Greek coinage was known for putting puns on their coins! Roses demonstrated the identity of Rhodian citizens as the word for rose was a pun on the actual name of the city-state, Rhodes. This coin was minted in Rhodes, a vibrant commercial city-state in Ancient Greece, and depicts the sun-god Helios’ on the obverse. Helios was the patron-deity of the island of Rhodes, and was thus extremely influential to Rhodians. Rhodes minted their own coins, despite Alexander the Great’s conquests and being within his empire, until Rome took over the region in the first century. This coin is dated from the Hellenistic period, but likely the end of this period, after Alexander’s death in 323 BCE.
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