I didn't know about Tears of Cios until yesterday. A recent acquisition : AR Hemidrachm Bithynia, Kios, ca. 345 – 315 BC, magistrate Agnonides 13.5 mm, 2.54 g, 12h HGC 7, 554 var. (unlisted magistrate); RG 4 var. (unlisted magistrate); BMC (Greek Coins, Pontus, Paphlagonia, Bithynia and the Kingdom of Bosporus, Pontus p. 130), 3 var. (different magistrate). Magistrate unpublished for silver, but only known for contemporary gold staters of this type (RG 1). For magistrates’ names see BMC (Greek Coins, Pontus, Paphlagonia, Bithynia and the Kingdom of Bosporus, Index IV. B. p. 240) which includes the magistrate’s name Agnonides. Ob.: Laureate head of Apollo to right, KYA below neck Rev.: Prow of galley traveling on waterline to left, ornamented with star on stern. Magistrate’s name AΓNΩNIΔHΣ above. While researcing the attribution, I found this, which I find fascinating: Kios, a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea, also known as Cios and Chios (Greek: Kίος) was located at the head of the gulf Cianus Sinus in the Propontis (now known as the Sea of Marmara). "Chios Gum Mastic" also known as "Tears of Chios" is the dried resin of the mastic tree (pistacia lentiscus) which is in the same family as the pistachio. Although Pistacia species are widespread across the Mediterranean basin and the surrounding regions, mastiha (Greek: Μαστίχα) is produced only by the mastic trees grown on the southern part of Chios, where 24 villages (Mastichochoria in Greek) maintain today the region’s cultural heritage and participate in the resin’s production. These “tears” are piney-smelling, gummy mastic resin, which drips down from small slashes cut into the bark. Once wounded, the mastic trees release a sticky, gluey sap, which hardens into parchment-colored teardrops, then drop like small, fragrant pebbles to the ground, where harvesters collect them. Pistacia lentiscus has been harvested on the island Chios for more than 2500 years. Chewing these little resin pearls they become a white chewing gum that has a pine and cedar flavor. Its therapeutic properties have been known since Greek antiquity. There is now substantial evidence to suggest that mastiha demonstrates a plethora of favorable effects, mainly attributed to the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties of its components. https://www.sullacoins.com/post/tears-of-chios Picture courtesy CNG:
When I read the title, "the Tears of Cios", I first thought about the picture by Eugène Delacroix, "Scènes des massacres de Scio : familles grecques attendant la mort ou l'esclavage" ("Scenes of the Scio massacres: Greek families wainting for death or slavery"). It is in the Great Gallery of the Louvre Museum. In 1822, during the Greek independence war, the Turkish army committed a massacre against the civilian population in Chios. In Europe many were shocked, exactly like today when we hear of the war crimes committed in Ukraine or in Gaza. Like today, the artists wanted to alert the public opinion. Delacroix painted this picture.
I only have ONE coin from Bithynia. I captured it because of Mithra. Bithynia Kios 250 BCE AE11 1.06g Laureate hd Mithra r Kantharos 2 grape bunches hanging K-I below within a wreath SNG Cop 382
I captured this one because of the depiction of Mithras. Mithraism was a religion from the East that was practiced by the Roman Legions. When Constantine was deciding which religion he would embrace for the Empire, ultimately he chose Christianity. Ultimately, the Legions lost out on their Mithra practices. I always wondered how Mithraism, being so pervasive across the Empire, carried by the Legions, and the religion being strong in the Eastern Empire, how it did not have more coins depicting the religion. Perhaps because it was a very secretive, and fraternal type religion? when I found this coin, I jumped on it!
