Greek Thrace, Apollonia Pontica AR Drachm Late 5th-4th Centuries BC - NGC VF
- Grading Service: (NGC) Numismatic Guaranty Corporation Ancients
- Grade: (VF) Very Fine
- Certification: 2078802-143
- Composition: AR - Argentum (Silver)
- Denomination: Drachm
Apollonia Pontica
From the 8th to the 6th Centuries B.C. the Greeks expanded their influence by founding colonies throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. One region that lured Greek colonists was the Black Sea, which offered great possibilities for acquiring valuable trade goods ranging from grain and fish to gold and amber.
The City of Apollonia Pontica was founded in the western shore of the Black Sea sometime between 620 and 600 B.C. Soon a vigorous business was conducted there because of its ideal location for both maritime and inland trade. Some two centuries later it had amassed such wealth that it commissioned the Greek artist Kalamis to sculpt a large bronze statue of their patron god Apollo, which remained in place until 72 B.C., when it was taken by the Romans as war booty.
This silver drachm of Apollonia Pontica was struck at the height of the city's prosperity - sometime between the late 5th and the late 4th Centuries B.C. The designs reflect the city's commercial wealth and maritime power. The mythical gorgon was a popular device thought to ward off evil, and the anchor and crayfish attest to the city's success in maritime.