Sale: Triton VII, Lot: 294. Estimate $500.  Closing Date: Monday, 12 January 2004.  Sold For $650. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CILICIA, Mallos. Circa 425-385 BC. AR Tetrobol (3.20 gm). Winged god advancing right, holding sun disk / MAP, panther walking left; all within incuse square. SNG Levante 127 (this coin); SNG France -; BMC Lycaonia -; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG von Aulock -. Toned VF, minor roughness. Rare. ($500)

Ex Hess-Leu 49 (27-28 April 1971), lot 240.

According to the myths, when Zeus, in the guise of a bull, had seized Europa and carried her off, Agenor, the king of Tyre or Sidon, enjoined his sons, Phoenix, Kilix, and Kadmos, to search for her. When they were unable to recover her, they settled in the respective regions wherein they were searching and thus became the eponymous founders of the states which eventually bore their names: Kadmos became the founder of Kadmeia, the ancient name for Thebes; Phoenix became the founder of Phoenicia; and Kilix, the founder of Cilicia. Moreover, the city of Mallos was said to have been founded at the time of the Trojan War by Amphilochos, who later had a shrine and cult dedicated to him there, and Mopsos, who was either Greek or Hittite in origin.

In both tales, there exists a strong connection between Cilicia and both the Hittites and the ancient Near East. Such too, is the case with our coin. While the emblem on the obverse has been tradionally described as Kronos, the Greek god was never depicted as winged nor ever represented with the sun disk; rather, the individual here should be associated with one of the Near Eastern sun-gods.