Rhodes Helios Coin Pendant

Coinage from the island of Rhodes most often features the head of Helios, the Sun God on the obverse. In the early 4th C. B.C. he is shown as a curly haired youth in ¾ facing view. After the construction of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the wonders of the ancient world, Helios is shown with rays coming out of his head or wearing a rayed crown. The reverse of the coin most often shows a rose or rosebud. Thus the coinage of Rhodes was always identified by the most famous object of the island—even after it was felled by an earthquake. The rose is actually an ancient pun—the word for a rose or the color red was rhodos.

Caria, Rhodes, 88-43 B.C., Bronze. Obverse: Profile Head of Helios; Reverse: Open Rose in Pelleted Circle; Sterling Silver and Gold Dust