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AMAZINGLY WELL-PRESERVED GREEK THRACIAN PRANCING
LION COIN RING
IN
14KY GOLD
480 - 350 B.C.
Of all the issues of
this coin we have ever seen, this example ranks as THE FINEST in every
way! The prancing lion is so exquisitely detailed, you can
even see the sharp outstretched claws!!! This is an
AUTHENTIC ancient Greek Thracian silver half drachm
from the Thracian
Chersonese. The detail of the coin is immaculate and extremely
rare in this grade. Furthermore, most often, the lion is struck
well off-center thereby ruining the appearance of the coin. Here,
this is not the case - the prancing lion is perfectly centered!
Detail of the windswept mane, underside hair and menacing, open-mouthed
grimace really make for a stunning presentation as a subject of this
handsome ring. The ring is cast in 14K yellow gold and features an
ancient theme in its design to fully compliment the original ancient art
of the coin. This remarkable piece is full of personality and is
perfect for either a man or woman. This ring is ready to ship and
is sized to a 6.5. For the most accurate custom fit, any
modifications must be made by a local jeweler should this not be a
suitable size for the wearer. A one-of-a-kind masterpiece of
modern jewelry craftsmanship and authentic ancient Greek art.
The Thracian Chersonese was the
ancient name of the Gallipoli peninsula, in the part of historic Thrace
that is now part of modern Turkey. The peninsula runs in a
south-westerly direction into the Aegean Sea, between the Hellespont
(now known as the Dardanelles) and the bay of Melas (today Saros bay).
The Thracian Chersonese was originally inhabited by Thracians. Settlers
from Ancient Greece, mainly of Ionian and Aeolian stock, founded about
12 cities on the peninsula in the 7th century BC. 4 The Athenian
statesman Miltiades the Elder founded a major Athenian colony there
around 560 BC. He took authority over the entire peninsula, building up
its defences against incursions from the mainland. It eventually passed
to his nephew, the more famous Miltiades the Younger, around 524 BC. The
peninsula was abandoned to the Persians in 493 BC after the outbreak of
the Greco-Persian Wars (499–478 BC).
The Persians were eventually expelled, after which the peninsula was for
a time ruled over by Athens, which enrolled it into the Delian League in
478 BC. The Athenians established a number of cleruchies on the Thracian
Chersonese and sent an additional 1,000 settlers around 448 BC. Sparta
gained control between 431 BC-404 BC, but the peninsula subsequently
reverted to the Athenians. In the 4th century BC, the Thracian
Chersonese became the focus of a bitter territorial dispute between
Athens and Macedon, whose king Philip II sought possession. It was
eventually ceded to Philip in 338 BC.
After the death of Philip's son Alexander the Great in 323 BC, the
Thracian Chersonese became the object of contention among Alexander's
successors. In 196 BC, the Seleucid king Antiochus III seized the
peninsula. This alarmed the Greeks and prompted them to seek the aid of
the Romans, who conquered the Thracian Chersonese, which they gave to
their ally Eumenes II of Pergamon in 188 BC. At the extinction of the
Attalid dynasty in 133 BC it passed again to the Romans, who from 129 BC
administered it in the Roman province of Asia. It was subsequently made
a state-owned territory (ager publicus) and during the reign of the
emperor Caesar Augustus it was imperial property.
The Thracian Chersonese subsequently passed to the Byzantine Empire,
which ruled it until the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century
AD. In 1356 the peninsula became the first part of Europe to fall to the
Ottomans, who subsequently made it a major base for raids and incursions
into territories further afield.
Overall diameter
of ring top face is 16 mm.
CRG001
SOLD
COMES WITH A
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY / HISTORY SHEET
*** shipped
in size 6.5 - any needed resizing
must be done by your local jeweler for the best custom fit
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