No.: 58
Estimate: CHF 10000
d=17 mm
Drachm circa 340-330, AR 2.05 g. Head of Hera facing slightly to r., wearing
stephane and necklace. Rev. [PAN]DOSIN Naked Pan
seated l. on rock, spear behind l. arm; at his feet, dog running to l. Jameson
540 (this coin). AMB 217 (this coin). Evans, NC 1912, The Artistic Engravers of
Terina and the Signature of Euainetos on its Later Didrachm dies, pl. 3, 17
(these dies). Historia Numorum 2451 (these dies).
Of the highest rarity, only
very few specimens known. Toned and about very fine / fine
Ex Sambon-Canessa 1903, Maddalena, 581 and NAC 13, 1998,217 sales. Evans,
Jameson and A.D.M. collections. Pandosia,
the Achean colony was situated slightly above Cosentia
(Stabo VI 1,5), on the river Kratis (Crati).
Strabo also tells us that Pandosia was once the royal residence of the kings
of Enotria. Apart from general information and death of Alexander the Molossos,
who was tricked by two oracles (Strabo Loc. C), we know very little of the
history of this city, and only through numismatics can we retrace an alliance
with the city of Croton. On the obverse of this fraction of nomos is the head
of Hera, queen of Olympus and Zeus’ bride, depicted in nearly full-face portrait.
The reverse is very interesting and shows Pan on a rock with an untethered
dog at his feet running to 1. It is not surprising to find a dog beside the
god of shepherds and sheep, whose cult spread far beyond the Hellenic world.
Pan particularly loved fresh springs and the shade of the woods: in fact,
he was usually portrayed with a shepherd’s crook, pan pipes, pine crown or
a pine branch in his hand.