Description
This coin is a silver drachm minted in the Greek republic of Epirus, circa 232-168 BC. The obverse depicts the head of Zeus wreathed in oak and the reverse shows an eagle standing on a thunderbolt.
Epirus was an ancient Greek kingdom, and later republic, located in parts of north-western Greece and southern Albania. It was the location of Dodona, an ancient sanctuary to the chief Greek god, Zeus. Zeus was regarded as the sender of thunder and lightning, rain, and winds, and his traditional weapon was the thunderbolt. He was called the father (i.e., the ruler and protector) of both gods and men. In art, as on this coin, Zeus was represented as a bearded, dignified, and mature man of stalwart build; his most prominent symbols were the thunderbolt and the eagle.
