Circa 3rd – 2nd cent BCE
AE 5.56g, 17.9mm, 6h
Diademed head of Zeus right.
Reverse.Α – Ξ either side of winged thunderbolt.
SNG Cop.354
There are two current theories for the name of the city. The first is that it was named for the river Axos, which flows near it. The second is that the word for ‘crag’ in Cretan Greek is ‘axos’, which fit because the site of the city was very steep.
Strabo didn’t mention the city, though it was included on several Mycenean tablets and therefore, like many cities in Crete, must be extremely old.
Axos was situated on the slopes of Mount Ida, where Zeus was brought up in mythology. It’s therefore fitting that this coin depicts Zeus on the obverse, while the reverse contains a thunderbolt. The Cave of Zeus is still visitable today.