Obolos 39

MYSIA. Kyzikos. Circa 400-330 BC. Hekte (Electrum, 10.5 mm, 2.65 g). Military man standing to left, diademed, wearing cloak hanging over his shoulders and behind his left arm, heavy belt and under-skirt, raising his right hand in salute and resting his left on his waist, and, in the crook of his left arm and going behind his back, a short, downward pointing spear; below his feet, [tunny fish to left]. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. Hurter & Liewald -. Von Fritze -. Nomos 24, 22 May 2022, 175 (same dies). Extremely rare and unpublished; A fascinating and attractive hekte with a clear representation of a human, non-mythological figure. Some die rust on obverse; obverse struck somewhat off-center, otherwise, good very fine.

This is a particularly exciting coin: not only is it a hitherto unpublisged type for Kyzikos, it is almost certainly the "portrait" of a living person rather than a divine or mythological figure. Seemingly diademed, wearing military dress, and holding a short spear, this must be a military leader rather than a simple soldier (he is not a hunter as he is not wearing hunting dress), especially since with his raised right hand he appears to be in the process of exhorting his troops. So who is he? The figure itself dates stylistically to the end of the 5th century at the earliest, but is more probably late Classical, quite possibly well down into the 4th century. Could it be a representation of Alexander and, thus, date to 334 BC, soon after Alexander's capture of Kyzikos from the Persians?