Not particularly well preserved
this bronze coin originates from Gortyna on the Greek island of Crete. With a
diameter of 18mm this bronze coin has, on the obverse, a woman (Europa or a nymph?)
seated in a tree, a device used on the earlier silver coinage. The reverse has
Europa, with her veil billowing behind her, riding on a bull that is abducting
her, in fact, the god Zeus in the form of the animal. I have previously posted
on the abduction of Europa by Zeus as a white bull (March 2019).
Dating to c. 250 BC this is apparently the earliest known type of bronze coin from the city. The city of Gortyna, in common with the other Cretan cities, was a late adopter of base metal coinage compared to the rest of the Greek world.
The reason for this late adoption is not clear. There may previously have been adequate supplies of silver to make small denominations that then got interrupted. Alternatively there may have been public resistance to the introduction of non precious metal coinage.
The idea of public resistance may not be far from the truth as there is an inscription from Gortyna dated to around
this time that fines people for not using bronze coinage.
“Make use of the bronze money,
which the city has put in circulation, and do not accept silver obols. If
anyone accepts in payment silver obols, or refuses to accept bronze money, or
sells anything in exchange for grain (that is to say, receiving or requiring
grain in payment), he shall pay a fine of five silver staters. Disputes in
these cases shall be referred to the neotas, and of the neotas the seven who
are elected as agoranomoi shall give judgment under oath. And judgment shall be
rendered in favor of the party for which the majority shall have taken oath
(that is to say, the judgment shall be given by the majority of votes), and
this college of seven, having exacted the fine of the party which has lost the
suit, shall give half to the party which has won the suit and half to the city.
“
