THRACE, Maroneia
AE27. 13.74g, 26.6mm
MINTED: THRACE, Maroneia, circa after 146 BC
REF: SNG Copenhagen 643; Sear Greek 1638
OBVERSE: Head of young Dionysos right, wearing band across forehead, and ivy wreath.
REVERSE: ∆ΙΟΝΙΣΟΥ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΜΑΡΩΝΙΤΩΝ, Dionysos standing left, nude but for chlamys on left arm, bunch of grapes in right hand, two stalks of narthex in left hand; monogram in inner left field.
 
Grade/Notes:
Almost Fine. Glossy green patina with patches of red; roughness, particularly on the reverse. Nice hefty Greek bronze. 
 
Historical Notes:
Maroneia was a port city in western Thrace that was known best for its wine production.  Maroneian wine was famous throughout the Mediterranean for its quality, and its residents appropriately worshipped Dionysos, the Greek god of grape harvests and winemaking.  In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus plundered the city, but spared its king, Maron, who was the son of Dionysos.  In return, Maron gave Odysseus some Maroneian wine, which he later used when he was captured by the cyclops Polyphemus to get the one-eyed giant drunk, after which he blinded the cyclops and escaped.