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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Roman Collector, post: 3936931, member: 75937&quot;]The mythical account of Troas (modern northwestern Turkey) is briefly as follows. Teucer, the first king of the Troad, had a daughter who married Dardanus, the chieftain of Dardania, to the northeast of the Troad. The union produced two sons, Ilus and Erichthonius. Erichthonius was, in turn, the father of Tros, from whom the country and people were named Troas and Troes, respectively. Tros had a son, Ilus (apparently named after his uncle), who founded a city known as Ilium or Troy, after Ilus and Tros, and thus became its first king. After him ruled Laomedon, and after him, Priam of Homeric fame.[1]</p><p><br /></p><p>The city Alexandria was founded ca. 310 BCE by Antigonus, and was settled by colonists from Cebren, Colone, Hamaxitus, Neandrea, and Scepsis. At first, the city was called Antigoneia, but renamed Alexandria about 300 BCE in memory of Alexander the Great.[2]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1037787[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Alexandria Troas lies on the Mediterranean coast of the Troad, north of the Gulf of Adramyttium.[3]</font></p><p><br /></p><p>In the time of Augustus, Alexandria became a <i>Colonia</i>, and was a significant port for traveling between Anatolia and Europe.[4] According to the account in <i>The Acts of the Apostles</i>, Paul of Tarsus sailed to and from Europe for the first time from Alexandria Troas.[5] Ignatius of Antioch also traveled through this city before continuing to Rome, where he was subsequently executed.[6]</p><p><br /></p><p>Its colonial bronze coinage extends from the period of Commodus to Gallienus. Reverse types principally deal with the cult of Apollo Smintheus, but also include the <i>Lupa Romana</i>, the <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/this-coin-depicts-a-long-lost-but-infamous-statue-in-the-forum.299130" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/this-coin-depicts-a-long-lost-but-infamous-statue-in-the-forum.299130">statue of Marsyas in the Roman Forum</a>, an eagle standing on the head and neck of a bull, and a horse feeding. See <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-trio-from-troas.339008/#post-3524647" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-trio-from-troas.339008/#post-3524647">this thread</a> for examples from my collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>The horse type is a personal favorite. The grazing horse type first appears on autonomous issues as far back as ca. 300 BCE.[7] This motif reappears on Roman provincial issues and is quite commonly encountered on coins issued during the reigns of Valerian and Gallienus, on the coins bearing the portrait of those emperors as well as on the anonymous issues depicting the bust of Tyche. The reverse type is thought to represent one of the horses of Erichthonius, father of Tros, discussed above.[8]</p><p><br /></p><p>Post your coins of Alexandria Troas!</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/valerian-i-alexandria-troas-jpg.1030806/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Valerian I, AD 253-260,</p><p>Roman provincial AE 19 mm, 4.83 g, 7 h.</p><p>Troas, Alexandria Troas, AD 253-260.</p><p>Obv: IMP LICINI VALERIANV, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.</p><p>Rev: COL AVG TRO, horse feeding, right.</p><p>Refs: BMC 17.29, 159; cf: Bellinger A 436, SNG von Aulock 7573, SNG Copenhagen 191, Mionnet Suppl. V 313-314 (variations of inscriptions).</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/alexandria-troas-horse-grazing-jpg.936240/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Time of Valerian I to Gallienus, AD 253-268.</p><p>Roman provincial Æ 20.1 mm, 4.49 g, 1 h.</p><p>Troas, Alexandria Troas, AD 253-268.</p><p>Obv: CO-L TROAD, turreted and draped bust of Tyche, right, with vexillium inscribed AV/CO over shoulder.</p><p>Rev: COL AVG, Horse grazing right, TRO in exergue.</p><p>Refs: Bellinger A486; SNG Copenhagen 108-113; SNG von Aulock 1466; SNG Tübingen 2533; BMC 48 var.</p><p><br /></p><p>~~~</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Smith, William. <i>A Classical Dictionary of Biography, Mythology, and Geography.</i> London, Murray and Walton, 1868, p. 791.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Wroth, Warwick. <i>A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum: Troas, Aeolis and Lesbos.</i> London, Gilbert and Rivington, 1894, p. xiv.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Shepherd, William. <i>Historical Atlas</i>. New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1911, p. 9. Available online <a href="https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/history_shepherd_1911.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/history_shepherd_1911.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Wroth, <i>op. cit.</i>, pp. xv-xvi.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. <i>Acts</i> 16:8-11 and 20:5-12.</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Ignatius of Antioch. <i>Ad Philad.</i> 11:2; <i>Ad Smyrn.</i> 12:1.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Wroth, <i>op. cit.</i>, p. xviii; pl. iv, 10-11.</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Ibid, p. xviii, citing M. C. Cavedoni (<i>Spicil. Num.</i>, p. 151).[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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