$ 860.00 USD Size Guide
Please Note: This is an authentic Ancient Greek Treasure Coin, and you will receive the exact pendant in the photographs and description.
Histiaia (now, present-day Oreus) is a town on the north coast of Euboea, the second largest of the Greek islands after Crete. Sitting on the river Callas, with the sea surrounding, ancient Histiaia was a strategic seaport and vibrant trade center. It is no wonder the patron deity of this legendary land was the Nymph Histiaia, for which the town was named.
Nyphs in ancient Greece were not goddesses, but rather personifications of nature – a human form, in this case a lovely young maiden, who represented the natural elements of fresh water trees, mountains or the sea. Histiaia, like most Nymphs, was a local nature deity, that while not immortal, lived long beyond a human lifespan, and frequented the outskirts of Histiaia to be glimpsed dancing, bathing or riding the wind by lonely human travelers who would spread the tale of the sighting far and wide.
April's Notes: Greek coins are tiny works of art in their own right - and the Tetrobols of Histiaia speak to the art and myth of Ancient Greece. This coin has a finely detailed portrait with the wreath and even the jewelry clearly visible - and on the reverse you wee the sails of the galley!
Histiaia was beloved by the people of her namesake town, and belief in her would persist until the 12th century. Nymphs like Histiaia are immortalized in literature, art and mythology, and are the great-great grandmothers of European fairies and elves.
Here, in this shinning silver tetrobol dated from 340 – 146 BC, Histiaia is again immortalized in another work of art – an Ancient Greek coin with her portrait on one side, and sitting in a galley ready for sail on the other.
