Drachm: Forepart of Lion (obverse); Head of Aphrodite (reverse), 465-449 BC. Greek, minted at Knidos (Karia). Silver; diameter: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.). The lion, king of the beasts and an animal associated with regal and heroic power, featured prominently on the coinage of many ancient Greek city-states. Artists placed the lion in a variety of poses, sometimes including the whole body, at other times the foreparts or just the head. Although it may once have roamed nearby, for many Greeks the lion was a monster nearly as exotic as the Chimaera, of which it formed a part, together with a goat head and snake-headed tail.