Paphlagonia, Sinope AR Hemidrahcm

Another nice Greek to share

Paphlagonia, Sinope (Northern Turkey on the black sea)
AR Hemidrahcm (13mm, 2.97g)
4th century BC
Head of nymph Sinope left
Sea eagle facing, wings spread, ΣΙ-ΝΩ across, monogram to right
SNG BMC 1495




Founded in the 7th century BC, Sinope was a major trading port in Asia Minor, and is still populated today. The city's namesake was Sinope, a nymph who according to Greek mythology was a trickster who would seduce the gods, but offered anything her heart desired, would always wish to remain chaste forever.

Sinope was the birthplace of the philosophical school of cynicism (this coin being made during the lifetime of Diogenes), and variously changed hands from the Hittites to the Greeks to the Persians, back to the Greeks, then to the Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, and then the Ottomans/Turkey.

It's a nice specimen with a good heft to it, being made to a heavy drachm weight standard. It hurts my head to try to figure out how the eagle's wings are supposed to be arranged, however.