ASIA MINOR. Uncertain. Late 6th-early 5th century BC. Tetartemorion (Silver, 6 mm, 0.18 g, 5 h). Bearded male head (Silenos?) to left. Rev. Head of man-headed bull to right; all within incuse square. Naumann 122 (2022), 361. SNG Copenhagen -. Extremely rare . Struck slightly off center and somewhat porous, otherwise, very fine.


The combination of archaic-style human heads and man-headed bulls are known from Lycian and Karian dynastic coinages as well as from Mallos in Cilicia, but in all of these cases the bulls usually appear on the obverse and the human head inside the incuse reverse punch. This arrangement is reversed on the present coin. The treatment of the nose and cheek of the obverse head, together with what seems to be an elongated ear, raise the possibility that the head may have been intended to represent Silenos.