This charming coin reflects the civic pride of Histiaea and tells us much about a particular moment of history: on one side is the nymph Histiaea—from whom the city takes its name—
standing astride the stern of a galley; on the other is the head of a maenad, a follower f the wine God Dionysos. We know the city derived its political power from the sea and its economic riches from wine; its coinage pays homage to both. To wear this splendid ring is to travel back to a forgotten world which comes alive once more only in the imagination and the dreams of modern men.