Obverse: A Horse Galloping to the Left with
Trailing Rein
Reverse: A Grape Arbor Framed in a Square,
Surrounded by Legend with Magistrate's Name
"EPI CHOREGO", Cicada to the Left
Maroneia was founded by colonists from the isle
of Chios on the southwestern slopes of Mt.
Ismaros, in the mid-7th century B.C. Maroneia
was a farming and trade center that reached its
zenith in the 5th century B.C. and, together with
Abdera and Aino, was considered the most
prosperous city-state in Thrace. According to
tradition, the mythical founder of the city was
Maron, a priest of Apollo. In the Odyssey, Homer
describes Maron's hospitality and the gifts that
he offered to Ulysses. Famed for its fine wines,
mythology relates the legend that Odysseus got
Polyphemous, the Cyclops, drunk on red wine
brought from Ismaros. The region was also well
known for the fine steeds bred there, thus
explaining the relevance of the iconography of
this coin.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or 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 might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts 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 ancient coin is a memorial
to the glory of Maroneia, to the city’s fine wines
and well-bred horses, 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.2054)
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