BITHYNIA, Kios
AE14. 2.37g, 14.3mm
MINTED: BITHYNIA, Kios, circa 330-300 BC
REF: HGC 7, 559
OBVERSE: Head of Mithra (?) in laureate Phrygian cap.
REVERSE: K-I, Kantharos from which issue grape vines, all within grain wreath.
 
Notes:
Dark brown patina with green deposits in field highlighting details. 
 
Historical Notes:
The ancient city of Kios was founded in the 7th century BC in Bithynia, an ancient region in northwest Anatolia (modern day Turkey). It was originally a colony of Milteos, and it thrived as a trade center due to its strategic position on the trade routes between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. It was conquered by the Persians in the 6th century BC and later flourished under Roman rule in the 1st century BC when public baths, temples, and other monuments were constructed. Kios remained an important commercial city in the region until the 7th century AD when it went into decline following Byzantine-Sassanid Wars and Slavic invasions.