Greek
Eion silver and gold bracelet, Classical Greek, circa 450 - 400 BC
Silver, gold
Weight of coin: 0.83 g
Diameter of coin: 1.1 cm
Diameter of coin: 1.1 cm
Further images
Provenance
The Reverend Richard J. Plant (1928-2020) Collection, Bawtry, South Yorkshire
Plant had a distinctive approach to writing about coins which arose from a life-long quest to make them accessible to collectors who lacked his own classical education. His articles and books, typically illustrated by his own meticulous hand-drawn illustrations brought coins to life - he focused on making connections to the history, myths, places, objects and people on them.
Literature
Eion was an ancient Greek colony in Thracian Macedonia, located at the mouth of the river Strymon. The colony was a place of vital strategic importance during the Persian invasions of Darius I and Xerxes I, and later to the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War.The significance of the goose depicted on the coin presumably refers to scenes from rural life at the time. Being located by a river, die cutters took inspiration from the aquatic birds that would have frequented the shores and marshlands of the area.