ca. 350-300 BCE
Ae 12mm, 1.2gms
Obv: Head of the nymph Rhodos right
Rev: Rose with bud to right, P – O to either side; monogram in left field
BMC 108
Entire books can and have been written about Rhodes. When we were planning our Greek vacation, I deliberately avoided adding Rhodes because I knew an entire vacation could be spent there given the number of things to see.
The island is most famous for the Colossos of Rhodes, of which only parts of the base exist underwater. It towered above the harbor and was built from the melted down siege engines used by Demetrios I Poliorketes in an attempt to take the city.
After Alexander the Great died, the city forged ties with the Ptolemies in Egypt. Demetrios strove to dislodge them from this alliance and created the most feared siege engines the world had seen. However, after a year he was forced to give up in 304 BCE.
The coinage of Rhodes was widespread with numerous types in silver and bronze. Eventually I hope to add other types. For now, I’m happy with this bronze that features a rose, which was the symbol of the island.
One interesting aspect I find about Rhodes was that it mainly had one mint, compared to other islands of its size which were divided into multiple cities. While I’m sure there were other towns on Rhodes, it was always dominated by the capital.