Pantikapaion coins

If I was to pick my favorite ancient coins, these would be way up there...Gold staters from Pantikapaion, c. 340 BC. 

Obverse: Bearded head of Pan with a wreath of ivy leaves.  

Reverse: Π-Α-Ν - griffin standing on a stalk of grain, holding spear in its mouth.

Pantikapaion (today's Kerch on Krimea), was founded in the 7th century BC by the Greek colonists from Miletus.  By the 480 BC it became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus.

The city located at the intersection of trade roads between Asia and Europe, and surrounded by fertile land and sea, grew rapidly and amassed fabulous wealth, which is attested by its large gold coins whose obverse always depicted Pan, the protector of the Pantikapaion.

Now back to the original coins. I love the wild Pan frowning from the obverse . But I love the reverse with the griffin even more. Why? Because I believe that this is a great example of the use of animal solar calendar markers in Europe...

In many of my posts I showed that the ancient Eurasians and North Africans used animals as calendar markers. The animal markers were derived from a significant lifecycle event (usually the beginning of a mating season) of the animal in question...

For instance, Eurasian lion mating season started in August. Which is why throughout Eurasia, Lion was the the symbol of the end of Jul beginning of Aug, the end of summer - beginning of autumn...I talked about this in my posts "Entemena vase", "Musth"...

On the other hand, Ibex Goat and Goitered gazelle were used as a calendar markers for the end of Oct beginning of Nov, end of autumn - beginning of winter. Because this is when their mating season started throughout Eurasia...I talked about this in my post "The pissing gazelle" and many other...

All zodiac animal signs are such solar calendar markers, marking significant lifecycle events of the depicted animals in Europe. 

So if you wanted to represent autumn (Aug,Sep,Oct) using animal solar calendar markers, you could do it by using the back half of a Lion and the front half of an Ibex or a Goitered gazelle...Right?

You could also add wings to that composite creature. Just so people understand that this is a solar calendar marker...Just like on the reverse of the Pantikapaion coin...

But I don't think that the griffin on the revers of this coin represents autumn. The head of the gazelle does mark the end of autumn. And the back of the lion does represent the beginning of autumn. That's all fine...

But as the head --> tail direction indicates, the progression of time goes: the end of autumn -> winter -> spring -> summer -> beginning of autumn. I believe that the direction in which the spear points also indicates that this is what this "griffin" marks...From head to tail...

But why would you want to mark this time period on a coin? Well the clue is under the "griffin"...The sheaf of grain...

In the Azov sea area, Southern Ukraine/Russia, winter wheat is the main grain crop. It is planted in Sep/Oct (the end of autumn, Gazelle), it grows over winter, spring, summer, and is harvested in Jul/Aug (beginning of autumn, Lion)...

So from gazelle's head (sowing, beginning) to lion's butt (harvest, end)...Exactly as the spear direction indicates...

And if you are a grain farmer, it is the golden grain, which grows during the time marked by the golden "griffin" that turns to gold...

Again, maybe I am reading too much into this...But maybe not...