Ephesus was one of the most important cities in Asia Minor. The town had been a major trading point ever since; as such it held one of the oldest mints of Antiquity.
Over centuries, the Ephesus coins depicted a bee and a deer. This reflected the cult of Artemis, the Greek goddess of hunt. Deer were sacred to her. At the same time Artemis was identical with an Anatolian goddess of nature whose attribute was a bee.