Pontos; comet/head of horse, star
100,00 €
Description
Pontos, uncertain mint, time of Mithradates VI (120 – 63 BC). Comet / Head of horse right, star at neck.
Specifications
| Diameter [mm]: | AE12 |
| Weight [g]: | 2,48 |
| Grade: | aVF/VF |
| Attribution: | SNG BM Black Sea 984; HGC 7, 317 |
| Commentary: | thick flan, olive green patina with sndy deposits, full details |
Historical Context
This is the first depiction of comet on a coin in pre-Augustan times; traditionally attributed to Pontos, though very similar to Cappadocian coins with horse and stock of grain, where adding of a star would result in the depicted coin; as for the celestial body depicted, it could be the comet of 134 BC, who announced the birth of Mithridates VI or Halley's comet of 87 BC.
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