TROAS, Abydos

AE14. 2.61g, 14.7mm MINTED: TROAS, Abydos, circa 3rd-2nd centuries BC REF: cf. BMC 40; cf. SNG von Aulock 1449 OBVERSE: Turreted bust of Artemis facing slightly right.

REVERSE: ABY, Eagle standing right with open wings, head left.

Grade/Notes:

Good. Toned brown surfaces.

Very rare type.

Historical Notes:

Abydos was an ancient harbour town that served as the site for Xerxes's famous pontoon bridges that he built across the Hellespont to transport troops from Asia into Thrace in 480 BC during the Second Persian Invasion.  Abydos was also the home of Leander, in the tragic Greek myth of Hero and Leander.  Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite, lived across the Hellespont in Sestos, and each night, she would light a lamp so that her lover Leander could see his way to swim across the straits to be with her.  One winter's night, strong winds blew out Hero's lamp, and Leander, losing his way, drowns in the stormy sea.