Talon Angel and Zeus Bull Ancient Greek Coin copy jewelry handmade Sterling silver pendant

0.984x0.944 inch - 25X24 mm TALON COIN STERLING SILVER 925
Phaistos, Crete, AR Stater 280 BC. TAΛΩN beneath winged Talon standing front, head facing, about to hurl stone held in hand, another stone in the other hand. ΦAIΣTIΩN, Bull butting right.

CITY PHAISTOS CRETE COINS
Located on the fertile Messara Plain near the sea, Phaistos was inhabited as early as 4000 BCE. Coinage began around 450BC.

TALON WAS AN ANTHROPOMORPHIC MACHINE, CREATED BY HEPHAESTUS, FOR MINOAS, THE KING OF CRETE. TALON HAD A HUMAN FORM AND WAS MADE OF COPPER. HEPHAESTUS PLACED A LIQUID WITHIN TALOS’ BODY, WHICH WAS KNOWN AS THE GODS’ BLOOD AND GAVE LIFE TO TALON.TALON BECAME THE GUARDIAN OF THE ISLAND IN ORDER TO PROTECT CRETE FROM FOREIGN INVASIONS AND, AS THE MYTH GOES, HE HAD TO GO ACROSS THE ISLAND THREE TIMES PER DAY TO BE CERTAIN CRETE WAS SAFE. WHEN FOREIGN SHIPS APPROACHED CRETAN SHORES, TALON WOULD FORCE THEM TO GO AWAY BY THROWING BIG ROCKS AT THEM. TALON WAS ALSO THE GUARDIAN OF EUROPA, WHO WAS KIDNAPPED BY ZEUS AND BROUGHT TO CRETE. AMONG HIS OTHER DUTIES, TALON WAS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR SPREADING JUSTICE IN RURAL CRETE. HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING THE LAW AND SPREADING JUSTICE IN THE CRETAN COUNTRYSIDE. FOR THIS PURPOSE, TALON WAS ALWAYS CARRYING AROUND COPPER SIGNS, WHICH HAD THE LAWS OF CRETE WRITTEN ON THEM. THE IMAGERY OF TALON IS ALMOST STARTLING IN ITS SIMILARITY TO THE MUCH LATER CHRISTIAN ICONOGRAPHY OF THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL. THE UNITED STATES NAVY ADOPTED THE NAME TALON FOR A LONG-RANGE SHIP-LAUNCHED ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILE (IN SERVICE 1958-80).

Ancient Art Greek jewelry direct from our workshop in Athens.

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