Kourion, Cyprus - Ancient Coin Stories

Cyprus, Kourion
4th century BCE
Æ 13mm 2.52g 9h
Head of Apollo to right /
Stag kneeling to right, head reverted; A above.
Cox, Curium 3; Destrooper pl. 10, 12

Like most of the ancient kingdoms of Cyprus, Kourion already had significant history by the time Alexander the Great took ownership. Archeological evidence today shows it’s been occupied for at least 7000 years.

The Kingdom of Kourion was created in roughly 1000 BCE, and was among the most powerful on the island for some time. Eventually, the Assyrians took control, then the Egyptians, and then the Persians.

The Persians were never entirely welcomed on Cyprus, so when Alexander the Great invaded the mainland, the Cypriot kingdoms were quick to shift their allegiance from the Persians under the naval commander Autophradates to Alexander. They then participated in his Siege of Tyre.

At the time of Alexander the Great, Pasikrates was king. After Alexander’s death, the Ptolemies wrested control and eliminated each of the Cypriot kingdoms, including Kourion.

The ruins of the city are still visitable, including the remnants of a temple to Apollo that was very important in its time.

This particular coin was minted either during the reign of Alexander or shortly thereafter. It uses his name and type.

Cyprus, Kourion, Pasikrates
circa 325 BCE
Æ 17mm 5.12g, 2h.
In the name and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress /
Bow-in-bowcase and club; laurel branch below, ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ between.
Price 3113; Cox Curium, 8; ANS 1944.100.26537

1050 BCE

Approximate foundation of the Kingdom of Kourion.

750 BCE

Cyprus, including Kourion and Paphos, comes under Assyrian rule.

709 BCE

Cyprus, including Salamis, Amathos, Paphos, Soloi, Lapethos, Kourion, and Kition, liberates itself from the domination of Tyre.

672 BCE

Damasos is recorded as King of Kourion.

569 BCE

Cyprus, including Kourion, Amathos, Paphos, Lapethos, Salamis, Soloi, and Kition, comes under Egyptian administration.

545 BCE

All of Cyprus, including Kourion, Amathos, Paphos, Lapethos, Salamis, Soloi, and Kition,comes under Persian control.

498 BCE

Stasanor, King of Kourion, allies with Onesilos, King of Salamis, against the Persians. Stasanor betrays Onesilos, leading to a Persian victory.

343 BCE

The major cities in Cyprus – Salamis under Pnytagoras, Kourion, Paphos, and Soloi – rebel against Artaxerxes III Okhos. He sends Idreios along with the Athenian Phokion to quell the rebellion.

332 BCE

Androkles of Amathos, Pnytagoras of Salamis, and Pasikrates of Kourion join Alexander the Great at the Siege of Tyre, where their qinqueremes are destroyed.

332 BCE

The flagships of Pnytagoras of Salamis, Androkles of Amathos, and Pasikrates of Kourion are destroyed while anchored in the harbor of Tyre.

325 BCE

The Akropolis is constructed in Kourion.

315 BCE

Pasikrates of Kourion rejects an alliance with Antigonos Monophthalmos and remains loyal to Ptolemy I Soter.

312 BCE

Menelaus, brother to Ptolemy I, conquers the city states of Cyprus – Salamis, Kition, Kourion, Amathos, Lapethos, Paphos, and Soloi. He kills Pumiathon, king of Kition and arrests Praxippos of Lapethos, and destroys Marion with Stasioikos, then transports its citizens to Paphos.

306 BCE

Demetrios Poliorketes captures Cyprus from Ptolemy I Soter and Menelaus – including Salamis, Kourion, Soloi, Paphos, and Amathos.

58 BCE

Cyprus, including Amathos, Soloi, Salamis, Kition, Paphos, Lapethos, and Kourion, is annexed by Rome after Publius Clodius Pulcher, a Roman tribune, convinces the Roman Senate to declare Cyprus a Roman province.

47 BCE

Cyprus, including Kourion, Amathos, Paphos, Lapethos, Salamis, Soloi, and Kition, goes to Marc Antony and Kleopatra VII.

31 BCE

All of Cyprus, including Kourion, Amathos, Paphos, Lapethos, Salamis, Soloi, and Kition, returns to Roman rule.

22 BCE

Cyprus, including Kourion, Amathos, Paphos, Lapethos, Salamis, Soloi, and Kition, is separated from Cilicia into its own province.

15 BCE

An earthquake causes damage in Kourion.

76 CE

An earthquake causes severe damage in Kourion and is restored by Vespasian.