BORYSTHENES: COIN OF OLBIA (MODERN UKRAINE)
Borysthenes, 3nd century BC: Greek city-state Olbia
Pontic Olbia or Olbia (Ancient Greek "Ὀλβία Ποντική"; Ukrainian "Ольвія") — an ancient Greek city-state, founded by natives of Miletus in the 7th century BC (modern village of Parutyne on the shore of the Southern Buh, Ukraine).
Battle ax and bow in gorytos (leather bow-case for a short composite bow used by the Scythians in classical antiquity; many gorytoi were highly decorated, and at least one known surviving specimen was determined to be made of human skin).
The inscription "ОЛВІО" — Greek name of Olbia.
Sign "ME" (unknown meaning).
Scythian river god Borysthenes (the deity of the Dnipro River: a bearded man with horns).
- Copper: 21 mm - 7.95 g
- Reference price: 17.4$
COIN BORYSTHENES — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- OLBIA, ANCIENT GREECE (4th-3rd centuries BC): borysthenes = obol
BORYSTHENES as coin name.
Borysthenes — ancient quite massive bronze coin of the Greek colony of Olbia on the territory of modern Ukraine.
Borysthenes were produced by historical standards for not too long — about 100 years: during 4th-3rd centuries BC.
Emissions, taking into account all known the archaeological findings, were tangible, massive. Therefore, the coin spread unusually widely for that time: for hundreds of kilometers around.
All borysthenes coins had an absolutely identical plot: a portrait of the god Borysthenes (a bearded male image), an ax and a bow in a gorytos (wooden case for bows and arrows used mainly by the Scythians), the inscription "ОЛВIО" (Olbia).
The only difference was several types of monograms — letter markings. These symbols, according to researchers’ assumptions, indicate the organizers (Olbian magistrates) of private issues of the coin. Borysthenes without such symbolic labels are also found, but extremely rarely: it were central releases (assumptions). In total, there are about 90 variants of the coin distinguished by this feature.
Coin, as for ancient numismatics, nowadays is considered not rare. This wonderful example of antique numismatics adorns many modern collections.
Coin was not known as a borysthenes in ancient times. In its essence, it is an obol ("Olbian obol"). However, in modern numismatics, it is precisely this name that has been fixed because of the main plot: the image of the head of the Scythian river god Borysthenes (the deity of the Dnipro River).
