Pontos; comet/head of horse, star
120,00 €
Description
Pontos, uncertain mint, time of Mithradates VI (120 – 63 BC). Comet / Head of horse right, star at neck.
Specifications
| Diameter [mm]: | AE11 |
| Weight [g]: | 1,50 |
| Grade: | aVF/gF |
| Attribution: | Lindgren III 154; SNG BM 984 |
| Commentary: | rare; dark green patina with sandy deposits, well centered |
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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