One of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Rhodes' prosperity was especially vibrant during the period these coins were minted. The island was ideally situated for trade between new cities founded in the East and the eastern Mediterranean. Her five harbors were active centers of commercial traffic, bringing in vast wealth. In 305 B.C. Demetrius I Poliorcetes laid siege to the island, which met with heroic Rhodian resistance and the withdrawal of Demetrius after a year. With the proceeds from the sale of his siege equipment, Rhodes was able to finance the building of the famous Colossus, a statue of their patron god Helios, and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is this radiant deity who is featured on these handsome coins. He is depicted as a young man of great beauty with flowing locks of hair. On the reverse is a rose bud with very delicately engraved petals. These coins are a reminder of a splendid age, radiating their own unique warmth through the ages.