logo_moneymuseum

Lycia, Oinoanda, Stater

back

Lycia, Oinoanda, Stater (obverse) Lycia, Oinoanda, Stater (reverse)

The Greek gods were powers, not beings; experiences, not existences. They did not have to take human shape. An animal or a thing could also be a symbol of a god.

Both faces of this coin show different aspects of Zeus. On the obverse he is represented in idealized human form. On the reverse, Zeus is the powerful eagle, but also the thunderbolt, the unexpected stroke of fate.

back

Signet Sunflower Foundation