During the early centuries of coinage, Greek cities adopted designs that could easily be attributed to that particular city. This could take the form of a city symbol, a favorite deity or some subject of local pride. In Thessaly the object of pride was the horse. Good horses were critical to the local way of life and all people were familiar with the ways of the horse. ••• The beautiful female deity was represented on the obverse of common drachms produced by the city of Larissa between 400 BCE and at least 340 BCE, as a three-quarters face with outward flowing hair. This style was copied from the head of Arethusa by Cimon, depicted on rare Syracuse Silver Tetradrachm. ••• Larissa is variably described as the daughter of Pelasgus (who many ancient Greeks believed to be the first man and ancestor to the first indigenous people of Greece). She is also sometimes described as a mortal princess of Argos and to others a nymph. Not much is said about Larissa except that she became the object of desire for Poseidon (sea god) to whom she gave three sons.