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Stater: Head of Athena (obverse); Nike (reverse)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
As the forces of Alexander III [the Great] advanced into Asia, the city-state of Salamis, on the island of Cyprus, voluntarily surrendered itself and its mint. Salamis began producing Macedonian-style coinage, adopting a helmeted Athena on the obverse and a winged Nike offering a laurel wreath on the reverse. The rudder in the left field is the distinguishing symbol of Salamis, a nod to the city’s longstanding maritime prominence.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineStater: Head of Athena (obverse); Nike (reverse), c. 325–275 BCE. Greek, Macedonian, minted at Salamis (Cyprus). Gold; diameter: 1.9 cm (3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade, 1916.979