Nomos 23

BITHYNIA. Astakos. Circa 450 BC. Drachm (Silver, 18 mm, 4.95 g, 12 h). AΣ Lobster (astakos) to left, holding a fish (a tunny fish?) with its claws. Rev. Head of the Nymph Olbia to left, diademed and with her hair bound in a sakkos; the whole within a shallow incuse square. Waddington, Recueil pg. 266, 5 and pl. xli, 5 (same dies) = Traité II, vol 2, 2869, pl. CLXXXI, 4. Extremely rare, possibly the second known example, the other being in Paris. Of lovely style, with a sakkos-bound female head reminiscent of those on the coinage of Syracuse! Somewhat corroded surfaces, otherwise, good very fine.

Astakos (near modern Izmit), was either a Megarian or an Athenian colony, and was located on the Gulf of Astakos, in the west of the Propontis. Astakos is the Greek word for lobster, and thus the lobster on the coin is a way of identifying the city through what is known as a "type parlant". In fact, in antiquity Astakos was famous for the numerous lobsters that lived in the gulf. The city was destroyed by Lysimachos shortly before his final defeat at the battle of Corupedion in 281. Very close to the ruins of Astakos, Nikomedes I of Bithynia built his new city of Nikomedia, where he resettled the original inhabitants of Astakos, as well as people from other cities and towns in his kingdom.