Southern Greece. Corinthia, Corinth.
Stater, c. 340 BC. (Silver, 8.53g., 21.4mm). Pegasos with pointed wing flying to left; below, Ϙ / Female head to left (Athena or Aphrodite), wearing a Corinthian helmet, without crest but with a leather neck flap; behind her head, Ε and rose. BMC 327. Calciati 374. Ravel 997.

Corinth (IACP 227) was one of the great cities of Greece: it seems to have been settled in both Neolithic and Early Helladic times (i.e. down to c. 2000 BC), but it was of quite minor importance until the Iron Age. From the 10th century BC on it became ever more powerful, becoming rich from trade, especially in pottery and agricultural produce. In early times the city was ruled by kings, but they were overthrown by Cypselus who ruled as tyrant beginning in c. 657; his son and successor was Periander who not only brought great prosperity to the city but was renowned as a great philosopher. The dynasty ended c. 585 and was replaced by a limited oligarchy. Corinthian coinage began in the later 6th century with staters bearing Pegasos, the winged horse that was captured by Bellerophon at the fountain of Pirene in Corinth. Soon the obverse figure of Pegasos was joined by a helmeted female head on the reverse: this head is normally thought to be Athena Chalinitis (Athena the Restrainer), who helped Bellerophon to capture the winged horse. However, a very good case has been made for seeing her as Aphrodite (to be exact, Aphrodite Ourania) who was a far more important goddess than Athena in Corinth (see P. E. Blomberg, On Corinthian Iconography. Boreas 25. Uppsala, 1996). The staters of Corinth, and of the numerous cities in western Greece, Italy and Sicily that also issued them, served as a major trading coinage from the 3rd quarter of the 6th century down to the second half of the 4th century BC; at that point Alexander’s new Attic weight imperial coinage drove Corinthian weight staters out of circulation.

Grading/Status: A lovely, well-struck coin with beautiful toning – virtually unimprovable. Good extremely fine.

Notes
Provenance:
Numismatica Genevensis SA 7, 27 November 2012, 196.
Collection of J. Abecassis, Leu 81, 16 May 2001, 216.
Hess-Leu 19, 12 April 1962, 235.