THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

GREEK COINS
petuate the worship of Apollo, the reputed builder of
the original walls of the city ; and the obelisk observed
on some of them is identified with the stone which was
termed Apollo Karinos. In honour of this divinity
the lesser Pythian games were celebrated here.
Of all three places imperial coins are known, but the
reverses preserve their Hellenic spirit and complexion.
JEgina.—This island is claimed as the cradle of
ancient European coinage, its famous tortoises dating
back to the seventh century «.c. ; but perhaps they are
not much anterior to the money of Chalcis and a few
other points within the Greek frontier. The most
remote in date may be those of heavy Phoenician stan-
dard, of which a find of four specimens occurred at
Thera in Crete in 1821. The electrum stater of the
archaic tortoise type in the French national collection
may be the oldest piece belonging to this locality in
existence, and it is described as unique. Dr. Head
distributes the coinage into eight periods, inclusively
of the Roman; and the last is in this case the only
one, singularly enough, where the treatment exhibits
any variety, the more natural delineation of the sea or
land tortoise having previously been the chief mark of
progress. The earlier coins are uninscribed ; in the
inner reverses of those of the fifth century certain
letters occur on either side. The bronze money begins
in the first quarter of the same century.
Corinthia.—The numismatic archaeology of Corinth
is intimately associated with the myth of Bellerophon
and Pegasos, and the winged steed forms the standard
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