Speaker
Description
The resumption of systematic excavations on Lyttos (/Lytos/Lyktos) prompts us to examine the character and monetary behaviour of one of the four most prominent Cretan cities, lying in Central Crete. The importance of this rival of Knossos, Phaestos and Gortys, eventually controlling a safe natural port (Chersonesos), is reflected by its minting activity starting from the mid-5th c. BC through to the Roman period. We start out by presenting and commenting on the rich iconography of this coinage: while the eagle, Zeus and Athena, which occur on these coins, may easily be associated with prominent deities in the civic pantheon, the exclusive depiction of the boar head by this Cretan city may offer an important clue to its history. The distribution range of the Lyttian coin issues (which includes hoards, overstrikes and countermarks) will then enable a better assessment of the city’s involvement in intra-insular and international networks over time.
