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Drachm
| Issuer | Sinope (Paphlagonia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 410 BC - 350 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | An eagle, wings spread and slightly raised, stands in profile to the left atop the back of a dolphin also oriented to the left, the dolphin's body arching beneath the bird's talons. The eagle's plumage is rendered with fine incised detail, and its beak is open. To the right of the eagle's legs appears the monogram or control mark theta (Θ). The ethnic legend ΣΙΝΩ is inscribed in Greek characters along the lower exergual area, partially visible as ΣΙΝΩ, identifying the issuing city of Sinope. |
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| Reverse lettering | Θ ΣΙΝΩ |
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| Additional information |
Sinope dominated Black Sea trade for centuries, functioning as the primary entrepôt between the Greek world and the interior of Anatolia and the Pontic steppe. Its coinage circulated among merchants dealing in slaves, dried fish, timber, and iron — commodities the city controlled through geographic advantage rather than military force. The magistrate names appearing on these drachms are among the few surviving records of Sinopean civic administration from this period.
The city was famously the birthplace of Diogenes the Cynic, whose father Hicesias allegedly debased the local coinage — an incident that led to the family's exile around 360 BC, squarely within this type's production window.