Silver Stater of Rhodes

Obverse: head of Helios facing slightly right
Reverse: ?????? above rose with bud; ??, in bottom left field.

Staters had been circulating in ancient Greece since 8th century BC. The large and important island of Rhodos had produced a considerable coinage from archaic times, with only a respite of fifty years during the Persian wars. The new federal capital was established circa 408 BC and quickly achieved great prosperity and became one of the principal trading centres of the ancient world. In the 3rd century, Rhodos excised much political influence in the eastern Mediterranean. The famous Rhodian coinages bear a depiction of the head of Helios, identified with Apollo. This arresting image is influenced by the head of the Syracusan nymph Arethousa, as rendered by the engraver Kimon. The rose on the reverse is a punning representation of the name of the city (rose, in Greek Rhodon), which was famous for its roses, after which it was named.