Obverse: Head of Bearded Herakles Wearing the
Skin of the Nimean Lion
Reverse: Quadripartite Incuse Square
The ancient city of Kyzikos was located on a
peninsula jutting out into the Propontis (ancient
name for the Sea of Marmara). Named after
Kyzikos, the son of Apollo and legendary
founder of the city, Kyzikos thrived for more
than 2,000 years ruling over a large area from
the Hellespont, the Bosphorus, all of the
Propontis, and its interior lands. Kyzikos played
a significant role in the long history of Greece. It
shared in the unceasing fight of the Greek cities
of Asia Minor against the Persians. After the
Midian wars, Greek independence was
established in the cities of Asia Minor. Kyzikos,
an independent and strong Greek city, was a
desired ally of the Athenians and Spartans and,
with the rise of Alexander the Great, became
part of the massive unified Greek Empire he
established. After Alexander’s demise, during
the reign of his heirs, Kyzikos kept friendly
relations with the neighboring kingdom of
Pergamon. Its relationship warmed even more
when the king of Pergamon, Attalos I, took as his
wife, Apolloniada, who hailed from Kyzikos.
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 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 more than an artifact; it is a memorial an
ancient city that managed to maintain a level of
autonomy while confronted by some of the
largest empires the ancient world had known.
- (C.2232)
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