Description
This coin is a Greek silver drachm minted in the city of Ephesus in Ionia (on the Aegean coast of modern-day Turkey), circa 202-133 BC. The obverse depicts a honeybee and the reverse depicts a stag standing right, in front of a palm tree.
Ephesus was the location of a famous temple to the goddess Artemis, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. At the temple, the high priest was known as the “king bee” and the priestesses were called “bees”. Bees became a civic symbol for the city of Ephesus. The stag is also associated with Artemis, who was the goddess of nature, wilderness, wild animals, the hunt, chastity and childbirth.
