Mysia. Kyzikos. 500-450 BC. EL Hekte (2.67g). Fritze 39; Rosen -. Lightly toned. Perfectly centered and struck. Choice extremely fine. From a European private collection

Throughout Greek culture, the ram figures prominently as a metaphor of strength and courage. Accordingly, Homeric heroes are likened to thick-fleeced lambs (Iliad 3.197). In Attic vase painting, rams are sometimes represented in an explicitly sacrificial context. More commonly, the context is only heroic. Both the ram that carried Odysseus from the Cyclops' cave and Phrixos’ mount are sacrificed as soon as they have finished their tasks; their sacrifice is part of the story. The emblematic power of the Golden Fleece recalls the story of Atreus and Thyestes: the kingdom belonged to him who owned the golden lamb.