Miletos

Denomination:  Diobol               

Date: 550 - 494 BCE

Description:Obverse: Forepart of lion / Reverse: Incuse square with rosette. 

One of the most well-known Greek coin types of the Archaic period, minted in the region of Ionia, when Miletus fell to the Persians. The ancient Greek city of Miletus in Asia Minor was located on what is now the west coast of Turkey.  Before Athens rose to prominence, this was the intellectual and commercial center of the Greek world.  It was the home of Thales, the “father of philosophy” and it  has been called the birthplace of the modern world.  

The lion head is called ‘lion protome’, an animal with human head.The reverse sun image, which is often described as a star or a flower, appears on many Milesian coins and likely represents  Apollo - the god of youth and music