Thracean Silver Stater of Maroneia, 5 Century BCE - 4th Century BCE
Silver
C.2292
Obverse: A Horse Galloping to the Left with an Eagle Abov Reverse: A Grape Arbor Framed in a Squar Maroneia was founded by colonists from the isle of Chios on...
Obverse: A Horse Galloping to the Left with an Eagle Abov
Reverse: A Grape Arbor Framed in a Squar
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 , 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.
Reverse: A Grape Arbor Framed in a Squar
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 , 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.