Prancing Horses Coin Pendant

Description

Maron was a priest of Apollo who encountered Ulysses in the Odyssey. He was honored by his name being given to an area lying on the northern coast of Greece, Maroneia. Bordering the Aegean Sea, it was an ancient city in the province of Thrace, edged on teh west by Macedonia and the waterways connecting the Aegean with the Baltic Sea. The “Prancing Horses” featured on many coins from thrace reflect teh importance of horse breeding to the area.

Maroneia, itself, produced the renowned wines represented by the grape vines on the obverse of the coins. In addition, minerals, agricultural products, gold and silver found their way onto the many Greek galleys that visited Thrace. These “bronze” coins, actually, made with a brass alloy, were amongst the earliest minted in the Greek Empire. They continued as a prominent currency until Philip II of Macedonia absorbed Thrace into his kingdom.