One of the great cultural centers of the ancient Greek world was the Island of Lesbos. A favorite place of poets and philosophers, the cities of Lesbos were quite prosperous. Its most famous resident was the poet sappho who composed nine books of erotic poetry, of which only one poem - An Ode to Aphrodite - survives complete. read more

The designs on coins are often laden with symbolism. Kings, Queens and Presidents have used them to express ideas or to display their own likeness. The ancient Greeks were notorious for their love of symbolism, and on this coin of the legendary greek king and conqueror, 'Alexander the Great,' we find some of the best ever produced, as he portrays himself as the greeks' greatest warrier/god, Hercules. read more

Sun worshipping is not a recent fad, but rather an ancient tradition. The Greeks and Romans were especially serious about their devotion to their solar deities, which the Greeks named Helios and the Romans named Sol. The front of this coin depicts the facing head of Helios with rays of the sun emanating in all directions. read more

Although not indigenous to Greek lands, the lion was still a popular beast renowned for its power and hunting prowess. The lion had been depicted in Greek and asiatic art for centuries before coinage was invented, and was especially prized by the Romans who used them in the Gladiatorial Games they held in the Colosseum. read more.

Istros was a Mylesian colony on the northern Greek island of Thrace. The large coinage output suggests to historians and archeologists that it was a place of commercial importance. It is still a mystery as to what the obverse of this coin signifies. The most widely accepted theories are that it represents either the Dioskouri, the rising and setting sun, or the two branches of the Danube River, also called the Ister. read more

Philip II, King of Macedonia and father of Alexander the Great, was born in Pella in 382 BC. From 367 - 365 BC, Philip was a hostage in Thebes, and during that period he observed the military techniques of Thebes, then the greatest power in Greece. In 364 he returned to Macedonia. read more

The designs on coins are often laden with symbolism. Kings, queens and presidents have used them to express ideas or to display their own likeness. The ancient Greeks were notorious for their love of symbolism, and on this coin of the legendary Greek king and conqueror, 'Alexander the Great,' we find some of the best ever produced. read more

Demeter, in Greek mythology, was the goddess of corn and the harvest, and the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. When her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades, god of the underworld, Demeter's grief was so great that she neglected the land; no plants grew, and famine devastated the earth. Dismayed at this situation, Zeus, the ruler of the universe, demanded that his brother Hades return Persephone to her mother. Hades agreed, but before he released the girl, he made her eat some pomegranate seeds that would force her to return to him for four months each year. read more.

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