IONIA. Erythrai (?). Circa 500-480 BC. Didrachm (Silver, 16 mm, 7.00 g). Nude hero (Erythros?) on horseback to right. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. BMFA 1835 (same reverse die). Jameson 2269 (same reverse die). Rosen (same reverse die). SNG von Aulock 1943 (same reverse die). SNG Lockett 2814 (this coin). Traité II, 480 and pl. XII, 10. Rare and with an exceptional pedigree. A beautiful piece of wonderful late Archaic style. About extremely fine.



The depiction of a naked warrior or hero on this beautiful coin is reminiscent of nearly contemporary didrachms from Sicily, especially from Gela, which also depict a naked warrior with a spear. They point to the significance of cavalry in late Archaic Greek society. Since only wealthy landowners could afford the breeding and keeping of horses, the horse became a status symbol par excellence for the uppermost echelon of society in the Greek poleis. Unlike the didrachms from Syracuse and Gela, our piece likely originates from Erythrai in western Asia Minor, where Achaemenid influences are also conceivable at the start of the 5th century. It is a splendid late Archaic representation of a nude rider, which explains why the piece found its way into the famous collections of H. Robinow, R. C. Lockett, C. S. Bement, Rev. P. Barron, Sir A. Evans, and G. Philipsen.