It is always interesting to learn about the coins of the ancient world. From gods and goddesses to the stories and ancient civilizations depicted on the coins, there is never NOT a time when Harlan J. Berk’s 100 Greatest Ancient Coins Series leaves us wanting more. That is certainly the case today as we continue in our blog series following along with the Whitman Publishing book that has us learning more about the beginning of numismatics more so than ever before. Once again, let us remind you that as we move through the top 100 list, we are exploring it from the earliest coinage onward, meaning that their rankings are out of order.
#48 – Cnossus Minotaur Stater (Greece – Circa 450 BC)
Long before the striking of this coin, the Greek city of Cnossus (located on the isle of Crete) was the hub of the Minoan culture. The culture dated back to a civilization that pre-dated the Greeks and existed from approximately 2600 BC to around 1400. However, its end remains a mystery, with some listing invasion or an earthquake as to why it was no longer. The Minoan civilization was ahead of its time as Berk describes the culture as extremely advanced and literate peoples. They travelled along the eastern part of the Mediterranean for trade with Syria and Egypt.
After the disintegration of the Minoan civilization, the isle of Crete was thrust into a long dark age described as unenlightened and lacking education. The Greeks arrived on the island hundreds of years later with just remnants of the once great culture left. The Cnossus palace was one of those remnants as the Greeks realized how massive the structure had been and the complexity to which the figures and decorations adorning the palace were. For this reason, the Greeks misinterpreted the roofless walls for a labyrinth (maze), thus began the creation of the story of the Minotaur and the labyrinth.
The story features Minos, the king of Crete, creating a labyrinth at Cnossus where he kept the Minotaur. The flesh-eating monster was said to have the head of a bull and the body of a man. For this monster, it was said that Minos forced the people of his empire to offer up an annual allotment of humans to be tossed into the labyrinth so the Minotaur could eat them. Enter Theseus, the divine hero that saved them all by slaying the beast and finding his way out of the labyrinth and escaping the wrath of Minos. The story continues with Theseus eventually ending up as the king of Athens where he frees the Greeks from the rule of Minos.
Despite the rise of Athens, Crete would remain a steadfast center of economic and cultural development. This reinforces the idea that the Cnossus Minotaur Stater was struck around 450 BC and features a more archaic style versus those of a more progressive minting. The obverse features the Minotaur while the reverse showcases the labyrinth, which was often used on the coins of Cnossus. The story of the Minotaur remained a simple myth until 1903 with the discovery of the once unknown Bronze Age city of the Minoans. Only 20 of the silver coins across all denominations are known to exist.