The he-goat is the emblem of Kelenderis and appears on all staters, third staters, and bronze coins, as well as on many issues of obols and hemiobols (see the section Kelenderis / Overview in this catalogue). Where the animal is shown in full, its sex is clearly visible.1 In catalogues and other publications, the goat is usually described as kneeling (or sometimes as crouching), and this description is also used on this website for brevity. It is not, however, entirely accurate. The goat kneels on one foreleg, while the other is either raised (e.g., Type 3.5) or rests with its hoof on the ground (e.g., Type 2.3). Its rump is higher than its chest, while its hind legs are either drawn almost entirely beneath the body (e.g., Type 2.7a), slightly bent (e.g., Type 2.9), or still upright (e.g., Type 3.5). This is clearly a transitional posture: the goat is moving towards a more stable position.

This scene can be interpreted in two ways: the goat is either rising from a kneeling position or lowering itself to kneel. The first interpretation is favoured in Hunterian Coll. II:

“He-goat in act of raising itself from reclining posture l.; l. knee still rests on ground; head turned back”
(p. 530, no. 1 = Type 2.3b);

“He-goat in the act of rising from kneeling posture r.”
(p. 531, no. 6 = Type 3.8b).

In most quadrupeds, the position of the chest indicates the nature of the animal’s movement. When a kneeling animal rises, it first pushes upwards with its forelegs, lifting its chest and abdomen off the ground. Only then does it raise its hindquarters by pushing against the ground with its hind legs. Conversely, an animal lowering itself into a kneeling position usually bends its forelegs first, either simultaneously or one after the other. Its chest and abdomen move closer to the ground while its hindquarters remain raised. It then folds its hind legs beneath its body and draws them towards its chest. This sequence suggests that the goat on the Kelenderis coins is about to kneel. Goats, however, often graze on their knees, and kids even nurse in this position. The coins may therefore show a goat rising after grazing on its knees.

Imhoof-Blumer 1902 was similarly undecided:

“Ziegenbock linkshin, sich legend oder erhebend, den Kopf zurückwendend”
(“He-goat to left, lying down or rising, head turned back”; p. 453, no. 1 = Type 3.3).

The position of the goat’s head also merits attention. Except on the early issues (Group 1), its head is always turned back, probably primarily for compositional reasons: this pose fills the flan effectively.2 However, the composition may also suggest either that something has caught the goat’s attention, prompting it to rise, or that it is checking whether it is safe to kneel. The turned head enhances the visual impact of the scene but provides no clue as to whether the animal is rising or kneeling.

The he-goat on the reverse of the Kelenderis coins may therefore be either about to kneel or rising from a kneeling position while remaining alert to its surroundings. Which of these two possibilities is intended is difficult to determine.3