Associating the image with the myth on ancient Cretan coins: Three case-studies

espanolLa acunacion de moneda cretense se caracteriza por una multitud de tipos iconograficos, muy a menudo decontenido mitologico.Varias figuras y episodiosmiticos suelenser dificiles deidentificar o interpretar debido a la falta de indicios que conduzcan a una interpretacion o al hecho de que podrian identificarse con mas de un mito existente. Por lo tanto, la identificacion de la imagineria en las monedas cretenses no siempre es evidente. En este articulo se examinan las tres casas de la moneda principales de la isla para investigar los mitos locales, en comparacion con la tradicion mitologica de la Grecia continental; el mito de la ninfa del arbol de Gortina, el mito del laberinto de Cnosos y el mito del nino de Cidonia amamantado por una perra. Las ciudades cretenses, a traves de la imagineria de las monedas y seleccionando cuidadosamente las figuras miticas representadas, vinculaban a sus ciudadanos con un cierto legado cultural, ofreciendo un sentido de pertenencia, continuacion y orgullo etnico, diferenciandose a si mismas de otros grupos etnicos y ciudades estado de la isla. EnglishCretan coinage is characterized by a multitude of iconographic types, very often mythological in content. Various mythical figures and episodes are often difficult to identify or interpret due to either lack of clues that would lead to an interpretation or to the fact that could be identifiable with more than one existing myth. Thus, the identification of imagery on Cretan coins is not always self evident. Three major mints of the island are examined in this paper in order to investigate local myths, compared with the mythological tradition of mainland Greece; the myth of the Tree Nymph of Gortyn, the myth of the Labyrinth of Knossos and the myth of the Dog-nursed Infant of Kydonia. Cretan cities, through coin imagery and by carefully selecting the represented mythical figures, were bonding their citizens with a certain heritage, offering a sense of belonging, continuation and ethnic pride, differentiating themselves from other ethnic groups and city states of the island.