2020-06-02 Tue

In the prehistoric period, humans and lions competed with each other for the same prey as food and sheltered themselves in similar kinds of caves. Lately, the lion was supposed to be most dangerous carnivores and so lion-hunting became the most favorite challenges for the aristocrats.

Featuring the lion on coins and the history of coinage goes hand in hand. The earliest appearance of roaring lion on the electrum coins of the Lydia Kingdom. These coins are found in Greek towns, Cyzicus which shows their trade relations. Cyzicus featured lion as crouching above their fish emblem. The king Croesus also minted coins of various denominations with bearing the image of a lion confronting a bull.

During the 5th century, Sidon city engraved the image of a king fighting a lion on their silver coinage. Persian Empire coinage imprints a scene of a lion stands improbably on its hind legs, while the king seizes a lock of its mane, preparing to stab it with a dagger.

The Roman goddesses such as Cybele from Phrygia in Anatolia usually appears in a chariot improbably drawn by a pair of lions.

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia