Kyrene, Cyrenaica (Attic Series; 500-480 BC.)
AR Drachm

Obv: Artistically rendered man-headed bull protome, facing left; two silphium fruits behind.
Rev: Floral pattern within incuse square.

Attribution: BMC Cyrenaica 5, 19 - Pl. IV, 9.; Traite 2010, Pl. LXIV, 9.; Buttrey, Cyrene Final Reports VI, 75.
Provenance: ex. CNG e160(#98), 3.14.07.

Weight: 3.89 gm.
Maximal Diameter: 14 mm
Axis: 12

Note: Extremely rare early issue from Kyrene, which has an interesting mix of styles more often associated with motifs of Asia Minor and Sicily. The floral pattern reverse is very close to the same ubiquitous pattern seen on the common fractional AR series from Miletos, Ionia, while the man-bull protome could suggest a river god (Peneus, grandfather of Cyrene?) or an Oriental prototype, such as the winged man-headed bulls that served as guardian figures in Assyrian palaces.

GK251