2016-05-13 Fri

Clazomenae produced some of the finest facing-head portraits in Greek coinage, most of which were unsigned masterpieces. Artist Theodotos though, signed his work stating “Theodotos made it”. Signing on coins was only allowed at Cydonia on Crete and at Thurium in Lucania.

Apollo was the main god of Clazomenae. The design’s beauty suggests that it was inspired by the facing Apollo heads of Amphipolis. Another inspiration could also have been Kimon’s Arethusa and the Helios portraits of Rhodes.

The swan on the coin goes with the city name and the bird was also sacred to Apollo. The city name might have been derived from the verb klazein, which was used to describe the whirr of a bird’s wings or their cries.

Sometime the bird is shown with wings open as it cranes its neck over and on other occasions the bird stands forward, wings raised. This particular coin features the name of magistrate Apollas. The swan depicted on the coin is extremely detailed with a focussed and determined stare.