Obverse: Head of a Gorgon
Reverse: Bust of the Goddess Aphrodite
The ancient maritime city of Neapolis served as
the main port for the more prominent city
Phillipi, founded by King Phillip II (father of
Alexander the Great). The ancient city was
situated on a promontory stretching south into a
gulf, opposite the island of Thasos. The city is
famed in the annals of history as the site where
Brutus stationed his fleet before the Battle of
Philippi (42 B.C.) and where the apostle Paul
landed on his way from Samothrace to Philippi. It
was known as Christopolis in the Byzantine era.
Today, the ancient city corresponds roughly with
the modern city of Kavalla in the Greek province
of Macedon.
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
contemporary currencies or artifacts of long
forgotten empires. This stunning hand-struck
coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking in
contemporary machine-made currencies. This
coin is a memorial an ancient city passed from
the hands of civilization to civilization, from
generation to generation that still appears as
vibrant today as the day it was struck.
- (C.2004)
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