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Zeus was enamored of Europa and decided to seduce or ravish her. He transformed himself into a tame white bull and mixed in with her father's herds. While Europa and her female attendants were gathering flowers, she saw the bull, caressed his flanks, and eventually got onto his back. Zeus took that opportunity and ran to the sea and swam, with her on his back, to the island of Crete. He then revealed his true identity, and Europa became the first queen of Crete. Zeus gave her a necklace made by Hephaestus and three additional gifts: Talos, Laelaps and a javelin that never missed. Zeus later re-created the shape of the white bull in the stars, which is now known as the constellation Taurus. SH51407. Silver stater, SNG Delepierre 2378, Svoronos Crète 64, SNG Cop 442 var. (thinker pose), VF, toned, heavy flan, over-struck on an earlier coin, weight 11.592 g, maximum diameter 26.4 mm, die axis 180o, Gortyna mint, 4th century B.C.; obverse Europa seated right in a tree in a playful pose; reverse bull right, head turned back left; SOLD
Knossos, Crete, c. 330 - 300 B
SH35118. Silver drachm, BMC Crete p. 21, 26; SNG Cop 374, Fair, rough cleaning, weight 3.172 g, maximum diameter 19.2 mm, die axis 180o, Knossos mint, obverse head of Hera left, wearing stephane; reverse square labyrinth with entrance; rare; SOLD
Gortyna, Crete, c. 200 - 67 B.C.
GS12272. Silver drachm, BMC Peloponnesus 54 var., SNG Cop -, Svoronos Crète 143 var.,, VF, weight 4.162 g, maximum diameter 21.4 mm, die axis 0o, Gortyna mint, obverse diademed head of Zeus or Minos left; reverse ΓOPTYNIΩ-N, warrior standing left, spear in left, resting right hand on shield set on ground; flan crack, reverse strike flaws; rare; SOLD
Agrippa? and Augustus, Knossos, Crete, c. 27 B.C.
Older references list this type as Octavian and Mark Antony, in part based on foundation of the colony c. 37 B.C. RPC concludes this can't be Mark Antony because recent scholarship indicates the colony was founded in 27 B.C. or later. The revised date makes a coin of Antony impossible.
The relative concavities of this two-headed bronze suggest that Agrippa was meant to be the obverse.RP17710. Leaded bronze AE 20, RPC I 976; BMC Crete p. 26, 72 - 73; SNG Cop 394, VF, weight 5.196 g, maximum diameter 20.2 mm, die axis 0o, Knossos mint, c. 27 B.C.; obverse C I N [C EX DD], bare head of Agrippa? right, labyrinth behind; reverse T FVFIO [M AIMILIO] II VI[R], bare head of Augustus right; cleaned, pitting; SOLD