Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XVIII 29 Sep 2019
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Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Forepart of winged lioness to left; tunny fish upwards behind / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 96; SNG France 237; Boston MFA -. 16.01g, 18mm.
About Extremely Fine.
From the inventory of a UK dealer.
Kyzikos, purportedly the first Milesian colony, was located on the southwest shore of the Propontis next to the river Aisepos in ancient Mysia. Its prosperity was due principally to its two fine harbours, which made the city a convenient stopping point for merchant ships trading between the Aegean and Black Seas, augmented by its principal export the tunny fish, of which its waters had abundant stock. The tunny fish became the visual symbol of the city and featured on all its issues of coinage.
The prevalence of winged beings in Kyzikene coinage is a reflection of the archaic mythological convention that assigned wings to most divine or sacred entities as an immediately visible and understandable symbol of their nature, and in the case of gods, of their power to move at will across great distances. In the case of the winged animals, we should probably understand these to be attributes of or animals sacred to a particular Olympian god.
About Extremely Fine.
From the inventory of a UK dealer.
Kyzikos, purportedly the first Milesian colony, was located on the southwest shore of the Propontis next to the river Aisepos in ancient Mysia. Its prosperity was due principally to its two fine harbours, which made the city a convenient stopping point for merchant ships trading between the Aegean and Black Seas, augmented by its principal export the tunny fish, of which its waters had abundant stock. The tunny fish became the visual symbol of the city and featured on all its issues of coinage.
The prevalence of winged beings in Kyzikene coinage is a reflection of the archaic mythological convention that assigned wings to most divine or sacred entities as an immediately visible and understandable symbol of their nature, and in the case of gods, of their power to move at will across great distances. In the case of the winged animals, we should probably understand these to be attributes of or animals sacred to a particular Olympian god.