Paphlagonia, Sinope under Mithradates VI Eupator

Sinope, Paphlagonia in Northern Anatolia is on the southern shores of the Black Sea and it is still a city today in modern Turkey see map. This coin was issued in Sinope during the reign of Mithridates VI of Pontus, aka Mithriadates the Great, during the first century BC. Mithridates VI was born in Sinope around 135 BC to Mithridates V and Laodice VI. His father was poisoned in Sinope in 120 BC.

Attributing this AE20 coin isn't too challenging - ΣINΩΠHΣ, Zeus and an eagle make it pretty easy. "Recueil General Monnais Greques D'Asie Mineur" has a variant of this coin as "Sinope 59" with an AE monogram, without symbol, one of 4 variants listed. Coryssa has 2 (of 61 coins for "paphlagonia sinope eagle") and ACSearch has 1 (of 131 coins found with "sinope zeus eagle") with this particular monogram, no symbol combination. Other varieties are easier to find.

In searching CT, I did not find this exact coin in previous threads, although there are similar coins and several of other threads on Sinope e.g. here and here. It appears to be from fairly fresh dies and very fine or better. This coin fit my current interest in the coins and politics of the Roman republic during the time of Sulla, as a coin from the reign and birth place of Mithridates, who battled with Sulla in the Mithridatic Wars. Machiavelli describes Rome's encounters with Mithridates as "her empire in Asia was for a moment shaken" in his "Art of War". Paphlagonia was one of the territories that Mithridates agreed to relinquish in his treaty with Sulla (see Plutarch Life of Sulla 22).

Paphlagonia, Sinope, under Mithradates VI of Pontus, Circa 85-65 BC, Æ
Size: 18.5mm, 7.97g
Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right
Rev: ΣINΩΠHΣ, Eagle standing left, head right, on thunderbolt; AE monogram to left
Ref: Rec.Gen. 59 AE monogram w/o symbol

There is an interesting article in History Today on the changing representation by and perspective of historians on Mithradates VI over the years, by Andrienne Mayor author of the Poison King.

Share any coins of Paphlagonia, Sinope, Mithridates VI or anything else that you find interesting or entertaining.

 

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This nice large Sinope coin dates from the later years of Mithradates of Pontus. It belonged to legendary CoinTalk member Stevex6.



Sinope, Paphlagonia, AE28 c. 85-65 BC. Obv. Helmeted head of Athena right. Rev. Perseus standing, holding harpa (hook sword) in his right, medusa head in his left. At his feet, Medusa’s body. SIN / OPES. 28 mm, 19.11 gr.

This one is older, my father-in-law bought it in 1975:



Sinope, Paphlagonia, AR drachm (Aeginetic standard), 410-350 BC. Obv. Head of nymph left. Rev. Eagle with dolphin in its claws in incuse. 18 mm, 6.14 gr. Hoover 389.

And this hemidrachm also has been in the family for a short half-century:



Sinope, Paphlagonia, AR hemidrachm, late 4th-early 3rd cent. Obv. Head of nymph left, hair in sakkos. Rev. Eagle facing, head left, wings displayed; ΠP monogram to upper right. 14/15 mm, 2.88 gr.

Really charming coins all, I find.

 

That’s a very nice head of Zeus on that one, @Sulla80.

My favorite from this city is about 400 years older. The Eagle head depicted on the obverse is wonderfully crude.


PAPHLAGONIA, Sinope
AR Drachm. 6.02g, 15.5x11.9mm. PAPHLAGONIA, Sinope, circa 480-450 BC. Sear Greek 3688; SNG Stancomb 750. O: Crude head of eagle left [with indication of beak and leg; dolphin left below]. R: Quadripartite incuse square with two opposing quarters filled and two stippled, one with raised pellet.

 

Lovely nymph heads - always a pleasure seeing them

On mine, the obverse is a bit off-center:
AR Drachm, Paphlagonia, Sinope, ca. 325-300 BC
18 x 19 mm, 5.231 g
Ref.: SNG BM Black Sea 1485; SNG Stancomb 773; Sear 3696

Ob.: Head of nymph Sinope left, hair in sakkos, wearing earing and necklace; aplustre in front, border of dots
Rev.: sea eagle left on dolphin. ΣΙNΩ below, name of magistrate ΔΙΟΝΥΣΙOΣ (Dionysios) between wings and tail

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Here's another of my Sinope coins from the late 5th century. I like it because it is a beautiful coin from the early days of the Greek colony. And it has some substance, being a drachm, it's not a tiny splint like my other early Greeks.



What I also like is that the head of the sea eagle coincides more or less with the form of the coin, even the notch is in the place of the beak. This way it becomes a little sculpture!

AR drachm Sinope. 425-410 BC. Obv. Head of sea-eagle left; below, dolphin to left; test cut in the eagle’s beak. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square with two opposing quarters filled; Θ. 14-15 mm, 5.86 gr. Hoover 388.