Phaistos Crete Silver Stater – Hercules and Bull - Short History

This Phaistos Silver Stater has been minted in Phaistos-Crete around 320-300 BC.

On the obverse of the coin, Hercules nude with the lion skin draped around his left arm is seen from behind during his second labor. With his left hand he seizes one of Lernaean Hydra’s heads and is ready to smash it with the club he is holding on his right hand. Below him there is a crab (karkinos) that assists Lernea Hydra in its battle against Hercules.

Hercules is associated with Phaistos and the city’s coinage since according some ancient historians, the city of Phaistos has been founded by his son, Phaestos.

On the reverse side of the coin is depicted the Cretan bull. It was the seventh labor of Hercules to capture the Cretan bull that was sent and released into Marathon. Inscription reads PHAISTION in Greek fonts.