Greek, A Greek silver didrachm of Rhodes, set in an 18ct gold pendant with diamonds, Late Classical to Hellenistic Period, circa 340 - 316 BC

The obverse depicts the god Helios facing slightly right. The reverse shows a blossoming rose, above this POΔION is inscribed, with a bunch of grapes in the field to the left.

Provenance

Roma numismatics auction, London, 31 March 2012, lot 301

Literature

Rhodes was a major commercial and cultural centre within the ancient Greek world, and was famous for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This colossal statue depicted the sun god Helios and was erected in the 3rd century BC shortly after this coin was minted. The Colossus was destroyed only fifty years later by a devastating earthquake in 226 BC. This coin provides an idea of how the faces of one of antiquity's greatest lost masterpieces may have looked.