One of the events to which the entire world has in common is the Olympics. While the games made their way internationally, the athletic competition started in Greece to honor their gods. In our next blog dissecting the 100 Greatest Ancient Coins as published by Whitman Publishing, author Harlan J. Berk clues us in on an early coin of an Island city that started in an alliance with four other neighboring cities. The coin reflects one of the earliest games ever competed in.
#42 – Cos Discus Thrower Stater (Greece – Circa 470-450 BC)
Colonized by Greeks as early as the 11th century BC, Cos was an island near the southwestern coast of present-day Turkey. It became a hub for worship of the god Apollo and his son, Asklepios, who was the god of healing. It was part of an alliance of five neighboring cities called the Dorian Pentapolis. It was founded by the Greeks from the southern portion of the island.
Early coins from Cos show a crab on the obverse which is the symbol for the island city. A rough incused square was featured on the reverse. After a time when the city did not issue any coins, they would finally strike new coinage around 470-450 BC. They were silver staters produced to honor the athletic games being held in honor of the god Apollo. All five cities of the Dorian Pentapolis took part in the games with the first-place winners receiving bronze tripods.
The obverse of the staters shows a man in the early stages of throwing the discus. The pose depicted shows the classic style and reflects the famous statue of a discus thrower created three years earlier by the artist Myron. The coin is naturalistic and showcases what the Greeks refer to as “symmetria,” or natural balance. A tripod is shown to the left of the thrower and to the right is the name of the city. The reverse shows a rough punch mark.
According to Berk, approximately 30 coins are thought to still be in existence today. It is received as one of the more important Greek coins due to its innovativeness and artistic style.