Summary Overview and iconography Weight analysis Attribution

Summary

Two types of obols are known with a bust of Athena facing three quarters to the right and wearing a triple-crested helmet on the obverse and a facing female head on the reverse. Coins of one of these two types bear the inscription ΠΟΣΙΔHIΣ on the reverse. Fred B. Shore (Shore 2005) hypothesized that these coins come from the mint of the otherwise unknown city of Posidium in Cilicia Trachea. Although this possibility cannot be completely ruled out, the existence of this mint is inconclusive. It is also not certain that both types come from the same mint. For these reasons, these coin types are not (at least for now) included in this catalogue of the pre-Hellenistic coinage of Cilicia Trachea.

Overview and iconography

The following two types of obols were first published by Fred B. Shore (Shore 2005, Type 1) and John R. Mixter (Mixter 2003, Type 2):

Type 1 (Figures 1–2)
Obverse:	Bust of Athena facing three-quarters right, wearing triple-crested helmet and pearl necklace; in the right field, either pileus above shield in profile or only shield in profile itself; dotted border.
Reverse:	Facing female head with long hair (or headdress?) reaching to her shoulders, wearing pearl necklace; in the right and top field, ΠΟΣΙΔHIΣ or ΠΟΣΙΔHI–Σ.
Remark:	Both Mixter 2003 and Shore 2005 state that the female head on the reverse has a long headdress, which is possible, but an elegant hairstyle cannot be ruled out either.

Type 2 (Figure 3)
Obverse:	Draped (?) bust of Athena facing three-quarters right, wearing triple-crested helmet; dotted (?) border.
Reverse:	Draped bust of female with long hair (or headdress?) reaching to her shoulders facing front or slightly right, wearing cap (?) and wire necklace.
Remark:	Some details cannot be reliably determined based on known specimens:
	•	Athena may be wearing a necklace on some specimens (see Figure 3);
	•	Mixter 2003 states that Athena has a pendant earring, which cannot be ruled out;
	•	the border on the obverse is evident in the specimen in Figure 1 in Shore 2005 (no. 16 in Table 1 below), but it is not entirely clear whether it is a dotted or solid border;
	•	Mixter 2003 describes the female’s head covering on the reverse as “a beaded headdress and a plain, solid, circular device or medallion on top of head” and assumes this to be a solar, lunar or planetary disk, but a Phrygian-style cap is more likely;
	•	on the coin published in Mixter 2003, the female head on the reverse is shown frontally, but on other specimens it appears to be facing slightly to the right;
	•	both Mixter 2003 and Shore 2005 state that the female head on the reverse has a long headdress, which is possible, but an elegant hairstyle cannot be ruled out either..

Figure 1. Type 1 – shield in the obverse right field, ΠΟΣΙΔHI–Σ on the reverse.

Figure 2. Type 1 – pileus above shield in the obverse right field, ΠΟΣΙΔHIΣ on the reverse.

Figure 3. Type 2 – female head on the reverse facing slightly to the right.

An overview of known specimens of both types (without claim to be complete) is given in Table 1.

Type	No.	Reference	Weight
1	1	Leu Numismatik, Web Auction 34 (5–6 July 2025), Lot 743. Ex Collection of Judge Hans-Joachim Specht (1935-2024). (diameter 10 mm, die axis 12 h)	0.64 g
	2	Leu Numismatik, Web Auction 17 (14 August 2021), Lot 1206 (acsearch.info URL). (diameter 11 mm, die axis 6 h)	0.67 g
	3	Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 131 (18 January 2006), Lot 91 (acsearch.info URL) = Shore 2005, Figure 2 (this coin). (diameter 10 mm)	0.69 g
	4	Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 146 (23 August 2006), Lot 68 (acsearch.info URL) . (diameter 10 mm)	0.70 g
	5	Classical Numismatic Group, Mail Bid Sale 70 (21 September 2005), Lot 332 (acsearch.info URL) = Shore 2005, Figure 3 (this coin). (die axis 1 h)	0.71 g
	6	Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 132 (1 February 2006), Lot 51 (acsearch.info URL) . (diameter 10 mm)	0.71 g
	7	Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger, E-Auction 8 (19 January 2019), Lot 115 (acsearch.info URL).	0.73 g
	8	Leu Numismatik, Web Auction 14 (12 December 2020), Lot 481 (acsearch.info URL). (diameter 12 mm, die axis 12 h)	0.73 g
	9	Leu Numismatik, Web Auction 15 (27 February 2021), Lot 629 (acsearch.info URL). (diameter 10 mm, die axis 9 h)	0.76 g
	10	Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 402 (14 March 2024), Lot 459 (acsearch.info URL). Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 164 (9 May 2007), Lot 86 (acsearch.info URL). (diameter 10 mm)	0.77 g
	11	Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 113 (11 May 2005), Lot 456 (acsearch.info URL). * The group lot of eight specimens of this type without specifying their weight.	—*
	12	Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 113 (11 May 2005), Lot 457 (acsearch.info URL). * The group lot of three different silver fractions without specifying their weight.	—*
2	13	Sol Numismatik, Auction 39 (11 January 2025), Lot 45 (acsearch.info URL). Ex Sol Numismatik, Auction 37 (7 December 2024), Lot 2 (acsearch.info URL).	0.57 g
	14	Mixter 2003 (diameter 10 mm, die axis 12 h)	0.58 g
	15	Roma Numismatics Limited, Auction 25 (22 September 2022), Lot 447 (acsearch.info URL). Ex DEMOS Auctions, Auction 7 (29 January 2022), Lot 256 (acsearch.info URL). (diameter 10 mm, die axis 12 h)	0.60 g
	16	Shore 2005, Figure 1	0.61 g
	17	Biga Numismatics, Online Auction 7 (4 December 2021), Lot 287 (acsearch.info URL).	0.65 g

Table 1. Known specimens.

The bust of Athena wearing a triple-crested helmet appears on the obverse of various Cilician coins, but on all of them she is always facing three-quarters left (with the possible exception of the obol SNG Levante, 253):

staters:	reverse:	Baal of Tarsos seated left
	mints:	Issos, Mallos, Soloi, Tarsos and uncertain mints
	references:	SNG France 2, 196–8, 367–71, 410–13, 419–20, 489; SNG Levante, 52–3, 116–18, 120–1, 169–71, 178–80; SNG Levante Supp., 21
staters:	reverse:	Head of young Herakles (?) left or right
	mint:	Issos
	references:	Brindley 1993, Group 6; SNG France 2, 414
obols:	reverse:	Boeotian shield
	mint:	Tarsos
	references:	SNG France 2, 476; SNG Levante, 119
obols:	reverse:	Head of young Herakles (?) left or right
	mint:	probably Issos
	references:	Brindley 1993, note 24 on p. 9; several specimens on the market, e.g. Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 148 (20 September 2006), Lot 217 (acsearch.info URL)
obols:	Reverse:	Persian king standing right
	Mint:	uncertain
	References:	SNG France 2, 475
obols:	Reverse:	Gorgoneion
	Mint:	uncertain
	References:	SNG France 2, 478
obols:	Reverse:	Pegasus right
	Mint:	uncertain
	References:	SNG Levante, 253 (?); Triskeles Auctions, Sale 22 (15 December 2017), Lot 139 (acsearch.info URL); Roma Numismatics Limited, E-Sale 119 (24 April 2024), Lot 786 (acsearch.info URL)
	Remark:	On coin no. 253 in SNG Levante, Athena is facing slightly to the right, but it is uncertain whether this is actually the head of Athena with a triple-crested helmet.
hemiobols:	Reverse:	forepart of Pegasus right
	Mint:	uncertain
	References:	Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 235 (23 June 2010), Lot 226 (acsearch.info URL); Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 390 (1 February 2017), Lot 180 (acsearch.info URL)

The female head facing forward on the reverse with such long hair or headdress reaching to the shoulders is without parallel in Cilicia and the surrounding regions. Only the female head on the obverse (?) of a tetartemorion probably from Samaria or Philistia comes remotely close to it (Figure 4):

Obverse:	Facing female head with long hair (or headdress?), wearing kalathos.
Reverse:	Forepart of winged horse right.
Reference:	Classical Numismatic Group, Mail Bid Sale 73 (13 September 2006), Lot 472 (acsearch.info URL) Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Mail Bid Sale 63 (21 May 2003), Lot 788 (acsearch.info URL)
Remarks:	(1)	Weight and die axis: 0.16 g, 5 h.
	(2)	Not published in Meshorer & Qedar 1999 and Gitler & Tal 2006.

Figure 4. AR Tetartemorion, Samaria or Philistia (?), c. 375–333 BC. Photo credit: Classical Numismatic Group, Mail Bid Sale 73 (13 September 2006), Lot 472 (acsearch.info URL)

Weight analysis

Basic descriptive statistics and box plots1 are presented in Table 2 and Figure 5, respectively. The number of analyzed coins of Type 1 is 10 due to the omission of coins without known weight. Figure 6 presents the relative frequency histograms. The bars represent the relative frequencies in both groups ranging from 0.55 to 0.80 g in increments of 0.05 g. Cumulative distributions are shown in Figure 7.

The average weight of Type 2 coins is 0.09 g less than the average weight of Type 1 coins. The weights of coins of both types are almost separate, as the heaviest Type 2 coin weighs 0.65 g, while the lightest Type 1 coin weighs 0.64 g. The lower weight of Type 2 is also confirmed by the one-sided Welch’s t-test2, which rejects the null hypothesis that the mean weight of Type 1 is equal to the mean weight of Type 2 against the alternative that the mean weight of Type 1 is higher than the mean weight of Type 2 (p-value less than 0.001). In addition, the two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test rejects the hypothesis of the equality of the weight distributions of these two types (p-value equal to 0.003).

However, this difference in weight does not exclude the possibility that both coin types come from the same mint. In fact, similar differences can be observed for individual phases of obol minting at the Kelenderis and Nagidos mints, see Sections Weight Analyses / Kelenderis / Obols and Weight Analyses / Nagidos / Silver fractions.

Statistics	Type 1	Type 2
Number of coins:	10	5
Mean:	0.71	0.60
Standard deviation:	0.04	0.03
Interquartile range:	0.04	0.04
Skewness:	-0.19	0.63
Kurtosis:	2.41	2.19
Minimum:	0.64	0.57
25th percentile:	0.69	0.58
Median:	0.71	0.60
75th percentile:	0.73	0.62
Maximum:	0.77	0.65

Table 2: Descriptive statistics

Figure 5. Weight analysis – box plots.

Figure 6. Weight analysis – relative frequency histograms.

Figure 7. Weight analysis – cumulative distributions.

Attribution

Fred B. Shore (Shore 2005) concluded, based on the similarity of both types, that both types were minted at the same mint, and based on the inscription on the Type 1 coins, assigned them to the otherwise unattested city of Posidium in Cilicia Trachea. John R. Mixter (Mixter 2003), who was not yet familiar with Type 1 coins, considered Tarsos the most likely place of origin for Type 2 coins.

Both coin types depict the same themes on the obverse and reverse. They are also united by Athena facing three-quarters right, which distinguishes them from other Cilician coins, as shown above. However, there are also three differences. First, Type 1 has an inscription on the reverse and additional symbols on the obverse, while Type 2 is anepigraphic and without additional symbols. Second, the artistic style of Type 2 is of a higher standard than that of Type 1, see Figures 1–3. Third, Type 2 coins are generally lighter than Type 1 coins, as shown above. Taking all these facts into account, it is therefore possible, but not certain, that both coin types originate from the same mint, with Type 1 preceding Type 2 in terms of relative chronology.

The identification of this mint is problematic, however. On the two specimens of Type 1 that Shore had at his disposal, only the initial parts of the inscription on the reverse are present, namely ΠΟΣΙΔ[…] and ΠΟΣ[…]. He therefore believed that the inscription was derived from the god Poseidon. Since Poseidon is not depicted on these coins, he concluded that the inscription represented a city ethnic. There were a number of cities whose name was derived from the god Poseidon, but based on the style and manufacture, only Cilicia or its surroundings come into consideration. This leaves two candidates, namely Posideion in Syria3 or city of the same name in Cilicia Trachea. No Cilician city of that name is attested, but the Stadiasmus Maris Magni mentions Cape Poseidion, located between the cities of Kelenderis and Anemourion, where a settlement with that name may have been located.4 Based on the similarity with the depiction of Athena on various Cilician coins, Shore ruled out Posideion in Syria and concluded that these coins prove the existence of a city Posideion (Posidium) in Cilicia Trachea.

The inscription ΠΟΣΙΔHIΣ is probably a dialectal variant of a name related to the god Poseidon, but it is a highly unusual form of such a theophoric name. It may refer to the name of a city or tribe, but it may also be a local form of a personal name „Ποσιδής“ (Posidēs). The possibility of a personal name is also supported by the fact that neither Poseidon nor any of his attributes are depicted on these coins. An example of a similar personal name is an issue from Maroneia in Thrace, which bears the inscription ΕΠΙ ΠΟΣΙΔΗΙΟ (“under Posidēios”, i.e. “during the magistracy of Posidēios”) on the reverse, see Figure 8. The possibility that the above-mentioned Types 1 and 2 were minted by some smaller city called Posidium in Cilicia Trachea therefore appears inconclusive, although it cannot be completely ruled out.

Figure 8. Thrace. Maroneia, AR stater, c. 436/5–411/0 BC. SNG Lockett 3, 1193. Photo credit: Nomos AG, Auction 27 (22 May 2023), Lot 1056 (acsearch.info URL).