Monete con labirinto

[skubydu]

9 minuti fa, King John dice:

Particolarissima moneta in vendita con una figura (Minosse?) seduta su un labirinto.

Heritage World Coin Auctions > ANA Signature Sale 3056	Auction date: 3 August 2017
Lot number: 30060 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot	Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming  auctions on
Lot description: Ancients CRETE. Cnossus. Ca. 280-270 BC. AR drachm (20mm, 4.88 gm, 12h). Choice VF, smoothing. Laureate head of Apollo left / ΚΝΩΣΙ[ΩΝ], male figure (King Minos?) seated left on square labyrinth, holding Nike in extended right hand and scepter in left, monogram on left. Le Rider, Crete, plate 35, 6 (this coin). Svoronos 82 (pl. VI, 15). BMC 28 (pl V,14) (this reverse die). Jameson 2519 (this reverse die). Very rare! Somewhat weak reverse strike, signs of smoothing on face below eye, repairing a delamination visible on Le Rider plate, otherwise a handsome specimen on a broad flan.  From the Northern California Collection; acquired from Freeman & Sear, 2003. The figure on the reverse can confidently be identified as the legendary King Minos, sitting atop a representation of his creation, the Labyrinth. According to legend, the Cretan artisan and scientist Deadalus built the Labyrinth on orders from King Minos, who needed a place to keep his wife Pasiphae's monstrous son, the Minotaur. Pasiphae had fallen in love with a beautiful sacrificial bull and the half-man, half-bull Minotaur was the result of her cross-species passion. The Latin poet Ovid, drawing from tradition and oral history, said Deadalus built the Labyrinth so cunningly he nearly trapped himself within its winding passages. The Minotaur was placed at the center and Minos ordered that seven youths and seven maidens be sent by Athens, then subject to Crete, each year as a sacrifice offering to feed the beast. The Athenian hero Theseus volunteered as one of the victims and, with the help of Minos' daughter Ariadne, smuggled in a sword, which he used to slay the Minotaur, and a ball of twine to help him navigate the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth soon became the very symbol of Crete and is shown on the reverse of coins struck by Knossos, its largest city and Minos' capital. Some coins show the Labyrinth in a circular form, while others, such as this example, depict it as square. Archaeologists have found considerable evidence that the Labyrinth was not entirely mythical. Sir Arthur Evans proposed that the huge, sprawling Minoan palace complex of Knossos would have been viewed as an inescapable maze by anyone from backwards mainland Greece; more recently, an underground warren of tunnels and caves, some natural and others man-made, has been explored under Gortyna, providing another strong candidate for the Minotaur's home.  HID02901242017 Estimate: 6000-8000 USD

Qualcuno che ha il Le Rider può postare L immagine della tavola?

grazie

skuby

[apollonia]

[apollonia]

Immagine sulla tavola VI dello Svoronos

 

[apollonia]

Sbaglio o sulla moneta dell’Heritage la figura maschile sul rovescio è seduta per modo di dire in quanto il suo sedere non è a contatto con il sedile a forma di labirinto?

 

[Matteo91]

Di solito non mi metto a parlare di falsi, però la moneta del post #150 mi dà da pensare. La figura al rovescio non mi sembra "esteticamente" molto ben riuscita, specialmente se confrontata con le altre due.

Voi cosa ne pensate?

[Archestrato]

5 ore fa, Matteo91 dice:

Di solito non mi metto a parlare di falsi, però la moneta del post #150 mi dà da pensare. La figura al rovescio non mi sembra "esteticamente" molto ben riuscita, specialmente se confrontata con le altre due.

Voi cosa ne pensate?

Il rovescio presenta tracce di un possibile scivolamento di conio (parte inferiore del labirinto e sotto il piede) che potrebbe giustificare alcuni aspetti dei rilievi, tuttavia la porosità concentrata tra le gambe e sul polpaccio (ma non solo) non è il massimo del fascino ..

Modificato 14 Luglio, 2017 da Archestrato

[apollonia]

Non credo che sia già stata descritta qui questa dramma CNG 353) in cui l’argento ha subito una profonda ossidazione e sulla cui superficie, specie del rovescio, compaiono macchie di azzurrite dovute all’ossidazione del rame. Questo metallo può provenire da depositi esterni o per migrazione alla superficie del rame in lega con l’argento.

CRETE, Knossos. Circa 300-270 BC. AR Drachm (19mm, 5.18 g, 8h). Head of Hera left, wearing ornamented stephanos / Labyrinth; A P flanking. Svoronos, Numismatique70; SNG Copenhagen 374; Traeger –. Fine, thick find patina, deposits.

 

[apollonia]

Statere con testa di Demetra o di Persefone sul diritto nella prossima GERHARD HIRSCH Nachfolger   |   Auktion 338   |   9 May 2018, Lot 332, Estimate: 1'750 EUR   |   Starting price: 1'400 EUR.

GRIECHISCHE MÜNZEN, GRIECHISCHES MUTTERLAND, KRETA, KNOSSOS.
Stater. 330-300. Kopf der Demeter oder Persephone mit Ährenkranz r. Rs: Mäanderartiges Labyrinth, im Zentrum Stern. SNG COP. 369. Svoronos 27 (Rs. stgl., zur Vs. vgl. 20). 10.69g, Schöne Tönung. Vs. hohes Relief. Rs. Druckstelle. RR ss-s/ss.
Ex Sammlung R.P. Ex CNG 45, 1998, Los Nr. 384.

[apollonia]

Un altro esemplare della dramma al post # 111 nella prossima Numismatica Ars Classica, Zurich   |   Auction 106 Part I   |   9 - 10 May 2018, Lot 244. Estimate: 15'000 CHF   |   Starting price: 12'000 CHF.

Crete, Cnossos. Drachm circa 300-270 BC, AR 5.42 g. Head of Hera l., wearing stephane decorated with palmettes, earring and pearl necklace. Rev. A – P Square labyrinth; in exergue, KNΩΣΙ. Traité III, 1548 and pl. CCL 14. Svoronos Crète, pl. VI, 7. SNG Copenhagen 374.
Very rare. A very interesting and fascinating issue, light old cabinet tone and good very fine

Ex Naville 5, 1923, 2266; Hess-Leu 31, 1966, 366; Gorny & Mosch 129, 2004, 131 and Gorny & Mosch 236, 2016, 209 sales.

Un po' di storia.

Although it had been inhabited since the Neolithic period, in the Bronze Age Knossos grew into a major city centred on a palace complex that may have been home to as many as 100,000 people. Knossos served as a political and cultural capital for Minoan civilization — the distinctive culture of Bronze Age Crete named after the mythological King Minos of Knossos. The impressive remains of the Minoan palace complex of Knossos was excavated by Sir Arthur Evans beginning in 1901 and resulted in the discovery of two previously unknown early Greek scripts, Linear A and Linear B. The invasions and natural disasters that brought about the collapse of many Bronze Age states around 1200-1100 B.C. also ended Minoan civilization. Nevertheless, while the age of the palace was gone, Knossos survived to become one of the most important cities of Crete in the Iron Age. In the Classical and Hellenistic periods, Knossos was frequently at war with neighbouring Cretan cities, especially Lyttos and Polyrrhenia. This coin may have been produced in the context of these inter-city struggles. The glory days of Minoan civilization were far in the past when this drachm was struck, nevertheless, the reverse type harks back to the time when King Minos ruled from Knossos and the Greeks of both the surrounding islands and even the mainland paid him tribute. Here we see an aerial view of the famous Labyrinth. Minos ordered this maze-like prison constructed to contain the monstrous Minotaur, a cannibalistic half-man, half-bull creature born from the unnatural love of Minos’ queen, Pasiphae, and the Cretan Bull. Minos demanded youths and maidens to be sent to Knossos as tribute by subject cities. These were sent into the Labyrinth and soon became hopelessly lost in its winding passages before they were devoured by the Minotaur. This horrific custom only came to an end when the hero Theseus had himself included among the human tribute from Athens. With the help of Minos’ daughter, Ariadne, Theseus killed the monster and found his way out of the Labyrinth thanks to a ball of string he had unwound as he advanced.

 

[apollonia]

Bronzo di Cnosso con Europa in “viaggio di nozze” verso Creta (NAC 114).

Crete, Cnossus. Bronze circa 220, Æ 6.87 g. Europa riding bull l.; below, dolphin l. Rev. KN Labyrinth. Svoronos, Numismatique 119. SNG Copenhagen 378 var. (two dolphins).
A very rare variety of a rare type. Brown tone and good very fine / very fine

Ex Glendining's sale 8 March 1970, 723 (part of).

 

[apollonia]

Dramma di Cnosso con la regina degli dei sul diritto (NAC 114).

Crete, Cnossus. Drachm circa 330-300, AR 5.41 g. Head of Hera l. wearing sphendone decorated with palmettes, earring and necklace. Rev. Labyrinth; at sides A – P and in exergue KNΩΣI. Svoronos 70 and pl. VI, 7 (these dies). Traité III, 1548 and pl. CCL, 14. SNG Copenhagen 374.
Very rare. An interesting and fascinating issue, unusually well-centred and
complete and of excellent style. Old cabinet tone, minor area of
weakness on obverse, otherwise about extremely fine

Privately purchased from CNG in 2011.

Per un po’ di storia su Cnosso e la civiltà minoica vedi didascalia in https://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=5926&category=197769&lot=4947468

[apollonia]

Bronzo di Cnosso alla prossima Münzen & Medaillen GmbH   |   Auktion 48   |   24 May 2019 

KRETA. KNOSSOS. Kleinbronze. Kopf des bärtigen Zeus n. r. Rv. Labyrinth. 1,93 g. Svoronos, C. 79,105, Tf.6,27, SNG Cop. 385 vgl.
Schön
Aus Slg. M. Weder.

https://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=6026&category=204122&lot=5057384

[apollonia]

Per Zeus, che risultato! 

Ira & Larry Goldbergs AUCTION 96, LOT 1676, 14 - 15 Feb 2017

Starting price: 5.000 USD

Estimate: 10.000 USD

Result: 77.500 USD

 

Lot 1676. Crete, Knossos. Silver Tetradrachm (15.39 g), ca. 200-67 BC. N-I/K-A in two lines, laureate head of Zeus right. Reverse: KNΩ/Σ-I/ΩN in three lines, labyrinth. Svoronos 177; SNG Lockett 2543 = Pozzi 4403 (this coin); SNG Copenhagen 381. Very Rare and probably the finest example in existence! Boldly struck and perfectly centered on a nice broad flan. Uniform dark tone. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $10,000 - UP
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from F. Kovacs in the 1980s. Ex Richard Cyril Lockett Collection, pt. III (Glendining's, 27 May 1959), 2019; Ex Prof. S. Pozzi Collection (Naville I, 4 April 1921), 1971.
Knossos was renowned in antiquity as the Cretan capital of King Minos, who mythographers and historians like Thucydides considered to have ruled the first thalassocracy (naval empire). Despite his great power - which at one time extended over Athens on the Greek mainland - his family was cursed by the gods. His wife, Pasiphaê, became smitten with a majestic bull and employed Daidalos, Minos' great engineer, to build a wooden cow device so that she could consummate her unnatural lust for the animal. The result of this coupling was the monstrous minotaur, a bloodthirsty half-man and half-bull creature.

Unwilling or unable to destroy this monstrous offspring, Minos ordered Daidalos to construct a winding maze that was so difficult to navigate that the Minotaur could be safely kept a prisoner inside. Daidalos, with the help of his son Ikaros, followed his king's command and built the famous Labyrinth, which is depicted on the reverse of this coin and which may derive its name from labrys, the double-headed axe that appears to have had an important ritual function in Bronze Age Crete.

Unfortunately for the two builders, once the Labyrinth was complete, Minos had them shut up inside in order to prevent them from ever divulging its secrets to the outside world. The wily Daidalos, however, used wax and bird feathers to construct artificial wings for his son and himself so that they could escape by flying out of the unroofed maze. The plan worked perfectly until Ikaros flew too close to the sun and the wax of his wings melted, causing him to fall to his death in the sea off the coast of southwestern Asia Minor, which thereafter was known as the Ikarian Sea.

Despite the escape of Daidalos and the tragic death of his son, the Labyrinth still stood and housed an increasingly hungry and angry Minotaur. In order to satisfy the monster's need for human flesh, Minos demanded tribute from Athens in the form of seven youths and seven maidens every seven or nine years. After this horror had taken place twice, the Athenian prince Theseus volunteered to serve as one of the youths in order to go to the Labyrinth of Knossos in the hope of slaying the monster and ending the bloody tribute. With the help of Minos' daughter, Ariadne, he marked his path in the maze by unwinding a ball of yarn so that after killing the Minotaur he could retrace his steps and safely exit the Labyrinth.

Thus the great mythological fame of Daidalos' maze and Theseus' destruction of its inmate made it the perfect civic badge for the coins of Knossos in the early Hellenistic period.

 

[apollonia]

Raramente si trova in asta un’emidramma di Cnosso. Questa della prossima CNG Feature Auction 115 è stimata $1,000 e attualmente siamo a $750 dopo cinque offerte.

CRETE, Knossos. Circa 300-270 BC. AR Hemidrachm (15mm, 2.34 g, 7h). Laureate head of Apollo left / Labyrinth; A P flanking. Svoronos, Numismatique 73; cf. SNG Copenhagen 375. Toned, area of flat strike in center. Near VF. Rare.

From the Todd Hansen Collection. Ex Dr. Burkhard Traeger Collection (Künker 136, 10 March 2008), lot 173; Pierre-Carlo Vian Collection (Poindessault, 15 November 1991), lot 392.

 

Vedremo a breve come va a finire.

 

[apollonia]

Ecco la fine:

SOLD $3,750 (EUR 3.173,40)

 

[apollonia]

Obolo di Cnosso (Obolos by nomos, WEBAUCTION 11 - LOT 224 - 8 Dec 2018)

Greek
CRETE. Knossos. Circa 300-270 BC. Obol (Silver, 11 mm, 0.65 g, 2 h). Laureate head of Apollo left. Rev. Labyrinth (ruins of the palace of Knossos). Svoronos, Numismatique 74. As a denomination, extremely rare. Uncleaned as found and with minor scratches, otherwise, about very fine.

Starting price: 120 CHF - Result: 550 CHF

[apollonia]

Statere con Demetra o Persefone (ROMA NUMISMATICS LTD. AUCTION XXIII)

Lot 138. Crete, Knossos AR Stater. Circa 320-270 BC. Wreathed female (Demeter or Persephone) head to right / The Labyrinth of King Minos in maeander pattern; star within centre. Traité III 1537, pl. CCL, 4; SNG Copenhagen 369; BMC 5-6; Svoronos 27; Le Rider 22. 11.08g, 26mm.
Extremely Fine; small test punch on rev., beautiful old cabinet tone. Previously NGC graded XF 5/5 - 2/5 (#4936363-013). Very Rare.
Ex Collection of a Gentleman; Acquired from Stack's Bowers Galleries.
Starting price: 3.000 GBP. Estimate: 5.000 GBP. Result: 9.000 GBP

apollonia

 

[apollonia]

Dracma di Cnosso alla Fritz Rudolf Künker AUCTION 376

Lotto 4603. GRIECHISCHE MÜNZEN. CRETA. KNOSSOS  
AR-Drachme, 300/270 v. Chr.; 5,15 g. Herakopf l. mit Polos//Labyrinth zwischen A-P. Slg. Traeger -; Svoronos 70.
Von großer Seltenheit.
Feine Tönung, etwas rauer Schrötling, Labyrinth sehr gut ausgeprägt, fast vorzüglich

Aus der Sammlung "Alexander der Große".
Exemplar der Ancient Miniature Art Collection, Auktion Triton XXIII, New York 2020, Nr. 279.
Etwa 6 Kilometer südlich von Heraklion liegen die Ruinen von Knossos, Kretas zweifellos größte und berühmteste Stadt der Antike, Hauptstadt des mythischen Königs Minos und vorherrschende Stadt der Insel während der überwiegenden Zeit der klassischen und hellenistischen Epoche. Knossos ist eng verbunden mit den mythischen Erzählungen von Daidalos und Ikaros, Theseus und Ariadne, Minos und Pasiphae sowie dem Minotauros und dem kretischen Labyrinth. Die zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts von Arthur Evans ausgegrabene Palastanlage von Knossos, die von einigen Wissenschaftlern mit dem kretischen Labyrinth gleichgesetzt wird, gilt als bedeutendste Sehenswürdigkeit Kretas. Knossos zählte zu den bedeutendsten Münzstätten auf Kreta, in der Mitte des 5. vorchristlichen Jahrhunderts kurz nach dem Prägebeginn in Gortyn und Phaistos mit der Ausgabe von Silbernominalen begonnen wurde. Vom Beginn der Prägetätigkeit bis in die Römerzeit stellte die Abbildung eines Labyrinthes auf den Münzen von Knossos das Hauptmotiv dar. Zunächst in Verbindung mit anderen Darstellungen der kretischen Mythologie, mit denen die Stadt ihre Vergangenheit propagierte, und zuletzt auf Geprägen mit der Darstellung römischer Kaiser belegte das Labyrinth über einen Zeitraum von 5 Jahrhunderten seine herausragende Bedeutung für das antike Knossos. Etwa um 320 v. Chr. setzte in Knossos als erste Münzstätte auf Kreta die Prägung von Bronzemünzen ein, auf denen zunächst ausschließlich Köpfe von Göttern wie Zeus, Apollon oder Artemis dargestellt wurden. Ab 300 v. Chr. findet sich dann auch auf den Bronzemünzen von Knossos die Darstellung des Labyrinthes, zunächst swastikaförmig, kurz darauf ebenfalls als quadratisches Labyrinth abgebildet.

Base d’asta: 10.000 EUR

apollonia

[apollonia]

Roma Numismatics, AUCTION XIX, LOTTO 356

Base d’asta: 15.000 GBP. Valutazione: 25.000 GBP. Risultato: 57.500 GBP

 

Lotto 356. Crete, Knossos AR Stater. Circa 300-270 BC. Head of Hera left, wearing ornamented stephanos, triple-pendant earring, and necklace / The Labyrinth of King Minos; A above arrow head to left, P above thunderbolt to right, KNΩΣIΩN below. SNG Lockett 2538 (this coin); Traité III 1547; Svoronos 67, pl. VI, 6; Westfälische Auktionsgesellschaft 49, 48. 11.30g, 25mm, 6h.

Extremely Fine; obv. countermark, beautiful old cabinet tone. Extremely Rare; the first to be offered at auction since 2009.

From the David Freedman Collection;
This coin published in Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Great Britain, Volume IV, Lockett Collection (London, 1946);
Privately purchased from Spink & Sons Ltd., 16 December 2005;
Ex Richard Cyril Lockett Collection, Glendining & Co., 27 May 1959, lot 2014.

Knossos, a city of unparalleled Bronze Age splendours, was reconstructed by the Greeks slightly to the north of the destroyed Minoan palace and the city recovered a considerable degree of importance in the 1st millennium BC, never forgetting its glorious pre-Hellenic past. The frequent military conflicts with its neighbours Tylisos, Lyttos and Gortyna notwithstanding, the city thrived as 'the metropolis of Crete' (Strabo X.47). By the 5th century BC it established a mint and began to issue coins on the Aiginetan standard commemorating its legendary past, at first depicting the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, then later Ariadne and King Minos, and from about 300-270 BC an elegant head of Hera. Knossos continued to issue coins into Roman times as capital of the Roman province of Cyrenaica and Crete under a Cretarch named Kydas.

The fable of Theseus and the minotaur needs little recounting; all are familiar with Theseus’ feat of slaying the monstrous progeny of Pasiphaë and the white bull sent from the sea by Poseidon; navigating the Labyrinth with the help of Minos’ daughter Ariadne who provided him with thread so he could find his way back out. The historical basis for the myth has long been sought by scholars and archaeologists: Sir Arthur Evans, the first to excavate the Minoan palace of Knossos is often credited for the idea that the Labyrinth of myth was in reality the palace of Minos, which had an enormous number of rooms, staircases and corridors, and heavily featured the double-axe (labrys) symbol within – thus being the “House of the Labrys”. Though the notion is generally discredited today, the historical basis and etymology for the Labyrinth is sought still, with little agreement. Perhaps the most intriguing perspective on the Thesean myth is that of the widely-acclaimed author Mary Renault, whose vivid work of historical fiction, the Bildungsroman entitled “The King Must Die” (1958) sought to rationalise the fanciful and furnish a plausible basis for the story. Thus in her work the appointed ‘sacrifice’ from Athens of boys and girls are intended for the acrobatic bull-dancing rituals of which magnificent Minoan frescoes still survive, rather than the knife; the Labyrinth is indeed the palace of Minos, though its maze-like qualities are portrayed as subterranean grotto-like passageways of forgotten storerooms and ancient armouries incorporated into the foundations of the palace; the Minotaur meanwhile is the cruel and despotic heir of Minos named Asterion (a synonymous term also used by ancient writers referring to the monster, and in its literal meaning of ‘starry’ also figured on the coinage of Knossos in place of the monster).

Regardless of any historical basis for this myth, the fantastical story as it came to be told possessed layers of metaphor that were intended to be interpreted as didactic. The tale of Theseus is a coming of age story par excellence, that narrates the transition of a flawed boy from youth to adulthood and ascension to the throne of Athens; Theseus is at once the great hero who slays the Minotaur, thus rescuing his companions and delivering his city from the curse of their regularly-appointed sacrifice, but at the same time is the reprehensible cad who abandons Ariadne on Naxos and by celebrating his return to Athens too soon forgets to replace the black sail of his ship with a white one as he approaches, so causing the suicide of his father who believes him dead. Thus the Labyrinth of the story serves as a metaphor for potential transformation: despite Theseus accomplishing the seemingly impossible he retains his flaws and resists the chance to change and grow until he had that change (in the form of great responsibility and cares of state) forced upon him by his father the king’s death that he himself was the cause of. The Labyrinth can furthermore be interpreted as a metaphor for life, requiring that one find one’s thread and learn how to follow it, lest life’s perplexities be insurmountable.

As a (much) later conclusion to the story of Theseus, the Athenian statesman Kimon of Athens, at the bidding of an oracle, having conquered the island of Skyros for the Athenians identified there "a coffin of a great corpse with a bronze spear-head by its side and a sword" as the mortal remains of Theseus (Plutarch, Life of Kimon VIII.6). The blurring of myth, religion and history inherent in the Greeks’ cultural identity thus led to fables such as that of Theseus and the Labyrinth retaining their power for centuries, affording political capital to such as Kimon, and prestige to be leveraged and celebrated as in the case of Knossos.

 

apollonia

[Nibbi]

Che bella discussione! Ci voleva proprio una scorpacciata di labirinti. 
Per chi si trovasse a passare di lì, segnalo che (ovviamente) al museo archeologico di Heraklion ci sono diversi esemplari di alcune monete viste in questa discussione (non le più rare purtroppo).

il museo vale la visita in ogni caso, al di là della (piccola)(ma piacevole) saletta numismatica.

[apollonia]

Statere di Cnosso in... mano!

CRETE. Knossos. Circa 320-300 BC. Stater (Silver, 25 mm, 10.92 g, 10 h). ΚΝΩ Head of Demeter (or Kore?) to right, wearing grain wreath, an earring with a pyramidal pendant and a pearl necklace. Rev. Labyrinth with a head of the Minotaur at the center; all within a concentric border of dots. Le Rider p 30 and pl. XXXIV, 16 (this coin). Svoronos, Numismatique -. Very rare, of very fine style, unusually well-struck and finely toned. An extraordinarily attractive Cretan coin. Extremely fine.

From the collection of A. Hofer and from an Italian collection, Monnaies et Médailles 68, 15 April 1986, 258. Published in Splendeurs et témoignages p. 101, 146.

This is by far one of the prettiest coins ever struck by Knossos, and is both very well-struck and has an obverse of lovely style. The reverse is wonderful in its way too: at the center of the Labyrinth is the head of the Minotaur, looking as if he is waiting for the next visitor! Of interest is the fact that as shown here, the labyrinth does start at the entrance and does end in the monster's den!

Lot 154

apollonia

[CdC]

Visti gli sviluppi della discussione, si è provveduto a spostare qui dalla sezione Sicilia e Magna Grecia.

[apollonia]

Il 13/11/2022 alle 22:53, apollonia dice:

Statere di Cnosso in... mano!

CRETE. Knossos. Circa 320-300 BC. Stater (Silver, 25 mm, 10.92 g, 10 h). ΚΝΩ Head of Demeter (or Kore?) to right, wearing grain wreath, an earring with a pyramidal pendant and a pearl necklace. Rev. Labyrinth with a head of the Minotaur at the center; all within a concentric border of dots. Le Rider p 30 and pl. XXXIV, 16 (this coin). Svoronos, Numismatique -. Very rare, of very fine style, unusually well-struck and finely toned. An extraordinarily attractive Cretan coin. Extremely fine.

From the collection of A. Hofer and from an Italian collection, Monnaies et Médailles 68, 15 April 1986, 258. Published in Splendeurs et témoignages p. 101, 146.

This is by far one of the prettiest coins ever struck by Knossos, and is both very well-struck and has an obverse of lovely style. The reverse is wonderful in its way too: at the center of the Labyrinth is the head of the Minotaur, looking as if he is waiting for the next visitor! Of interest is the fact that as shown here, the labyrinth does start at the entrance and does end in the monster's den!

Lot 154

apollonia

 

Base d’asta: 60.000 CHF. Risultato: 95.000 CHF.

apollonia

[apollonia]

NAC AUCTION 138, LOTTO 194, 18 mag 2023 - 19 mag 2023.

Base d’asta: 60.000 CHF. Valutazione: 75.000 CHF.

Lotto 194. Crete, Cnossus.  
Stater circa 440, AR 12.06 g. The Minotaur in a kneeling-running stance l., head facing. Rev. The Labyrinth, in the form of a swastika, at centre, five pellets in a floral pattern and in the corners, four sunken squares. Jameson 1317 (this coin). Svoronos 3 and pl. IV, 24. Le Rider pl. XXIV, 26 (this coin illustrated).
Very rare and in unusual condition for this important and fascinating issue, undoubtedly
one of the finest specimens in private hands. Old cabinet tone, traces of overstriking
on obverse, otherwise about extremely fine

Ex Hirsch sale XIII, 1905, Rhousopoulos, 2919. From the Jameson collection and a Distinguished Swiss Collection.
The types of this early silver stater of Cnossus depict one of the most famous stories in the Greek mythological repertoire. On the obverse the Minotaur appears in a delightful archaic kneeling-running pose while the reverse depicts the labyrinth in which he was imprisoned. According to Greek tradition, Cnossus was the capital of a great Aegean naval empire ruled by the Cretan king Minos. He was known to be a great lawgiver, who obtained laws directly from Zeus, but he was also cruel and selfish. Although he was commanded to sacrifice the most beautiful bull of his herds to Poseidon every year, on one occasion he kept the best bull for himself and instead sacrificed an inferior animal. Poseidon discovered his duplicity and placed a terrible curse on him: his wife, the queen Pasiphae, became consumed with an unnatural passion for the bull, which she satisfied with the assistance of the mechanical skills of Daedalus. The result of this union was the Minotaur (literally, “the bull of Minos”) a child that had a human form but the head and horns of a bull. Unable to kill the monstrous creature, which also had the problem of anger management as well as a taste for blood, Minos ordered the Minotaur to be imprisoned at the centre of an extremely complex maze, known as the Labyrinth. This was designed by Daedalus so that the Minotaur would be unable to escape and run amok on Crete, but human victims, who would also become lost in the maze, could be sent in to serve as its food. Following a successful war against Athens, Minos ordered the Athenians to provide tribute in the form of seven youths and seven maidens who could be fed to the Minotaur. Among the youths was the hero Theseus who swore to finally put an end to the grisly tribute. This he did with the help of Minos’ daughter Ariadne, who fell in love with Theseus and provided him with a ball of thread to unwind as he traversed the labyrinth. By winding it up again he would be able to retrace his steps and emerge from the maze. Armed with a sword and this means of return, Theseus killed the Minotaur at the heart of the Labyrinth—indicated by the rosette in the centre of the reverse—and ended all need for the human tribute to Minos. Nevertheless, Pasiphae mourned for the loss of her monstrous son and in rage the Cretan king punished Daedalus by ordering the imprisonment of the great inventor along with his son Icarus in the Labyrinth. The maze was clearly not as perfect as Daedalus had suggested when he had originally designed it. While this sentence would have spelled doom for lesser men, Daedalus conceived a plan of escape. Since the Labyrinth was open to the sky, he and his son collected feathers from birds and used wax to construct their own pairs of wings in order to fly out of the maze. Like all the projects of Daedalus, the plan was a brilliant success. Father and son escaped from the Labyrinth and found themselves flying on their way to safety over the Aegean Sea. Unfortunately, success turned to bitter tragedy when Icarus flew too high in the sky and the heat of the sun melted his wings. As Daedalus watched in horror, his only son fell into the sea and drowned. The Greek myths of Minos, the Minotaur, and the Labyrinth, which may dimly recall elements of the Bronze Age Cretan culture, became the claim to fame for Cnossus in the Iron Age and therefore appear frequently and prominently on the coins of the city even as late as the Roman period.
Please find here the video of the coin.

apollonia

[apollonia]

Gorny & Mosch AUKTION 302

Base d’asta: 12'000 EUR

Valutazione: 15'000 EUR

Risultato: 25'000 EUR

Lotto 159. KRETA. KNOSSOS.  
Drachme ø 19mm (5,43g). ca. 330 - 300 v. Chr. Vs.: Kopf der Hera mit verzierter Stephane n. l. Rs.: ΚΝΩΣΙ, Labyrinth zwischen A-Ρ. Svoronos, Crete 70; Taf. 6, 7; Traité 1548; SNG Lockett 2540 (dieses Exemplar).
R! Attraktive dunkle Tönung, Rs. Stempelfehler, ss-vz

Ex Sammlung Richard Lockett; ex Glendining London Auktion 28. Mai 1959, Los 2016.
Die Rückseite bildet das Labyrinth von Knosssos ab. Mit dessen Erbauung hatte König Minos den Daidalos beauftragt, um den Minotauros zu verbergen, der aus der Vereinigung seiner Gemahlin Pasiphaë mit einem weißen Stier hervorgegangen war. Das Labyrinth wurde seit dem Beginn der Prägetätigkeit in Knossos anfangs noch in stilisierter Form auf den dortigen Münzen dargestellt. Das vorliegende Exemplar zeigt eine der komplexesten Fassungen des Labyrinths, das die antiken Autoren wahlweise im bronzezeitlichen Palast des Minos oder in Gortyn lokalisieren.

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