RHODES Island Off CARIA 394BC Nymph Rhodos ROSE Ancient Greek Coin i49514

Item: i49514

Authentic Ancient 

Coin of:

Greek city of

Caria
Bronze 10mm (0.94 grams) Struck 394-304 B.C.
Reference: SNGCop 750; SNG von Aulock 2797
Diademed head of the nymph Rhodos right.
P-O, rose with bud right.

The large and important island of Rhodos, off the south-west coast of Asia 
Minor, produced a considerable coinage in the archaic period from its three 
major cities, Ialysos, Kamiros and Lindos. After the Persian wars no further 
coinage was issued on the island until the foundation of the new federal capital 
circa 408 B.C. This splendid city, situated on the northern promontory only 12 
miles from the mainland, was given the same name as the island. It quickly 
achieved great prosperity and eventually became one of the principal trading 
centers of the ancient world. In the third century Rhodos exercised much 
political influence in the eastern Mediterranean, through the strength of its 
fleet. But in 167 B.C. the Romans declared Delos a free port, and the Rhodians, 
their prosperity now greatly diminished, sank into comparative obscurity.

In
Greek mythology
,
Rhodos or Rhodus (Ancient 
Greek: Ῥόδος) also known as Rhode 
was the goddess of the island of
Rhodes
 
and wife of Helios
, 
she was the daughter of
Aphrodite
 
and Poseidon
.

 You are bidding on the exact item pictured, 

Authenticity.

In this 1896 painting by John William Waterhouse , Hylas is abducted by the Naiads , i.e. fresh water nymphs  Echo,  an Oread (mountain nymph) watches Narcissus in this 1903 painting by John William Waterhouse .

A
nymph (Greek:
νύμφη, nymphē) in
Greek mythology
and in
Latin mythology
is a minor female nature deity 
typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from 
goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, 
and are usually depicted as beautiful, young
nubile
maidens who love to dance and sing; 
their amorous freedom sets them apart from the restricted and chaste wives and 
daughters of the Greek
polis
. They are believed to dwell in 
mountains and
groves
, by springs and rivers, and also in 
trees and in valleys and cool
grottoes
. Although they would never die of old 
age nor illness, and could give birth to fully immortal children if mated to a 
god, they themselves were not necessarily immortal, and could be beholden to 
death in various forms.
Charybdis
and
Scylla
were once nymphs.

Other nymphs, always in the shape of young maidens, were part of the
retinue
of a god, such as
Dionysus
,
Hermes
, or
Pan
, or a goddess, generally the huntress
Artemis
. Nymphs were the frequent target of
satyrs
.

Etymology

Nymphs are personifications of the creative and fostering activities of 
nature, most often identified with the life-giving outflow of springs: as
Walter Burkert
(Burkert 1985:III.3.3) remarks, 
“The idea that rivers are gods and springs divine nymphs is deeply rooted not 
only in poetry but in belief and ritual; the worship of these deities is limited 
only by the fact that they are inseparably identified with a specific locality.”

The
Greek
word
νύμφη has “bride” and “veiled” among its meanings: hence a marriageable 
young woman. Other readers refer the word (and also
Latin
nubere and
German
Knospe) to a root expressing the 
idea of “swelling” (according to
Hesychius
, one of the meanings of
νύμφη is “rose-bud”).

Adaptations

The Greek nymphs were spirits invariably bound to places, not unlike the 
Latin genius loci
, and the difficulty of 
transferring their cult may be seen in the complicated myth that brought
Arethusa
to Sicily. In the works of the 
Greek-educated
Latin poets
, the nymphs gradually absorbed into 
their ranks the indigenous Italian divinities of springs and streams (Juturna,
Egeria
,
Carmentis
,
Fontus
), while the
Lymphae
(originally Lumpae), Italian 
water-goddesses, owing to the accidental similarity of their names, could be 
identified with the Greek Nymphae. The mythologies of classicizing Roman poets 
were unlikely to have affected the rites and cult of individual nymphs venerated 
by country people in the springs and clefts of
Latium
. Among the
Roman
literate class, their sphere of influence 
was restricted, and they appear almost exclusively as divinities of the watery 
element. Nymphs are also portrayed as selfish and as attention seekers who walk 
around naked in the middle of forests.

Rhodes is a

Greek

island

approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) southwest of

Turkey
in 

eastern Aegean Sea

. It is the largest of the

Dodecanese
 

islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007 

of which 53,709 resided in the

homonymous

capital

city of the island.

Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the

Colossus of Rhodes

, one of the

Seven Wonders of the World

. The medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes has 

been declared a

World Heritage Site

. Today Rhodes is a tourist destination.

//

Geography

The island of Rhodes is shaped like a

spearhead
, 

79.7 km (49.5 mi) long and 38 km (24 mi) wide, with a total area of 

approximately 1,400 square kilometres (541 sq mi) and a coastline of 

approximately 220 km (137 mi). The

city of Rhodes

is located at the northern tip of the island, as well as the 

site of the ancient and modern commercial

harbours

. The main air gateway (Diagoras 

International Airport, IATA code: RHO) is located 14 km (9 mi) to the 

southwest of the city in

Paradisi

. The road network radiates from the city along the east and west 

coasts.

In terms of

flora

and

fauna

, Rhodes is closer to

Asia Minor

than to the rest of Greece. The interior of the island is 

mountainous, sparsely inhabited and covered with forests of

pine (Pinus 

brutia) and

cypress

(Cupressus sempervirens). The island is home to the Rhodian

deer. In

Petaludes
 

Valley (Greek for “Valley of the Butterflies”), large numbers of

tiger moths

gather during the summer months. Mount Attavyros, at 1,216 metres 

(3,990 ft), is the island’s highest point of elevation. While the shores are 

rocky, the island has arable strips of land where

citrus
fruit,

wine grapes, 

vegetables, olives and other crops are grown.

Outside of the city of Rhodes, the island is dotted with small villages and 

beach resorts, among them

Faliraki
,

Lindos
,

Kremasti
,

Haraki
,

Pefkos
,

Archangelos

, Afantou

, Koskinou

,

Embona

(Attavyros),

Paradisi

, and

Trianta

(Ialysos). Tourism is the island’s primary source of income.

Earthquakes

Rhodes has experienced severe

earthquakes
. 

Notable are the

226 BC earthquake

that destroyed the

Colossus of Rhodes

; the one on 3 May 1481 which destroyed much of the city 

of Rhodes; 

and the one on 26 June 1926. 

15 July 2008, Rhodes was struck by a

6.3 magnitude earthquake

causing minor damage to a few old buildings. One 

woman lost her life when she fell down stairs while trying to flee her home.

History

Ancient times

The island was inhabited in the

Neolithic
 

period, although little remains of this culture. In the 16th century BC the

Minoans

came to Rhodes. Later Greek mythology recalled a Rhodian race called 

the Telchines
, 

and associated the island of Rhodes with

Danaus
; it was 

sometimes nicknamed Telchinis. In the 15th century BC,

Mycenaean Greeks

invaded. After the

Bronze Age collapse

the first renewed outside contacts are with

Cyprus

. In 

the 8th century BC the island’s settlements started to form, with the coming of 

the Dorians
, 

who built the three important cities of Lindos,

Ialyssos

and

Kameiros
, 

which together with Kos
,

Cnidus
and

Halicarnassus

(on the mainland) made up the so-called

Dorian Hexapolis

.

Before archaeology, myth stood in for blanks in the historical record/ In

Pindar
‘s ode, 

the island was said to be born of the union of

Helios
the sun 

god and the nymph

Rhode

, and the cities were named for their three sons. The rhoda is a 

pink hibiscus
 

native to the island.

Diodorus Siculus

added that

Actis
, one of the 

sons of Helios and Rhode, travelled to

Egypt
. He built 

the city of

Heliopolis

and taught the Egyptians the science of

astrology
.

In the second half of the eighth century the sanctuary of Athena received 

votive gifts that are markers for cultural contacts: small ivories from the Near 

East and bronze objects from Syria. At

Kameiros
on 

the northwest coast, a former Bronze Age site, where the temple was founded in 

the eighth century, there is another notable contemporaneous sequence of carved 

 figurines. Phoenician presence on the island at

Ialysos
is 

attested in traditions recorded much later by Rhodian historians.

The Persians invaded and overran the island, but were in turn defeated by 

forces from Athens
 

in 478 BC. The cities joined the

Athenian League

. When the

Peloponnesian War

broke out in 431 BC, Rhodes remained largely neutral, 

although it remained a member of the League. The war lasted until 404 BC, but by 

this time Rhodes had withdrawn entirely from the conflict and decided to go her 

own way.

In 408 BC the cities united to form one territory. They built the city of 

Rhodes, a new capital on the northern end of the island. Its regular plan was 

superintended by the Athenian architect

Hippodamus

. The Peloponnesian War had so weakened the entire Greek culture 

that it lay open to invasion. In 357 BC the island was conquered by the king

Mausolus

of Caria
, then it 

fell to the Persians in 340 BC. Their rule was also short. To the great relief 

of its citizens, Rhodes became a part of the growing empire of

Alexander the Great

in 332 BC, after he defeated the Persians.

Following the death of Alexander his generals vied for control of the 

kingdom. Three:

Ptolemy

,

Seleucus

, and

Antigonus

, succeeded in dividing the kingdom among themselves. Rhodes formed 

strong commercial and cultural ties with the Ptolemies in

Alexandria
, 

and together formed the Rhodo-Egyptian alliance that controlled trade throughout 

the Aegean in the 3rd century BC. The city developed into a maritime, commercial 

and cultural center; its coins circulated nearly everywhere in the 

Mediterranean. Its famous schools of philosophy, science, literature and

rhetoric
 

shared masters with Alexandria: the Athenian rhetorician

Aeschines
, 

who formed a school at Rhodes;

Apollonius of Rhodes

; the observations and works of the astronomers

Hipparchus
 

and Geminus
, 

the rhetorician

Dionysios Trax

. Its school of sculptors developed a rich, dramatic style 

that can be characterized as “Hellenistic

Baroque
“.

In 305 BC, Antigonus directed his son,

Demetrius

, to besiege Rhodes in an attempt to break its alliance with Egypt. 

Demetrius created huge

siege engines

, including a 180 ft (55 m)

battering ram

and a

siege 

tower
named

Helepolis
 

that weighed 360,000 pounds (163,293 kg). Despite this engagement, in 304 BC 

after only one year, he relented and signed a peace agreement, leaving behind a 

huge store of military equipment. The Rhodians sold the equipment and used the 

money to erect a statue of their sun god,

Helios
, the 

statue since called the

Colossus of Rhodes

.

In 164 BC, Rhodes signed a treaty with

Rome
. 

It became an educational center for Roman noble families, and was especially 

noted for its teachers of rhetoric, such as

Hermagoras
 

and the author of the

. At first the state was an important ally of Rome 

and enjoyed numerous privileges, but these were later lost in various 

machinations of Roman politics.

Cassius

eventually invaded the island and sacked the city.

In the first century AD, the Emperor

Tiberius
 

spent a brief term of exile on Rhodes.

Saint Paul

brought

Christianity

to people on the island. 

Rhodes reached her zenith in the third century. In 395, the long

Byzantine Empire

-period began for Rhodes, when the eastern half of the Roman 

empire became gradually more Greek.

Rhodes was occupied by the

Muslim
forces 

of Muawiyah 

I
in 672. In circa

1090 it was occupied by the Muslim forces of the

Seljuk Turks

, not long after the

Battle of Manzikert

. 

Rhodes was recaptured by the

Byzantine

Emperor

Alexius I Comnenus

during the

First 

Crusade
.

Medieval period

In 1309 the Byzantine era came to an end when the island was occupied by 

forces of the

Knights Hospitaller

. Under the rule of the newly named “Knights of Rhodes”, 

the city was rebuilt into a model of the European medieval ideal. Many of the 

city’s famous monuments, including the

Palace of the Grand Master

, were built during this period.

The strong walls which the Knights had built withstood the attacks of the

Sultan
of

Egypt
in 1444, 

and of Mehmed 

II
in 1480. Ultimately, however, Rhodes fell to the large army of

Suleiman the Magnificent

in December 1522, long after the rest of the 

Byzantine empire had been lost. The few surviving Knights were permitted to 

retire to the

Kingdom of Sicily

. The Knights would later move their base of operations to 

Malta. The island was thereafter a possession of the

Ottoman Empire

for nearly four centuries.

Modern history

The island was populated by ethnic groups from the surrounding nations, 

including Jews. Under the Ottoman Empire rule, they generally did fairly well, 

but discrimination and bigotry occasionally arose. In February 1840, the Jews of Rhodes were falsely accused 

of ritually murdering a Christian boy. This became known as the

Rhodes blood libel

.

In 1912, Italy seized Rhodes from the Turks. The island’s population thus 

bypassed many of the events associated with the

“exchange of the minorities”

between Greece and

Turkey
. Due to 

the

Treaty of Lausanne

, the island, together with the

Dodecanese
, 

was officially assigned to Italy. It became the core of their possession of the

Isole Italiane dell’Egeo.

Following the

Italian Armistice of 8 September 1943

, the British attempted to get the 

Italian garrison on Rhodes to change sides. This was anticipated by the

German 

Army
, which succeeded in occupying the island. In great measure, the German 

occupation caused the British failure in the subsequent

Dodecanese Campaign

.

On 19 July 1944 the

Gestapo
 

rounded up the island’s nearly 2000

Jewish

inhabitants, to send them to extermination camps. About 160 of the 

island’s more than 600 Greek Jews survived. The

Turkish
Consul

Selahattin Ülkümen

succeeded, at considerable risk to himself and his 

family, in saving 42 Jewish families, about 200 persons in total, who had 

Turkish citizenship or were family members of Turkish citizens.

In 1948, together with the other islands of the

Dodecanese
, 

Rhodes was united with Greece.

In 1949, Rhodes was the venue for negotiations between

Israel
and

Egypt
,

Jordan
,

Lebanon
, and

Syria
, concluding 

with the

1949 Armistice Agreements

.

Archaeology

In

ancient

times, Rhodes was home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World—the

Colossus of Rhodes

. This giant bronze statue was documented as once standing 

at the harbour. It was completed in 280 BC but was destroyed in an

earthquake
 

in 224 BC. No trace of the statue remains today.

Historical

sites on the island of Rhodes include the

Acropolis of Lindos

, the

Acropolis of Rhodes

, the

Temple of Apollo

, ancient

Ialysos
, 

ancient

Kamiros

, the

Governor’s Palace

,

Rhodes Old Town

(walled medieval city), the

Palace of the Grand Masters

,

Kahal Shalom Synagogue

in the

Jewish 

Quarter
, the

Archeological Museum

, the ruins of the

castle of Monolithos

, the

castle of Kritinia

and

St. Catherine Hospice

.