Mesembria, coin coin — Zeus enthroned left (CN type 21705)
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
c. 125–65 BC
Issuing entity
ThraceCoin struck at Mesembria in Thrace, dated c. 125–65 BC. Corpus Nummorum, the online type corpus of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, records it as CN type 21705 (period: Hellenistic Period/Roman Imperial Period; issuing authority type: city).
Obverse: Head of Alexander the Great, right, wearing lion skin on his head, bound at bottom. Reverse: Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle and sceptre. Legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ. Measured specimens give a mean weight of 16.29 g (from 1 recorded specimen).
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 2
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Mesembria, located at modern Nesebar on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in Thrace, possessed a long history extending across millennia. Alexander the Great, king of Macedon from 336 to 323 BC, had reasserted control over Thrace in 335 BC before conquering the Achaemenid Empire. Long after his death, civic centres across the region continued to invoke his legacy, as shown by this coinage struck at Mesembria bearing Alexander's name and royal title alongside his likeness.
Physical characteristics
- Recorded mean weight
- 16.29 g (mean of 1 recorded specimens)
Technical characteristics
- Mint
- Mesembria
- Region
- Thrace
- Authority type
- City
Design
- Obverse type
- Head of Alexander the Great, right, wearing lion skin on his head, bound at bottom.
- Reverse type
- Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle and sceptre.
- Reverse legend
- ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ
Identification
- Period
- Hellenistic Period/Roman Imperial Period
- How to identify
- Check the mint name or ethnic, the reverse type and the legend together, then compare weight and module; types from the same mint often differ only in legend arrangement, magistrate names or control marks.
- Type corpus record
- https://www.corpus-nummorum.eu/types/21705
- Type corpus identifier
- CN type 21705
- Source note
- The corpus record cites no printed literature for this type; it rests on recorded specimens.
Documentation checklist
- Denomination
- Research required
- Issue or mint date
- Recorded
- Material
- Research required
- Weight
- Recorded
- Mint or printer
- Recorded
- Mint or printer mark
- Research required
- Catalogue reference
- Research required
- Attached photograph (check rights)
- Recorded
Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Diameter not recorded in the source corpus
- Photograph reuse terms to be confirmed with the holding institution