IONIA. Miletos. Circa 600-546 BC. Stater (Electrum, 21 mm, 13.90 g, 12 h), Lydo-Milesian standard. Lion reclining left, head reverted to right; all within double rectangular linear frame divided into rectangular compartments. Rev. Central oblong punch, containing two pellets connected by a line and a quadruped standing left, flanked by two square punches containing, respectively, a stellate pattern and a stag's head to left. Hilbert Phase 2, 16, S37.3 (this coin, A6/HK6-F13-X). SNG Kayhan 440. Weidauer 126. Lightly toned and with sharp and attractive reverse punches. Somewhat porous on the obverse and with faint marks, otherwise, very fine.



This archaic electrum stater from Miletos features the city’s emblem on its obverse: a reclining, backward-looking lion framed by a decorative double rectangular border in the archaic style.

The lion is not merely a heraldic symbol, but also reflects Miletos’ close connection to the sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma, located within the city’s territory. There, Apollo was worshipped in his local form as Didymeios – a god of light, prophecy, and divine order. Lion figures played a prominent architectural role at the sanctuary, appearing as waterspouts and symbolic guardians. The lion thus embodied protection, strength, and solar power – attributes closely associated with Apollo himself.

The animal on the coin, then, serves not only as a civic emblem but also as a symbol of the god’s enduring religious significance for the city. Remarkably, the image of the reclining or standing – yet always backward-looking – lion remained Miletos’ emblem well into the Roman Imperial period: the final Milesian coins featuring this motif were struck under Septimius Severus (193–211 AD), nearly 800 years after the issue of our beautiful stater.