c. 4th century BCE
Æ 11mm, 1.19g, 12h
Bull standing r.; labrys above. R/ Dolphin r.
SNG Kayhan 806
The ancient city of Keramos was between Idyma and Halikarnassos in Caria. It was a coastal city, as is hinted by this coin which includes a dolphin. The name means “pottery” in Greek, although the city hasn’t been excavated much so there’s still a lot to learn.
Its coinage resembles that of nearby Myndos and Nisyros, with the shape of the dolphin, though neither other city includes a bull. Interestingly, there’s a book in Italian on Keramos di Caria: Storia e monumenti though it costs more than this coin did.
Before these coins were minted, nearly identical bronzes were created with the city’s name in Carian letters and indicates that they originally called themselves kbideans.