200–30 B.C. Illyria Silver Drachma of Dyrrhachium—The Cow Coin

The Cow Coin From Ancient Greece

This ancient Greek coin, from Dyrrhachium to be exact, has many characteristics that make it an interesting specimen for collectors of ancient coins. The cows on the silver drachm are indicative of their importance in Greek society—especially as animal sacrifices to the gods, and there are numerous stories in Greek mythology about humans attempting to cheat the gods of their sacrifice.

An Ancient Fertility Symbol

Hailed as the “Cow Coin,” it’s one of the best-known silver drachmas of Dyrrhachium, and its design of a cow with a sucking calf is also seen as a fertility symbol. One of the first animals domesticated by humans more than 10,000 years ago was the cow. These bucolic creatures have since become associated with serenity and are a sign of fertility, charity, motherhood, and the beginnings of life. Each of these coins is well over 2,000 years old, minted at a time when the Romans were beginning to take over the Mediterranean.

Coins That Saw The Fall Of The Roman Republic

Dyrrhachium was an ancient Greek city located on the Adriatic Sea Coast of what is today the modern city of Durrës in Albania. It was the site of the famous Battle of Dyrrhachium in 48 B.C., fought between the armies of Julius Caesar and Pompey during Caesar’s civil war. Though Pompey’s army broke Caesar’s lines and forced him to retreat deeper into Illyria in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula, Caesar regrouped near the city of Pharsalus in central Greece where later that year he decisively defeated Pompey, a victory that saw him edge closer to the pinnacle of his power and prestige and set in motion the demise of the Roman Republic.

Struck between 200 and 30 B.C., each Illyria Silver Drachma of Dyrrhachium available here comes in nice, Very Fine (VF) condition and will come beautifully housed in a black presentation box. Get yours now!