25.06.2013 Views

THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

GREEK <strong>COIN</strong>S<br />

of very inferior work. Other towns were Alexandria,<br />

Dardanos, Gergis, Lerissa, Ilium, Thymbra, Scamandria,<br />

and Sigeiuni. The money of Dardanos sometimes<br />

shews two cocks fighting. That of Gergis transmits<br />

the legend of the Gergittian sybil, who was said to<br />

have been born near there. The type of the feeding<br />

horse, which also occurs on coins of Neandria in the<br />

Troad and of Pheneus in Arcadia, may belong to this<br />

Larissa, although it has been assigned to Larissa in<br />

Thessaly. Thymbra, near Ilium, was so named by the<br />

founder, Dardanos, after his friend Thymbraeus. One<br />

of the Roman imperial reverse types of Scepsis exhibits<br />

the judgment of Paris on Mount Ida. The island of<br />

Tenedos, off Troas, was an ancient site and mint. The<br />

prevailing type is the Janiform head on obverse and<br />

the reverse with its double axe, both significant of reli-<br />

gious ideas or superstitions, and probably connected in<br />

meaning.<br />

iEoLis.—We possess ^Eolian money of the third cen-<br />

tury b.c. and later, both federal and civic. The former,<br />

which reads Aiole, is assumed to have been struck for<br />

the common use of the towns, the chief of which were<br />

JEgae, Autocane (mentioned in the Homeric Hymn to<br />

Apollo, 1. 53), Cyme, Grinium, Elaea, and Myrina.<br />

The most important was Cyme. On the money of Gri-<br />

nium the head of Apollo, which also occurs on that of<br />

Myrina and other places, probably alludes to the statue<br />

of the god in white marble once visible there. There<br />

are iEolian coins of Roman imperial origin.<br />

Lesbos.—Within the confines of this island lay seve-<br />

87

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!