Mysie, Cyzique. Statère d’électrum ND (500-450 av. J.-C.), Cyzique.

ANCIENT GREECE Mysia, Cyzicus. Stater of electrum ND (500-450 BC), Cyzicus.
Obv. Lion standing facing right, holding a sword in its mouth; below, a tuna facing right.
Rev. Quadripartite incuse square.
SNG France n° 322 - de Luynes N° 2457 - Von Fritze, Berlin, 1912, 177; Electrum - 16.01g - 15 x 22 mm - 12 h.
NGC Ch XF 5/5 3/5 Fine style. Perfectly centered strike on a spectacular oblong flan. High reliefs for the lion and the tuna, lots of details. One of the most beautiful known examples. Extremely Fine

According to the legend, Cyzicus would have been built by Cyzicus, son of Apollo or more likely by the Milesians, during the 7th century BC. Built on the coast of Mysia, on the Propontis (sea of Marmara), this city is a crossroads between the Euxine (Black Sea) and the Aegean Sea, between Europe and Asia, between Thrace and Asia Minor (Anatolia). Thanks to its location, Cyzicus was an important trading place and a tuna fishing place, which made it a flourishing city, well-known for its beauty and wealth. It was also an important cultural center, with a school of Mathematics, many historians, renowned architects and other specialists.