Third Known

Sale: Triton XIII, Lot: 1320. Estimate $1000.  Closing Date: Monday, 4 January 2010.  Sold For $1500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SATRAPS of CARIA. Maussolos. Circa 377/6-353/2 BC. AR Tetradrachm (14.72 g, 12h). Mylasa mint. Zeus Osogoa standing left, holding eagle and trident / Zeus Labraundos standing right, holding labrys and scepter; MA to left. Pixodarus Type B, 2 (A1/P2) = Delrieux p. 36, B (D1/R2). Good Fine, toned, minor roughness. Extremely rare, apparently the third known of this type.

According to the first century Greek geographer Strabo (Geography 14. 2. 23), the Mylasians had three temples of Zeus in their city. In addition to the temples of Zeus Labraundos and Zeus Karios, a third was dedicated to Zeus Osogoa, an indigenous Carian god. The temple complex dedicated to him in Mylasa was of such a size and style that Pausanias (8.10.3) equated it with the Athenian Acropolis. For a further discussion of this god, see A. Laumonier, Les cultes indigènes en Carie (Paris, 1958), pp. 45-126.