197 - Tetrobolos from Histiaia/Histiaea (Euboea), minted around 196–146 B.C.

Tetrobolos from Histiaia/Histiaea (Euboea), minted around 196–146 B.C. Silver. Weight: 2.11 grams. Measurements: 13 mm in diameter. Provenance: Family legacy of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Archaeological collection formed from the 1950s by successive generations of the family, through acquisitions in European galleries and auction houses. On the obverse, the head of the nymph Histiaia facing right, with her hair gathered in a ribbon or sphendone adorned with grapes.On the reverse, the nymph Histiaia facing right, with her legs drawn up to her chest and seated on the gunwale of a ship, her right hand resting on the gunwale and her left hand pointing toward the ship’s prow, which is adorned with a naval trophy occupying the right side of the coin.Reverse inscription: The inscription “AIE?N” in a vertical column from top to bottom on the left side of the coin, and the inscription “I?TI” at the bottom of the coin (I?TI AIE?N) (ISTIAEON-ISTIAEA/ISTIAIA) References: BMC Central Greece 53. In Greek mythology, a nymph was a minor female deity typically associated with a natural feature such as a spring, a stream, a river, a mountain, or a forest. Histiaia is the eponym for the nymph of the city of Histiaia, an ancient city on the island of Euboea in Greece. It was located near the island’s northern coast along the Callas River, at the foot of Mount Telethrium. It was an important city in classical antiquity due to its strategic location at the entrance to the Gulf of Euboea. This area was described by Homer in the *Iliad* as “rich in grapes.”