Ephesus Coin Charm, Tetra Drachm, Ancient Bee Coin Amulet Pendant Necklace with Diamond, 24kt Gold and Silver

Ephesus Coin Charm, Tetra Drachm, Ancient Bee Coin Amulet Pendant Necklace with Diamond, 24kt Gold and Silver by Prehistoric Works of Istanbul, Turkey. Diamond - 0.02cts. These coin amulets work well alone or pair well with other coin pendants or with our miniature pendants. Measurement: 17mm x 17mm

The wearing of a bee emblem can symbolize a strong network of unconditional love and support. It is also thought to bring good luck, wealth and abundance to the wearer. The bee figures prominently in the mythology of nearly every culture, including those of the Mayans, Hindus, Egyptians, and ancient Greeks. Depictions of bees abound on coins and jewelry from the ancient Greek Ionian city of Ephesus (located in present-day Turkey). Within the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the bee was the symbol of the goddess, said to represent fertility and healing through the properties of honey. This silver tetradrachm (four-drachma coin) is stamped on the obverse with a bee within a dotted border, with the Greek letters, Ε (‘epsilon’) and Φ (‘phi’), to either side. The reverse shows the foreparts of a stag kneeling in right profile, looking back towards a palm tree. An inscription to the right reads ΚΑΡΝΩ[Ψ] (‘KARNO[PS]’). The bee, stag, and palm are all emblems of Ephesos, a Greek city on the west coast of Turkey. This city was an important center of worship for the Greek goddess Artemis, and the images on Ephesian coinage typically promote this association. The bee was originally the symbol of an early Anatolian goddess who the Greeks later identified with their goddess, Artemis; so close was the connection that the priestesses of the goddess were called "honey bees." The two Greek letters, Ε (‘epsilon’) and Φ (‘phi’), are an abbreviation for Ephesos. The palm tree alludes to Artemis' birth beneath a palm tree on the island of Delos. The stag – an animal sacred to Artemis – symbolizes the goddess' role as protector of wild animals, and may also refer to the sculptures that flanked her cult statue in the temple at Ephesos. The inscription on the reverse names a man, Karnops, who was one of the magistrates responsible for supervising the Ephesian mint. In 1978, the so-called Pixodarus Hoard of approximately 2600 silver coins was discovered in Bodrum, Turkey, the site of ancient Halicarnassos. It contained 600 tetradrachms of Ephesos, including 138 different obverse dies, and records the names of over 200 magistrates, thus allowing for precise dating of the series: Karnops is associated with two separate obverse dies belonging to the earliest group of coins contained within the hoard (Class A, Obverse 3). The shape of the bee’s wings, with straight sides and curved inner tip, the large stag, and the comparatively small palm tree seen on the Getty example are also characteristic of this series, although we cannot say whether the Getty coin also came from the hoard.