Circa 350 BCE
AR Obol .79g, 8mm
Horse prancing right
Goat kneeling right, head left KE above
SNG France 116
Kelenderis during ancient times had perhaps the strongest port in Cilicia. Legend has it was founded by Sandokos, who was a grandson of Phaethon, who was a son of Helios.
Phaethon was among the many morons of mythology and one day visited his father to verify his lineage. Helios was happy to confirm that Phaethon was his son and then offered him anything he wished. When Phaethon asked to drive his chariot, Helios tried to dissuade him, since the chariot was extremely difficult to drive and there was the whole issue of permits and such.
However Phaethon insisted, and sure enough he couldn’t keep a firm grip on the horses and wound up going crazy, burning the earth by flying too close, then freezing it by flying too far away. Eventually, Zeus decided to skirt disaster and stopped the chariot with a lightning bolt. Phaethon fell to his death.
Sandokos married a local princess and their son later founded Paphos on Cyprus. Archeologists believe Kelenderis was for some time a Phoenician settlement.
In the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, when this coin was minted, Kelenderis was a thriving port. Based on this coin, it presumably had many horses and goats.
Kelenderis becomes the eastern-most member of the Delian League, headed by Athens.