CRETE, Gortyna. Circa 330-270 BC. AR Stater (23.5mm, 11.60 g, 12h). VF.

CNG Feature Auction 133
Lot: 238. Estimated: $ 1 000

Greek, 12h, Coin-in-Hand Video, Silver

Sold For $ 3 500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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CRETE, Gortyna. Circa 330-270 BC. AR Stater (23.5mm, 11.60 g, 12h). Europa seated right in tree, resting head in hand / Bull standing three-quarters right, head left. Svoronos, Numismatique 57; Le Rider, Crétoises, p. 57, 13a (this coin, illustrated); SNG Copenhagen –. Toned, overstruck on a stater of Knossos. VF.

Ex Myers & Adams 6 (6 December 1973), lot 159. Seen in commerce in London, 1966, per Le Rider.

While the myth of Europa as one of Zeus’ numerous trysts is well-known and has been the subject of literature and art since at least the fifth century BC, certain portions of the entire episode received more attention than others. What occurred when Zeus brought Europa to Crete is one such part. According to the later authors Theophrastos (371-ca. 287 BC) and Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79), Zeus consummated his abduction of Europa in a plane-tree (ἡ πλάτανος), an event commemorated on a series of silver and bronze issues from the Cretan city of Gortyna, traditional site of that event.

According to the traditional account, Europa was the daughter of Agenor, king of Tyre, the sister of Kadmos, the legendary founder of Corinth, and Kilix, for whom Cilicia was named, and was a descendant of Io, one of Zeus’ numerous other mortal female trysts. Europa, too, attracted the eye of Zeus, who, transforming himself into a white bull, seduced the young girl, carrying her across the Aegean Sea to the region of Gortyna on Crete, where she was made the first queen of Crete. Gortyna’s special involvement in this myth - it was claimed the plane-tree was still extant centuries after the event - made its depiction on the civic coinage an important reminder of the city’s role in Crete’s early history.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 133 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 15-16 September 2026.

CNG Feature Auction 133 – Session One – Lot 1-308 will be held Tuesday morning, 15 September 2026 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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