KRANNON in THESSALY 350BC Horseman Bull Authentic Ancient Greek Coin i49159

Item: i49159

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Greek city of
Krannon
in
Thessaly

Bronze Chalkous 14mm (1.97 grams) Struck circa 350-300 B.C.
Reference: Rogers 1932, nos. 187-189; BCD Thessaly I, lot 1084.1; BCD Thessaly II 118.4-13
and 118.18
Horseman galloping right, wearing petasos.
KPAN, Bull butting right, trident above.

The city was near the source of the river Onchestos. People
of Krannon held Poseidon in high regard. The city derived it’s name from the
various springs in the area (called kranna in Aiolic Greek). The city had an abundance of sheep
and horses grazing in the plains which brought it great wealth. In times of
drought, they had a hydria on wheels which they paraded through the city
accompanied by prayers to Apollo, which it was famous for. There was also a
temple of Athena and Asclepius in the city. 

 You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

Authenticity.

Krannonas (Modern

Greek: Κραννώνας; ancient city:

Κραννών, Crannon) is a village and a municipality in the

Larissa Prefecture

,

Greece
located

southwest of the regional capital. Its 2001 population was 104 for the village,

185 for the municipal district and 3,274 for the municipality (1.17% of the

prefectural population). The seat of the municipality is

Agioi Anargyroi

. It is connected with the road linking

Karditsa

and Larissa. It is also located north of

Farsala
and

NNE of Palamas

and Karditsa.

Geographically the municipal boundaries extend as far south as the

Fyllio Mountains

(where

Enipeas

as bordered as its highest point is 533 m, as far north as

Koilada
and

Larissa
and

along with the Larissa metropolitan area and as far east as Nikaia and as west

with the

Karditsa prefecture

. One of the panoramic views includes its nearby

mountains to the west,

Mount Olympus

to the north,

Ossa

to the northeast and

Chalkodonio

to the south.

Krannonas was a site of

the decisive battle

of the

Lamian War

between

Macedon

and

Athens

with allies.

Thessaly was home to an extensive

Neolithic

culture around

2500 BC

.

Mycenaean

settlements have also been discovered, for example at the sites of

Iolcos
,

Dimini
and

Sesklo
(near

Volos
). Later, in

ancient Greek

times, the lowlands of Thessaly became the home of baronial

families, such as the

Aleuadae
of

Larissa
or

the Scopads of Crannon. These baronial families organized a federation across

the Thessaly region, later went on to control the

Amphictyonic League

in northern Greece. The

Thessalians

were renowned for their cavalry.

In the summer of 480 BC

, the Persians invaded Thessaly. The Greek army that guarded the

Vale

of Tempe
, evacuated the road before the enemy arrived. Not much later,

Thessaly surrendered. The Thessalian family of

Aleuadae

joined the Persians. In the

Peloponnesian War

the Thessalians tended to side with Athens and usually

prevented Spartan troops from crossing through their territory with the

exception of the army of Brasidas.

Jason of Pherae

briefly transformed the country into a significant military

power, though he was assassinated before any lasting achievements were made. In

the 4th century BC

Thessaly became dependent on

Macedon

and many served as vassals. In

148 BC
the

Romans formally incorporated Thessaly into the province of

Macedonia

, though in 300 AD Thessaly was made a separate province with its

capital at Larissa

.

It was part of the Byzantine Empire and suffered many invasions. In 977 it

was occupied by the Bulgarians, who remained there until 1014. In 1204 he was

assigned to

Boniface of Montferrat

and in 1225 to

Theodore Komnenos Doukas

, despot of

Epirus
. From

1271 to 1318 he was an independent despotate that extended to

Acarnania

and Aetolia
,

run by John III Angelos Komneno. In 1309 settled there the

Almogavars

or

Catalan Company

of the East (Societas Catalanorum Magna), which in 1310,

after lifting the siege of Thessalonica, withdrew as mercenaries in the pay of

the sebastocrátor

John II, and took over the country organized in a democracy.

From there went to the

Duchy of Athens

called by the duke Walter I. In 1318, with the extinction of

the dynasty of Angelos, the Almogavars occupied Siderocastron and southern

Thessaly (1319) and formed the

duchy of Neopatria

.

Later it was occupied by the

Serbs
until 1393,

after being dominated by the

Ottomans

. In 1821 participated in the

Greek War of Independence

, but was not recognized as part of

Greece
until

1881.