Ionia Miletos. Electrum Stater circa 560-545 BC. Lion seated left, head turned back right; all within ornamental rectangular frame / Three ornamental incuses: the left square punch containing a star of five pellets connected by lines; at the center, a rectangular punch containing a fox running left and an ornament of three pellets; to right, a square punch, containing a stag's head left. 13,92g. BMFA 1882; Konuk & Lorber fig. 18; Kraay & Hirmer 591; SNG Kayhan 440; Weidauer 126. Rare. A few minor marks, otherwise good very fine. Provenance: CNG 26 (11 June 1993), 97. CNG 103 (14 September 2016), 255. Nomos 17 (26 October 2018), 174. The lion was the emblem of the city of Miletos because of its close association with Apollo. The most important sanctuary in the Milesian territory was the temple of Apollo at Didyma, located about ten kilometers from the city, that counted among the largest sacred edifices of the Greek world. The entrance to the temple was flanked by several archaic-style lion statues, and even the harbor of Miletus was guarded by two imposing stone lions. It is therefore no surprise that the city’s engravers adopted this civic symbol on electrum coinage, asserting Miletos’ religious and political identity through its numismatic imagery. Le lion était l’emblème de la cité de Milet en raison de son association étroite avec Apollon. Rappelons que le sanctuaire le plus important du territoire milésien était le temple d’Apollon à Didymes, situé à une dizaine de kilomètres de la ville, constituant l’un des plus vastes édifices sacrés du monde grec. L’entrée du temple était flanquée de plusieurs statues de lions de style archaïque, et même le port de Milet était protégé par deux imposants lions de pierre. Les graveurs monétaires ont naturellement repris ce symbole civique sur les monnaies d’électrum affirmant ainsi l’identité religieuse et politique de la cité.