Phocis, Delphi

Tridrachm circa 485-475, AR 27 mm, 18.36 g. ΔAΛΦI – KON Two rhytons downwards, in the form of ram’s heads side by side; above, two dolphins snout to snout. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square, in the form of a „coffered ceiling“, each coffer decorated with a dolphin and a spray of laurel leaves. Traité 1392, pl. 42, 16. K. Regling, ZfN XXXVII, 1927, pl. IV, 189. ACGC 413. Rosen 173. BCD Lokris-Phokis 376 (these dies). Kraay-Hirmer pl. 146, 461. Asyut 240 (this coin).
Extremely rare, less than a dozen specimens known. An issue of tremendous fascination
and importance. Lovely old cabinet tone, a deep test cut, otherwise extremely fine

Ex Sotheby’s, New York, 4 December 1990, Hunt, 7; New York XXVII, 2012, Prospero 356 and NAC 133, 2022, 77 sales. From the Asyut hoard.
According to mythological tradition, the great and powerful oracular shrine at Delphi in northern Greece was established by Apollo himself. The god, who had spent some time travelling after his birth on Delos, was directed to the site, but discovered that it was inhabited by the monstrous serpent Pytho. After slaying Pytho with his arrows, Apollo erected a suitable temple for his worship. Unfortunately, he had no priests to make sacrifices and perform his rites. In order to solve this problem, the god is said to have taken the obvious course of action and transformed himself into a dolphin (delphinos in Greek). In this new form he leaped into the Aegean Sea and led a Cretan ship to his new temple. The crew of this ship became the first priests to serve the god in his sanctuary, and the site of the temple was said to have become known as Delphi due to Apollo’s guise as a dolphin. The dolphins that appear throughout the obverse and reverse designs of this coin serve as a reminder of the mythological origin of the sanctuary at Delphi and mark it as a Delphic issue. The unusual treatment on this coin of the traditional quadripartite incuse square reverse used for many coins of the early fifth century BC, has led to the suggestion that it may represent the coffered ceiling (of course adorned with dolphins) of the temple at Delphi. The double ram head rhyton of the obverse may perhaps represent a vessel or vessels used in the offering of wine libations at the temple. The rhyton was a vessel that developed out of drinking horns as early as the second millennium BC in Iran and Mesopotamia, but they also enjoyed popularity in the Greek world through the fourth century BC.