Obverse: Laureate Head of Apollo Facing Right
Reverse: Apollo Gyrnios Advancing Right,
Holding Branch and Philale, Omphalos and
Amphora at his Feet, Inscription, “MYRINAIWN,”
and Monogram to the Left
Myrina was one of the twelve cities that
comprised the Aeolian League. Aeolia was a
region that covered the west coast of Asia Minor.
However, the word, “Aeolia,” is not a
geographical term. Instead, it refers collectively
to the cities founded by the Aeolians, a branch of
the Hellenic people. This coin was minted in
Myrina during the 2nd Century B.C. Believed to
have been of some importance during Hellenistic
times, Myrina was located northeast of Kyme and
was overshadowed by its more important
neighbor. The Greek inscription, “MYRINAIWN,”
translated as “Myrinaion” means “of” or
“belonging to the people of Myrina.”
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether currency in
the age we live or an artifact of a long forgotten
empire. This ancient coin is more than an
artifact; it is a memorial to the glories of an
ancient city passed from the hands of civilization
to civilization, from generation to generation.
