circa 330-280 BCE
AE 11mm, 1.14g
Round shield; in center, bull’s head facing
Π-O/Λ-V; spear point
SNG Copenhagen 534
Ex Chistopher Morcom collection
Ex Edward P. Warren collection
Ex CNG 2007
Polyrhenion was an important city that occupied most of the western portion of Crete. Per Strabo, it had a temple of Diktynna, who was the Greek goddess of mountains and hunting and was primarily worshipped on Crete. She was depicted on later coinage of the city, but not on this one.
I absolutely fell in love with this coin due to the bukranion (bull’s head) in the center of a shield, and it is part of a smaller collection of non-Macedonian shield coins. Likely, the design was influenced by Alexander’s shield coinage, since this coin was minted around the same time as them.
It’s unfortunate that we don’t know much about the history of the city shortly after Alexander’s death. We do know that many mercenaries from Crete served in the various armies of the period, and their slingers in particular were famous.
216 BCE
The Lyttian War is fought between an alliance led by Knossos and one led by Polyrhenion. On the side of Knossos were Rhodes, the Aetolian League, and Kydonia. On the side of Polyrhenion were Lyttos, Macedon, and the Achaian League.