Macedon Akanthos. Tetradrachm circa 530-480 BC. Lion right, attacking bull, collapsing left with head raised and turned back right. Θ above. Exergual line of pellets between two plain lines and with a floral ornament below / Quadripartite incuse square with granulated surfaces. 17,37g. BMC 3 = Desneux 79 (this obverse die); HGC 3, 383; Tselekas Period C, Group 19, 205 (O182/R185?). Extremely fine, with a nice patina. Provenance: Leu 72 (12 May 1998), 160. Edward J. Waddell FPL 101 (November 2005), 13. Hess-Divo 329 (17 November 2015), 44. Künker 326 (7 October 2019), 695. Founded around 650 BC, Akanthos was a port city in Chalcidice. Its name derives from a plant that was abundant in the region: the acanthus, itself named after the nymph Acantha. According to legend, she was transformed into a thorny plant by a vengeful Apollo after she managed to scratch his face. Since then, this hardy, sun-loving plant has borne her name. The acanthus leaf is also the vegetal motif that adorns Corinthian capitals. On the obverse of this impressive tetradrachm, an acanthus leaf is depicted in exergue.