circa 190-84 BCE
Æ 11 mm, 1,20 g
In perhaps one of the most devastating decisions ever taken regarding the island of Chios, in 2023 I made the decision to not visit the island. Choosing between the different Greek island turned out to be a major task, and many other beautiful places such as Naxos had also been removed. In the end, we chose Kephallonia instead, but hope to have the opportunity to visit Chios another day.
Much of Chios’ history was tied with the mainland. It’s chief rival, Erythrai, was there. Chios, along with Erythrai, was also a member of the Ionian League. This is made clearer by the fact that several Ionian cities (including Chios) depict a sphinx on their coinage.
The sphinx, an animal with a lion’s body and a human head, was originally from Egypt (as any child should know from the famous Sphinx there), but was also used by the Greeks – most clearly in the story of Oedipus.
Per Mavrogordato, the sphinx was an emblem of Dionysos, though its usage here shows a connection with pre-Hellenistic cultures.