Obverse: Man-Headed Bull Standing Left, Head
Facing Forward
Reverse: Quadrapartite Incuse Punch
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 Greek history. 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 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. Kyzikos was one of the earliest minting
cities to strike coins, beginning its series of
electrum staters, like this one, and fractions
around 600 BC. From the late 6th century until
late in the 4th century, coins were issued
continually, with hundreds of types now known.
It was the large issues of Philip and Alexander
that finally displaced the Kyzikene standard. 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.3013)
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