TCV Roundtable Blog

100 Greatest Ancient Coins Series: Cos Discus Thrower Stater (Greece - Circa 470-450 BC)

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...read more