CYPRUS. Idalion (?). 450/49 BC. Drachm (Subaeratus, 15 mm, 3.27 g, 6 h). Sphinx seated to left, resting her right forepaw on a lotus tendril with flower and bud. Rev. 𐠯𐠞 ('pa-ti' (?) in Cypriot Syllabary) Owl standing right, head facing; to lower right, uncertain monogram; all within dotted square within incuse square. Unpublished and unique. An incredibly charming coin of great numismatic and historical interest. Breaks in plating on the obverse, otherwise, very fine.

The Cypriot origin of this highly fascinating coin is evident not only from the reverse legend in Cypriot script but also from the obverse design. The seated Sphinx, with her raised right forepaw above a lotus flower, is directly copied from a coin type of Stasikypros, who ruled the small inland kingdom of Idalion around 460-450 BC. The owl, on the other hand, is clearly derived from Athenian coinage. This is remarkable, as Cyprus remained under Persian control despite the Athenian naval expedition to the island in 450/49 BC, which resulted in a double Athenian victory on land and sea, but also in an unsuccessful siege of Kition, the death of Kimon, and the eventual withdrawal of Athenian forces from the island. Unlike regions such as Lycia, Philistia, and Egypt, Cypriot coinage - apart from a single coin type featuring a small owl's head beneath a bull (SNG Paris 440) - shows no reference to the widely circulating Athenian coin types, namely the helmeted head of Athena and her famous owl. However, with this coin, the situation changes dramatically. The combination of an Idalian obverse with an Athenian reverse makes a strikingly clear political statement. The most plausible explanation for this is the aforementioned Athenian naval expedition of 450/49 BC. Athens had sent Kimon, recently returned from exile, with a fleet of 200 ships to Cyprus, 140 of which laid siege to Kition on the southeast coast, while 60 sailed on to Egypt. During the unsuccessful siege, however, Kimon unexpectedly died from a wound or illness. His death was kept secret from the Athenian troops until they had defeated the Persians in a double battle, both on land and at sea. Shortly afterward, the fleet withdrew, and the Greco-Persian Wars came to an end with the 'Peace of Callias'. So, how should we interpret our coin within this historical context? The most likely scenario is that it was minted by local Cypriote rebels who, seeing the arrival of the Athenian fleet, seized the opportunity not only to shake off Persian rule but also to perhaps reshape the power dynamics within their own kingdom. The combination of an Idalian coin type with the Athenian owl particularly highlights Idalion, where the rule of King Stasikypros (whose name ironically could be interpreted as 'the one who stabilizes Cyprus') apparently came to an end around this time. This small kingdom was located less than 15 kilometers from Kition, which was besieged by the Athenians, and it is easy to imagine local rebels aligning themselves with the invaders and expressing their loyalty to Athens through a small coin series. The fact that the coin is plated further suggests it was struck in times of crisis. Unfortunately, the coin inscription, which we read as 𐠯𐠞 = 'pa-ti', provides no further clues about the mint master or ruler, and the monogram in the right field offers little additional insight. However, if our interpretation of this coin as a product of Cypriot rebels, likely from Idalion, in the context of Kimon’s naval expedition to Cyprus in 450/49 BC is correct, it represents a unique historical document from the Classical period of Cyprus. As such, this coin is a highly significant new discovery, and its connection to the final campaign of the Greco-Persian Wars also makes it of paramount importance to Athenian history