Ancient Krane (also known as Cranii, Κράνιοι in Greek) was one of the four city-states of the Cephalonian tetrapolis, the political organization of the island of Cephalonia (modern Kefalonia) in antiquity. Located on the western side of the island near today’s Argostoli, Krane controlled a fertile plain and served as a strategic inland settlement.
Krane flourished as a fortified city with impressive defensive walls built of large polygonal masonry, parts of which still survive. Its strong walls and location away from the coast made it less vulnerable to raids coming from the sea but perhaps also from attacks from other city-states.
Krane was a member of the tetrapolis along with Sami, Pale, and Pronni, and it participated in the broader political and military alliances of Cephalonia, such as siding with the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War.
Just like the other cities of the Tetrapolis, ancient Cranii minted its own coins:
Some of them show letters K, P/R and A (standing for KRANI), and others combine these three letters into a monogram made with the letters K, P and A:
This ensign may be used not only in coins, but also in other items of the ciy-state for self-identification, such as banners and textiles, shields, rock engravings…
This is an illustration of soldiers patrolling the Krane walls, with a banner showing the Cranii monogram:
And this is a more realistic image of these soldiers:
Here, shooting arrows at the enemy:
They might have used the monogram in shields too:
Soldiers and hoplites from ancient Cranii may have used the monogram as a painting to display their pride for the homeland:
In modern days, some Cephalonians hailing from the ancient Cranii region have used this symbol, the Cranii monogram, as a tattoo.
Minting coins in ancient Cranii (Krane, Κράνιοι), featuring the city-state’s monogram
The ancient city of Krane (Cranii, Κράνιοι), one of the four poleis of the Cephalonian tetrapolis, issued its own bronze coinage during the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Most of the coins of Krane depict the letters KRAN with the head of a ram of the bust of Procris, or Kefalos, or Gorgo, or Athena, or Poseidon and on the other side they depict a helmet, or a bow, or the leg of a ram or the letter K or a monogram which combines the letters ΚΡΑ.
Here there are some images of artisans in their workshops working with this monogram:
