Description
This coin is a silver Greek Stater minted in Akarnania, Anaktorion, circa 320-280 BCE. The obverse shows Pegasus in flight and the reverse depicts the helmeted head of Athena with a monogram and omphalos to the right.
The design of this coin is typical of the Greek city-state of Corinth. Akarnania was a colony of Corinth, a rich and quite powerful Greek city that used Pegasus and Athena as its civic symbols. Pegasus is associated with Corinth by association with the legendary Corinthian king Bellerophon, who tamed Pegasus with the aid of a golden bridle given to him by the goddess Athena. In Greek mythology, Athena is the goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason. Pegasus, son of Poseidon, was born from the neck of Medusa when she was killed by the hero Perseus.
