gaze in wonder at the ruins of a powerful city, was once the Miletos of antiquity - a bustling and prosperous metropolis with dozens of colonies on both the Mediterranean and Black Seas. And, it is from these streets and harbors that the people of the ancient world came and went, exchanging the silver drachms of Miletos for food and drink, goods and services, and passage to distant lands.
Your Ancient Greek Miletos Silver Drachm Coin Pendant:
- Denomination: Drachm
- Date: 350 - 180 BC
- Issuing Authority: Miletos, Ionia, Ancient Greek City-State
- Obverse (Front):Bust of Apollo, Greek god of music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and light, and the sun
- Reverse (Back): Standing Lion with the Star of Apollo
- Coin Metal: Silver
- Bezel Metal: Proprietary, Non-tarnishing Sterling Silver
- Articulating Bail Interior Diameter: Will accommodate chain or leather necklace up to 6.2 mm
- Pendant Size Including the Bezel (Setting): 3/4” Across, 1 1/4” Tall - Just Slightly Smaller than the Size of a U.S. Nickel
April's Notes: Thick, round and deeply struck, the portrait of Apollo is the unquestioned star of this Drachm. The facial details, along with the fine details in the hair and wreath are truly stunning.
Perhaps best of all, it is what we call "zero die axis." When most ancient coins were struck, the minters didn't care if the top of one side of the coin was also the top on the other side - what we call "Medallic Orientation." This coin is one of the rare ones you can wear it either side out.
The Lion of Miletos
Like other advanced Greek city-states that developed during Greece’s Archaic period Miletos was one of the very first cities in the world to mint coins. From the minting of the earliest Miletos coinage we see the lion appear as a proud symbol of the city. The lion was not only the embodiment of the spirit of Miletos, the city itself resembled a lion. Built on that promontory that extended into the bay, the border of the city resembled the silhouette of a crouching lion.
The mighty lion – the symbol of stately power and wealth – was a chief symbol employed by these early artisans who appreciated not only the meaning of the symbol, but the lion’s grandeur and beauty. But the lion wasn’t the only symbol chosen for Miletos Drachms.
Apollo, God of Music and Dance, Truth and Prophecy, Healing and Light… and the Sun
Turn them over and you will see Apollo, the Greek god of music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and light… and the sun. In fact, the lion you see proudly standing on Miletos Drachms is looking over his shoulder to a star, another representation of Apollo.
Just 10 miles south of the Miletos of old was the famed temple of Apollo at Didyma. This temple drew visitors from all over the Greek world, bring trade and notoriety to Miletos and its colonies. Miletos was positioned at the start of the Sacred Way leading to Apollo’s temple. Here on the silver coins of Miletos, Apollo is immortalized – and called upon to protect and grant prosperity to the city.
Like other powerful and prominent Greek city-states, Miletos minted its own iconic Drachms for hundreds of years. Each one is a shining ambassador of a once vibrant, influential, and commanding center of trade, culture and science that whispers from the past. These few, precious pieces of silver witnessed history that helped build the Western world you and I live in today. Now, they continue their millennia-long journey with you as a piece of history you can wear every day.
Your Ancient Greek Coin Necklace 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
- A Treasure Jewelry Care Card
Ancient Greek Lion & Apollo Miletos Silver Drachm 350 BC Sterli...
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