CoinImages

Coins of Asia Minor

Aeolis, Elaia. circa 450-400 BC. AR Diobol. Obv: Helmeted head of Athena left. Rev: (.Λ..), olive wreath.

Elaea was an ancient city which has been described as the port of Pergamum. Pausianus describes it as "the first city of Aeolis you reach on descending from the plain of the Caicus to the sea." However apart from passing references to its location (sometimes contradictory) by a number of ancient authors, there is very little know about its history and it features more prominently only during the wars of the Diadochi such when Polybius describes "Antiochus, on hearing this, at once began to lay waste the territory of Elaea". I suspect it has simply been overshadowed as a district of Pergamon, for example, Pliny mentions it as follows " and by far the most famous place in Asia, Pergamum, which is traversed by the river Selinus and bordered by the river Cetius, flowing down from Mount Pindasus. Not far away is Elaea, which we mentioned, on the coast. " Barclay Head attributes coinage as staring here in around 460 BC.

Cilicia. Kelenderis. Circa 430-420 BC. Stater (Silver, 20 mm, 10.83 g, 9 h). Obv: Rider, holding whip, dismounting from horse prancing to left; below, Π. Rev: KEΛ[EN] Goat kneeling left, head turned to look back; above, ivy sprig with leaf and flower.

Kelenderis was originally a Phoenician settlement on the south coast of Cicilia, later expanded by an Ionian colony from Samos. More poetically Apollodorus records that "Herse had by Hermes a son Cephalus, whom Dawn loved and carried off, and consorting with him in Syria bore a son Tithonus, who had a son Phaethon, who had a son Astynous, who had a son Sandocus, who passed from Syria to Cilicia and founded a city Celenderis" [Library 3.14]. The city does not feature much in the historic accounts, but we know that Kelenderis became the easternmost city to pay tribute to the Athenian-led Delian league. Payments were only made from 460 BC to 454 BC. The early coinage was on the Persic standard (10.7g Double siglos; 5.35g Siglos) and this is about right for a double siglos.

Ionia, Clazomenae. Ca. 5th century BC. AR drachm or tetrobol (14mm, 3.59 gm, 6h). Obv: Forepart of winged boar right. Rev: Facing head of gorgoneion, tongue protruding, all within incuse square.

Clazomenae was originally located on the mainland of Ionia as was part of the 13-city amphictyonic Ionian League. However, probably during the early fifth-century BC Ionian Revolt from the Persians, it was moved to the Island just off the coast. The distinctive badge of Clazomenae was the winged boar, in this example paired with a gorgoneion. According to Barclay Head, at some point after the Ionian revolt (or perhaps as part of it, given the Athenian and Euboean assistance provided) the previous Phoenician standard seems to have been replaced with the Attic standard (17.2g tetradrachm). At 3.63g this coin does not appear to be on that standard (4.3g drachm) and there is insufficient damage or wear to account for the difference. It is more aligned to the Milesian or Rhodian standard (3.55g / 3.70g drachm) and that is consistent for other examples on acsearch.info.

Ionia, Miletus. Ca. 4th-3rd centuries BC. AR drachm (15mm, 3.39 gm, 12h). Diopompus, magistrate. Obv: Laureate head of Apollo left. Rev: ΔIOΠOMΠOΣ, lion standing left, head reverted; star with eight rays above, MI monogram before.

This coin was minted on the reduced Chian (or Rhodian) standard (13.4g tetradrachm). Lions were sacred to Apollo, who was an important deity in Miletus. Apollo was worshipped at the nearby sanctuary of Didyma, one of the most famous oracle centres in the Greek world. The reverse often shows a simple sunburst or radiating lines, symbolizing the sun. This design is connected to the broader association of the lion with solar symbolism in ancient Greek and Near Eastern cultures. The sun imagery also emphasizes divine favour and enlightenment, aligning with Miletus's role as a centre of learning and philosophy (e.g., thinkers like Thales and Anaximander hailed from Miletus).

Ionia, Teos. AR-Stater, 478/460 BC. 12,05 g. Obv: Griffin seated right with front paw raised. In front of it is a nymph's head with Krobylos right. Rev: Quadripartite incuse square.

In 544 BC, after the conquest of Lydia by the Persians in 546 BC, Teos was partially abandoned. Strabo notes that the "the Teians abandoned their city and migrated to, Abdera, a Thracian city, being unable to bear the insolence of the Persians; and hence the verse in reference to Abdera "Abdera, beautiful colony of the Teians'. But some of them returned again in later times." [Geography 14.1.30]. Note the Teians also went to Phanagoria on the Cimmerian Bosporus. A J Graham in states that "We can confidently accept that at some time in its early history Teian Abdera sent sufficient settlers back to her mother city for this to count as a re-foundation. It cannot be certainly established when Abdera refounded Teos. The two most probable occasions are shortly after the evacuation of the city in c. 545 and shortly after the Ionian revolt." [he Journal of Hellenic Studies , 1992, Vol. 112 (1992), pp. 44-73]. The fact that the town was not entirely abandoned or was refounded is evident in the continuance of its coinage. According to Head, some early electrum pieces with a Griffin’s head, a type common both to Teos and to Phocaea may have been struck there as Phocaea, together with Mytilene and Cyzicus, continued to be the three chief mints of electrum coinage down to the middle of the fourth century BC. The early silver coins of Teos from the sixth century BC down to about 400 BC are apparently adjusted to the Aeginetic standard. Graham notes " The first coins of Abdera and the first silver coins of Teos are so closely alike that it seems probable that these coinages 'were started in planned conjunction". This coin has been minted on the Aeginetic standard (12.4g stater) although it is a bit lighter at 12.07g, presumably due to the obvious wear. The retrograde ethnic THIΩN is partially visible on the obverse. The ancillary symbols found on these coins include a facing panther, a Nubian head and, as in this case, the right facing head of an unidentified woman with a typical hairstyle for the period. The coin has a die crack on the obverse.

Lycia, Trbbenimi AR Third Stater. Wedrei, circa 390-375 BC. Obv: Facing lion’s scalp. Rev: Triskeles; TPBBÊNEME around; all within shallow incuse circle. 2.90g, 18mm.

Trbbenimi was a dynast of Lycia who ruled approximately from 390–370 BC and is known primarily from his coinage. He minted several coins on the west Lycian weight standard. Trbbenimi may have died around 375 BC or slightly earlier, after which Pericles became the sole ruler in Limyra. Trbbenimi may have been Pericles' father, although coins of Trbbenimi only appear at around the same time as those of Pericles, so a parent-child relationship cannot be proven. Alternatively, they may have been brothers, or one may have married into the other's family. The weight of the coins of Trbbenimi was approximately 9.63 g with a diameter of 23.5 mm. The obverse of these coins featured a facing lion scalp, and the reverse featured a triskeles with the inscription "TRBBÊNEME" (in Lycian) around. The West Lycian coin weight standard was a lighter standard compared to the south central region of Lycia. The weight-standard was the Babylonic, but it showed considerable irregularity, and a tendency to fall to the Euboïc standard. The staters weighed from about 10.0g to under 7.80g. The staters were divided into thirds (tetrobols), sixths (diobols), etc., but also occasionally into halves. This coin is 2.91g and so would be a third of a stater weighing 8.7g. Some of the major cities that formed the Lycian civilization include Patara (capital city of Lycia), Xanthos, Pinara, Olympos, Myra, Tlos and Phaselis. Wedrei is the Lycian name for the ancient city of Rhodiapolis, which is located near the modern town of Kumluca. The name Wedrei is found together with that of Trbennimi on the Dynastic period coins of Lycia. This suggests that there existed a settlement here prior to the Rhodian colonisation.

Lydia. Alyattes or Walwet (ca. 610-546 BC). EL third-stater or trite (12mm, 4.66 gm). Countermarks. Lydo-Milesian standard, Sardes, uninscribed issues. Obv: Head of lion right, mouth open, mane bristling, radiate sun above eye. Rev. Two square punches of different size, side by side, with irregular interior surfaces.

Whilst this coin is known as a trite, or third-stater, only two examples of a full stater have been discovered (J. Spier). In practice therefore this was the largest denomination of the earliest coin that would have been in circulation. This example is minted on the Lydia-Milesian standard (14.2g stater of three 4.70g trite) and weighs 4.67g. It has seven countermarks on it. For later coinage the theory is that these countermarks were 'bankers marks' added to confirm the purity and weight of the coin. However multiple countermarks are common on the Lydian trite and it is unlikely that the coin would have to be re-weighed so often for confirmation purposes, especially as the circulation was nearly entirely within the region. There are also a great variety of marks, which has lead to the suggestion that the are more 'owner's marks' than bankers marks (basically labelling your property). The coin is made from electrum, which is a naturally occurring allow which the Lydians would have found as fluvial deposits in the river Pactolus. The electrum coins of this type consist of about 54 percent gold, 46 percent silver and 2 percent copper, which is a higher silver content than naturally occurring electrum and so the balance must have been altered during the manufacturing process.

Mysia, Pergamon. AR-Cistophor 76-67 BC, Prytanis Me(...) Obv: snake crawls from cista mystica, all in ivy wreath. Rev: two snakes wind around Gorytos, on the left city monogram, on the right Thyrsos with snake, above MH over monogram . 12.62 g.

The cistophorus type was introduced shortly before 190 BC to provide the Attalid kingdom with a civic identity separate from that expressed by the tetradrachms of Seleucus and Philetairos. The term Cistophoric refers to the sacred chest (Latin: cista) of Dionysus which features on the obverse. It was tariffed at four drachmas but weighed only as much as three Attic drachmas (12.75g). The evidence of hoards suggests that it did not travel outside the area which Pergamum controlled. It is therefore probable that it was overvalued in this area. In any case, the result was a closed monetary system such as that found in the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Pamphylia, Aspendos. Stater. 380/75-330/25 BC. Obv: Two wrestlers grappling. Rev: Slinger in throwing stance to right; (EΣ)TFEΔ(IIYΣ) to left, triskeles to right; all within pelleted square. 9.13 g.

In 5th century BC, the Pamphylians started producing coins in Aspendos. The city’s mint was prolific in ancient times, reflecting the city’s prosperity. Their coinage was often agonistic, in this case depicting two wrestlers. It is undoubted that wrestling was popular in ancient Greece, as illustrated by Homer's Odysseus "Let's go out now and make a try at all the games, so the stranger can tell his loved ones, on his return home, how much we surpass others in boxing, wrestling, jumping, and running.", but it is unknown why it should feature so prominently on the coins of Aspendos. Some scholars believe Aspendos is eponymous to the ancient Greek word for “sling” (σφενδονη), known as a “Sphendone” in ancient Greece, and is therefore a canting pun on the cities name. To the left is the Greek name believed to be associated with the founding of Aspendos, ΕΣΤFEΔΙΙΥ, perhaps referencing Asitawandas, founder of Karatepe (an ancient city of Cilicia). B. V. Head states simply that the form EΣTFEΔIIVΣ corresponds to the Greek EΣΠENΔIOΣ and notes Aspendos coinage was struck using the Persian standard, having an average weight of nearly 11 grams and equal to two sigloi. This coins is considerably underweight for that standard.

Bithynia, Kalchedon. Drachm (Circa 367/6-340 BC). Obv: KAΛX. Bull standing left on grain ear right; kerykeion and monogram to left. Rev: Quadripartite incuse square with stippled surface. Weight: 3.81 g. Diameter: 14 mm.

Chalcedon originated as a Megarian colony in 685 BC and was closely linked with Byzantium, which lay just on the other side of the Bosporus and was also a Megarian foundation . The colonists from Megara settled on a site that was viewed in antiquity as so obviously inferior to that visible on the opposite shore of the Bosporus that according to Heroditus the 6th-century BC Persian general Megabazus "once made a remark for which the people along the Hellespont have never forgotten him; he was in Byzantium and on hearing that Calchedon was settled seventeen years before that city, he said that the men of Calchedon must have been blind at the time; for if they had had any eyes, they would never have chosen an inferior site, when a much finer one lay ready to hand." [Histories 4.144] Of course, he may well have said the opposite if he was in Calchedon. The city was captured by the Persian Empire at the time of the Scythian campaign of King Darius I in 513 BC. According to Heroditus "The people of Byzantion and those of Chalcedon opposite did not even wait for the coming of the Persian ships, but had left their own land first and departed, going within the Euxine; and there they settled in the city of Mesembria " [Histories 4.87]. Polyaenus describes that the city was taken by Darius without the loss of a man as he had undermined the city [Stratagems, 7.11.5]. The relative success of the two cities later in the fifth century BC can be determined by the relative amounts of tribute they paid to the Delian league. According to Gardener "Byzantium at one period paid a tribute of more than twenty talents, and Calchedon as much as nine talents." Barclay Head notes that the coins of Calchedon and Byzantium (the earliest of Calchedon excepted) differ only in one respect, that the bull on the coins of Byzantium stands on a dolphin, while at Calchedon it stands on an ear of corn. Neither of them struck coins until late in the 5th century BC and most of their production was in the fourth century BC. According to Gardener the earliest coinage was struck on the Persian standard but changed to the Chian standard early in the fourth century.

Cilicia, Tarsos. Balakros, satrap of Cilicia, 333-323 BC. Stater (Silver, 24 mm, 10.86 g, 2 h). 𐡁𐡏𐡋𐡕𐡓𐡆 ('b'ltrs' in Aramaic) Baaltars seated left on backless throne, his body turned to front, holding lotus-tipped sceptre in his right hand; to left, grain ear; below throne, I. Rev. Lion attacking bull to left; below, crenelated city walls; above to left, club.

This coin was minted when Tarsos was under the control of Balakros, the son of Nicanor, one of Alexander the Great's bodyguards, who was appointed satrap of Cilicia after the Battle of Issus (333 BC). He completed the conquest of Asia Minor together with Calas, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia, and Antigonus, satrap of Phrygia but died in battle before the death of Alexander. It should be noted that the type illustrated in this coin (Baal/Lion-bull with crenelations) was also used by the last Persian satrap before the defeat of the Persians at Issus, Mazaios, when we was made satrap of Syria as well as Cilicia, but in this case the lion on the reverse has the club of Hercules above, which was a very Greek addition to the coin. Baaltars (combination of "Baal" and "Tarsus"), was the deity of the city of Tarsus, and in the right field you can see the inscription BALTRZ in Aramaic. Inscriptions have shown that the name Ba'al was particularly associated with the storm and fertility god Hadad and his local manifestations and would have been the equivalent of the Greek Zeus. This series is interesting as it the issue succeeds the more standard Alexander type which was in use between 333 and 327. E.T. Newall is of the opinion that this is due to it being a purely civic issue: "Unlike the contemporary Alexander tetradrachms or the earlier satrapal staters no name of overlord or of military authority appears on them. Instead, the four letters T, M, S, I, which occur singly beneath the Baal throne, clearly indicate that it was the municipalities of Tarsos, Mallos, Soloi and Issos, the four largest and most important cities of Eastern Cilicia, that were alone responsible for this recoinage of the Persic stater." [American Journal of Numismatics (1897-1924) , 1918, Vol. 52 (1918), pp. 69-11] He goes on to state that both the Alexandrine type and this issue would have been minted in parallel and also his opinion, based on style, that the same engraver was responsible for both dies. Therefore we can attribute this coin to a civic issue under Balakros minted 'under the auspices and at the joint expense' of Issos, although the actual striking took place at Tarsos. While that explains the I under the throne of Baal on the obverse of this coins it does not deal with another issue. The coinage of Balakros typically bears his name, and later only his initial "B", however this is not present on this coin (Newall, above, believes the B to be a minters mark rather than a contraction of Balakros, but this opinion seems to have been superseded). In an article Peter Lewis suggests an answer - that Balakros was taking advantage of the remoteness of Alexander to set up an independent state, and subsequent to his death his initials were deliberately removed from the die. No evidence is provided to support this. It would be expected that the standard here would be Attic, however it appears to be Persian (10.7g Double siglos; 5.35g Siglos) which is maybe to retain consistency with the local coinage before Alexander had occupied the region. This coins is about right for that standard.

Ionia, Kolophon. Diobol (Circa 375-360 BC). Uncertain magistrate. Obv: Laureate head of Apollo left. Rev: KOΛ[]AIOΣ. Lyre.

The issue of coins probably began soon after the Persians had conquered the Lydians, at first mainly in the form of small change for the convenience of the local markets as the Persian kings struck nothing smaller than the silver siglos, which passed as the equivalent of the Greek drachma, and this carried much too high a value to be useful in daily shopping. So, there was a fairly large output of "halves" and "fourths," which were plainly marked on their faces with their denominations, as they had to serve a mixed Persian and Greek centre of trade. But, by the beginning of the fifth century the Greek merchants of Kolophon were able to stand on their own feet in regard to currency, and they struck considerable numbers of drachmas of approximately the same weight as the sigloi, besides smaller silver: the technical excellence of this coinage suggests that the city had attained once more to prosperity. The revival in the 4th century BC noted above is very evident in the coinage, which not only improved in artistic merit, but was expanded by the resumption of the issue of small silver and the inception of a bronze currency. The standard on which the silver was struck was changed from the Persian to the Asiatic Greek, which indicates a renewal of oversea trade with the Aegean area. This coins is of that period.

Ionia, Phokaia, Hemihekta, circa 521-478 BC. 10 mm, 1.29 g Obv: Head of a nymph to left, wearing sakkos adorned with a central band and circular earring. Rev: Quadripartite incuse square.

The coinage of Phocis began near the very start of coin production, probably not later than the middle of the sixth century and this coin is a good example of the archaic style you would expect from the period. This coin is properly a hemihekta minted on the Phocaic standard (6.1g stater), where the hemihekta is a 12th stater. However you will also see it described as a diobol. It can be attributed as SNG Turkey 1433. The coin is often described as wearing a sakkos (sackcloth) and with an earing. In this context a sakkos is a closed hood or hairnet, which was a common head covering for Greek women. According to B.V. Head, the coinage of Phocaea is federal in nature, with the same type being shared between 22 confederate towns with the town of Daulis as the political centre. It is therefore likely that the mint that produced this coin was to be found there. It was the most northern of the polis of Ionia, bordering on Aeolis. Pausianus writes that the city of Phocaea was founded under Athenian leadership, on land given to them by the Aeolian Cymaeans, and that they were admitted into the Ionian League after accepting as kings the line of Codrus. It remained independent until the reign of the Lydian king Croesus (circa 560–545 BC). Rather than submit to Persian rule, the Phocaeans abandoned their city and founded the colonies of Massalia (600 BC) and Velia (540 BC). In 500 BC, Phocaea joined the Ionian Revolt against Persia although, probably due to its depleted population, it was only able to contribute 3 ships whereas previously it had been a large naval trading city. We do know from Heroditus that the region of Phokia was ravaged in around 480 BC "The Barbarians however overran the whole land of Phokis, for so the Thessalians led their army, and all that they came to as they marched they burned or cut down, and delivered to the flames both the cities and the sanctuaries" [Histories, 8.32 ]

Dynasts of Lycia, Perikles (c. 380-360 BC). AR Tetrobol (16mm, 3.05g). Uncertain mint. Obv: Facing scalp of lion. Rev: Triskeles; above, dolphin right; to lower left, laureate head of Apollo facing slightly left; all within incuse square.

The Lydians were given the right to coin by the Persians and the first coins with Lycian letters on them appeared not long before 500 BC under Kubernis, the second king of the Lycian dynasty centred at Xanthos. Although many of the early coins produced in the ancient world illustrated the images of various gods, the first portraiture of actual rulers appears with the coinage of Lycia in the late 5th century BC. This coin was minted between 380 and 360 BC under Pericles and on his death the Lycians seem to have struck virtually no coins for over a century and a half. You see the coinage reappear as that of the Lycian League, which was formed at some point in the early second century BC. It is not surprising the see the laureate head of Apollo as a miniature portrait on the coin as Lycia was long associated with that god. In Knights, by Aristophanes, “Oh! Phoebus Apollo, god of Lycia! I am undone!” and Pindar’s Pythian ode also describes “Phoebus, lord of Lycia and Delos”. Head notes "The coinage of Lycia confirms in a most striking manner the testimony of ancient writers, especially Strabo, with regard to the Federal constitution of the country. Among no other ancient people do we find Federal institutions so wisely framed and so firmly rooted as among the Lycians. Although the majority of the early coins represent individual dynasts, it is clear that there existed some sort of federation between these rulers, more or less under Persian suzerainty. The abundant coinage testifies to the great prosperity of the country in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. The distinctive symbol on the money of the various cities which took part in this Federal coinage is the Triskeles or so-called Triquetra, which sometimes takes the form of a tetraskeles or of a diskeles." Perikles was a native of Limyra and so that may have been the mint city for this coin (Numismatik Neumann suggest Phellos). It falls into Head Series 5 Group B and he notes that the staters are divided into thirds (tetrobols), sixths (diobols), etc., but also occasionally into halves (drachms). So this tetrobol would align with a standard of about 9.0g - perhaps Babylonic, the standard noted by Head for the earliest staters of Lycia. The ethnic is in the Lycian script, a written form of Luwian.

Lydia, Kroisos, circa 560-546 BC. Siglos (Silver, 17 mm, 5.25 g), Sardes. Confronted foreparts of a lion and a bull. Rev. Two incuse squares, one larger than the other.

The earliest bi-metallic coinage is attributed to king Croesus of Lydia from about 560 BC until his defeat by the Achaemenid empire in 546 BC, though there is considerable evidence that they continued to be minted after this date before being displaced by the Persian ‘Archer’ types. This coins is an example of the lion and bull type minted under Croesus. According to Herodotus, writing in the 5th Century BC, “They [the Lydians] were the first men (known to us) who coined and used gold and silver currency” [b.1, c.94]. The orthodox explanation for the origin of coinage is that they were a practical measure, the standardised weights avoided the need to weigh the coins individually on each transaction and the ‘seal’ of the issuing authority guaranteed the purity of the metal and its redemption value. The silver coins were minted on a consistent weight of 10.7g to the di-siglos stater.

Mysia, Lampsakos (4th-3rd centuries BC.) AR Diobol. (11mm, 0.99 g) Obv: Janiform female head. Rev: ΛAM. Helmeted head of Athena right; bee to right; all within incuse circle.

Lampsakos was a port city founded by Ionians from Phocaea and Miletus in around 654 BC on the Asian shore of the Hellespont and throughout the 6th and 5th centuries it switched hands between the competing powers of Persian, Athens and Sparta. It joined the Delian League after the battle of Mycale (479 BC), to which it paid a tribute of twelve talents, a testimony to its wealth at that time. Lampsakos started minting electrum and silver coinage before 500 BC on the Phoenician standard but by the end of the century had switched to the Persic standard (5.35g siglos). The janiform head as a type can be found on coins from this date, paired with the head of Athena. This coins dates from 394-330 BC (Barclay Head).

Pamphylia, Aspendus. Ca. mid-5th century BC. AR stater (21mm, 11h). Obv: Helmeted nude hoplite warrior advancing right, shield in left hand, spear forward in right; turtle seen from above between legs. Rev: E-Σ, triskeles clockwise; lion crouching left below in background, turtle left to upper right, all within incuse square.

In 5th century BC, the Pamphylians started producing coins in Aspendos. The city’s mint was prolific in ancient times, reflecting the city’s prosperity. Their coinage was often agonistic but if this case the reverse is a a busy combination of a triskeles over a lion, with a turtle in the upper right. The use of the triskeles is reminiscent of the coinage of neighbouring Lycia. This coins is Sear 5383 save that the legend is EΣ (interrupted by a test cut), rather than EΣ Π. The triskeles proper, composed of three human legs, is younger than the triple spiral, found in decorations on Greek pottery especially as a design shown on hoplite shields, and later also minted on Greek and Anatolian coinage. An early example is found on the shield of Achilles in an Attic hydria of the late 6th century BC. It is found on coinage in Lycia, and on staters of Pamphylia and Pisidia. The meaning of the Greek triskeles is not recorded.

Troas, Assus. Ca. 500-450 BC. AR drachm (13mm, 4h). Obv: Griffin springing left, Rev: Head of lion right within incuse square.

Assus city was founded from 1000 to 900 BC by Aeolian colonists from Lesbos, who are said to have come from the city of Methymna. The settlers built a Doric Temple to Athena on top of the dominant crag in 530 BC. In 6th century BC, Assos was among the western Greek states which became subject to Lydia. After the destruction of the Lydian Kingdom by the Persian King Cyrus II, it was incorporated into the Persian Empire. Strabo describes it as by nature strong and well-fortified; and the ascent to it from the sea and the harbour being very steep and long. Athena Polias was the principle goddess. In 348 BC Aristotle tool up residence in Assos and married the Pythia, the niece of the local ruler, Hermeias. He subsequently founded an Academy there, before later fleeing to Macedonia to be come the tutor to a young Alexander III. At the start of the fifth century, Assos began minting silver coins–mostly drachms (3.57 g.) and fractions like tetrobols, diobols, and obols–to the Lydo-Milesian standard (14.2g stater). This coin is 3.43g. There should be an ethnic AS above left and right of the lion's head but this is missing on this coin.

Diomedes Ancient Coins

Coins of Asia Minor