Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Triton XXIV 19-20 Jan 2021
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MYSIA, Kyzikos. Circa 550-450 BC. EL Stater (21.5mm, 16.09 g). Head of Perseus left, wearing winged helmet; to right, tunny downward / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 65; Greenwell 73; Boston MFA 1449 = Warren 1490; SNG BN 193; BMC –; Gulbenkian –; Jameson –; Kraay & Hirmer 698; Weber 4973. Good VF. Wonderful late archaic head of Perseus, perfectly centered on a broad flan. Very rare, one of only five in CoinArchives.
From the Jonathan P. Rosen Collection. Ex Roma XV (5 April 2018), lot 215 (hammer £15,000).
This gorgeous and rare type depicts the legendary hero Perseus, who was the son of the god Zeus and mortal Danaë, daughter of the king of Argos. Perseus is depicted with the Helm of Hades, given to him by Athena to escape Sthenno and Euryale, the sisters of the slain Medusa. It is possible that the Kyzikenes chose to depict Perseus in an attempt to win favor with their new overlords, the Achaemenids. Plato, in his Alcibiades 120e, states that the Achaemenids claimed descent from Achaemenes who claimed to be a relative of the famous hero just as many Greeks linked themselves to Herakles. Such a move then would have helped ingratiate themselves with their new rulers and allow them to continue their trading enterprises without interruption. Thus, this stunning piece illustrates not just one of the most famous heroes of Greek mythology, but also the Kyzikene use of coinage as a means of targeted propaganda.
From the Jonathan P. Rosen Collection. Ex Roma XV (5 April 2018), lot 215 (hammer £15,000).
This gorgeous and rare type depicts the legendary hero Perseus, who was the son of the god Zeus and mortal Danaë, daughter of the king of Argos. Perseus is depicted with the Helm of Hades, given to him by Athena to escape Sthenno and Euryale, the sisters of the slain Medusa. It is possible that the Kyzikenes chose to depict Perseus in an attempt to win favor with their new overlords, the Achaemenids. Plato, in his Alcibiades 120e, states that the Achaemenids claimed descent from Achaemenes who claimed to be a relative of the famous hero just as many Greeks linked themselves to Herakles. Such a move then would have helped ingratiate themselves with their new rulers and allow them to continue their trading enterprises without interruption. Thus, this stunning piece illustrates not just one of the most famous heroes of Greek mythology, but also the Kyzikene use of coinage as a means of targeted propaganda.