Dear Friends of ancient mythology! Here I want to share the local myth of Kyzikos, the unlucky king. The Coin: Mysia, Kyzikos, quasi-autonomous, 2nd-3rd century AD AE 29, 8.3g, 29.27mm, 180° struck under strategos Aur. Aristeidos obv. KYZ - IKOC Head of Kyzikos, diademed with taenia, r. rev. CTP A / [YP AP]IC / TEΔOY / KYZIKH / NΩN (legend in 5 lines, all within laurel-wreath) ref. SNG Copenhagen 91 var. (legend in 6 lines) Very rare, VF/about VF, dark-green patina Note: In Münsterberg is named a strategos Aur. Aristaidoas. May be he is the same magistrate named in the legend of this coin. Mythology: The myth of Kyzikos belongs to the ambit of the myths around the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. Kyzikos, son of Aineus, a former ally of Herakles, and his wife Ainete, daughter of Eusor (or son of Apollo and Stilbe), was the king of an island of the Propontis (todays Sea of Marmara), called Dolionos or Arkton, which was surmounted by the Dindymon mountain. When the Argonauts on their journey to Kolchis, where they want to get the Golden Fleece, had luckily passed the Hellespont, they came to this island. Here Kyzikos just have married Kleite from the Phrygian city of Perkote and invited all to take part in his wedding ceremonies. And so they did. On this Island, called Island of Bears too, giants, six-arm sons of Rhea were living. The Doliones hadn't worry about them because they were descendants of Poseidon. But when the Argonauts hereafter climbed the mountain Dindymon the earth-born giants attacked their ship, the 'Argo'. But Herakles succeeded in killing most of them. With it the desaster started which the Argonauts brought to the Doliones. The Argonauts said good bye and took course to the Cimmerian Bosporos. But in the night a heavy storm descended on them and they were thrown back to the island. Because of the darkness Kyzikos couldn't recognize his guests and regarded them as his enemies, the Pelasgians, and a serious fight occured between them. In this fight Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, killed Kyzikos by his own hand, regarding him a pirate. When the sun raised the noble King Kyzikos lay dead at his feet. Both sides realized their terrible error, and Jason arranged a honorable funeral and gave the reign to Kyzikos' sons. It is told by some that in mourning all of the Argonauts have cut their hair. The burial ceremonies lastened three days and Orpheus, an Argonaut too, was assigned to reconcile Kyzikos' soul. But adverse winds prevent them of driving on. Then the seer Mopsus could understand the cry of a kingfisher and gave them the advise to reconcile Rhea, who was angry because of the death of her sons. So the Argonauts climbed the Dindymon mountain again and erected a wooden statue from a grape-vine for the goddess. Therefore Rhea is sometimes called Dindymene. Then they continued their journey. Another version of the myth tells, that Kyzikos was a king of the Pelasgians in Thrace, was dispelled with his people from his home and then settled in Asia where he married Kleite, the daughter of Merops, king of Rhybakos, and so came to success. When the Argonauts landed at his island his people had attacked them because they regarded them as their enemies who had dispelled them from Thrace. Kyzikos has tried to detach them and then was killed accidentally by Jason. Kleite, just married, couldn't bear that and of love to Kyzikos she committed suicide by hanging. The Nymphs of the grove had cried hereafter so heavenly about her death that from their tears a spring arised called the Kleite Spring. Others tell that he was killed in a fight with Piasos, his father-in-law, who had loved his daughter, the wife of Kyzikos, unseemly, when because of that it came to a struggle between them. But this seems to be another myth going back to Euphorion and mentioned by Schol. Apoll. Rhod. I, 1063. In another version of the journey of the Argonauts Valerius Flaccus (Argonautika 3.20) writes that Rhea, the Great Mother who has a cult at top of the Dindymon mountain was offended by King Kyzikos, so that she forced the Argonauts to revenge her. Kyzikos namely, betrayed by his too great love of the chase, once have killed a sacred lion with his spear that was wont to bear its mistress, the Great Mother through the cities of Phrygia and was now returning to the bridle. And now in his hybris has hung from his doorposts the mane and the head of his victim, a spoil to bring sorrow to himself and shame upon the goddess. But she, nursing her great rage, beholds from the cymbal-clashing mountain the ship of the Argonauts with its border of kingly shields, and devises against the hero deaths and horrors unheard of: how in the night to set allied hands at strife in unnatural war, how to enmesh the city in cruel terror. The Argonauts killed Kyzikos and his men at night in a confused battle. The Doliones mourned for a full month, didn't lightened a fire and lived by uncooked food, a custom which could be observed during the Games of Kyzikos until now. Some call his subjects Dolopes. In any case the island thereafter got the name Kyzikos and so the capital too. Later the island became a peninsula called Arktonesos (= Island of Bears). The city of Kyzikos had two harbours connected by bridged channels. Under Roman rule Kyzikos remained one of the most wealthy and powerful cities in Asia Minor, especially by its location which brought forward the trade. Until the 6th century AD it was the capital of the province Hellespont. Sources: (1) Orpheus Argon. 500 (2) Hygin. Fab. 16 (3) Apollod. lib.I, c.9.§18 (4) Euphorion II.c (5) Strabo lib.XII.p.575 (6) Val. Flacc.Argon. 3.20 (7) Schol. Apollon. ad lib.I.v.948 Literature: (1) Benjamin Hederich, Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon (2) Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher, Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie (3) Robert von Ranke-Graves, Griechische Mythologie (4) Karl Kerenyi, Die Mythologie der Griechen - Die Heroengeschichten (5) Der kleine Pauly Sorry, I couldn't find any additional pics for this myth! Kyzikos today is Baliz near Erdek/Turkey. I have added a photo of Erdek (Wikipedia). Best regards
Thanks for the interesting writeup... I'd never come across that particular myth before. Here's a Kyzikos bronze, overstruck on an earlier issue of the city. MYSIA, Kyzikos AE29, overstruck on earlier issue of Kyzikos (Kore/Tripod or Kore/Wreath). 14.43g, 29.3mm. MYSIA, Kyzikos, circa 3rd century BC. SNG France 438; SNG von Aulock 1231. O: Prow right. R: K-Y / Z-I, bucranium facing within wreath.
Another coin from Kyzikos: Mysia, Kyzikos, pseudo-autonomous, SNG Paris 596 AE 17, 4.13g, 18.07mm, 225° struck c. AD 170-190 (late Antoninian time) obv. (anepigraphic) head of Kore Soteira, with grain wreath, r. rev. KVZIK - HNΩN Jar with two handles ref. von Fritze, KK 26, 30; SNG Paris 596 rare, about VF, good style Pedigree: ex coll. J.-P. Righetti In Kyzikos Persephone was worshipped as Kore Soteira (= Saviour). Best regards
Thanks for the fun read. MYSIA. Kyzikos. AR Obol ca. 450-400 B.C. 0.85 grams, 11 mm Obv: Forepart of razor-back boar left, tunny upward behind Rev: Head of roaring lion facing left within incuse square Grade: gEF fully struck, Almost mint on porosity-free, choice flan. All lion & boar details present w/ partial tunny Other: Similar to Sear 3848 but w/o K; Von Fritze II 9; SNG France 361-72; SNG von Aulock 1213; SNG Kayhan 54. From Barry Murphy May 2013.
Excellent read. Thank you so much for sharing ! Also Soteira from Kyzikos: AE18, 2nd century BC 18 mm, 4.90 g; Ref.: Von Fritze III, 24; SNG von Aulock 7353; Sear 3864; SNG Copenhagen 71 The standard reference for Kyzikos is H. Von Fritze, “Die autonome Kupferprägung von Kyzikus”, in Nomisma X (1917): https://www.archive.org/stream/bub_gb_I ... 1/mode/2up Obv.: Head of Kore Soteira, savior goddess, to r. wearing wreath of grain Rev.: ΚY / PE monogram / ZΙ within oak wreath; monogram Ξ under the wreath On the reverse, in the middle (2nd line) of this type of coins, but not on all of them, there is a monogram. On this coin the monogram is PE, with the P inverted. In exergue, under the wreath there is frequently another monogram or a letter, which represents the magistrate responsible for the minting of these coins. On some coins there is the magistrate name completely written out. Usually these monograms cannot be solved and it is not known who the magistrates were.
