Ancient Coin Stories

Antissa lies at the northwest of the island of Lesbos. Strabo, citing an earlier history Myrsilos, conjectured that Antissa itself used to be an island off the coast of Lesbos. Since Lesbos’ earlier name was Issa, the city was named Anti-Issa, or Antissa. It is currently unknown whether there was an actual landscape change.

The coin depicts Apollo holding a lyre. This was likely included because legend states that a native son of Antissa, Terpander, invented the seven string lyre. According to Strabo, he increased the strings in the lyre from four to seven.

Mythology also states that the head of the hero Orpheus floated to Antissa. He had been beheaded and torn to pieces by thracian women because he refused to pay attention to them and took only male lovers. Orpheus at that time had turned away from all the gods except for Apollo. When his head reached Antissa, they buried it in a tomb. The Cave of Orpheus is still visible today. The association with Orpheus and Apollo likely explains the inclusion of Apollo with the Lyre.

It is not known exactly when minting of this coin began or ceased, but since the city was depopulated by the Romans in 167 BCE as punishment for supporting Perseus of Macedon, it must have ceased either then or earlier.

Antissa was an ancient enemy of Methymna. The two are only sixteen kilometers apart, but the animosity was sewn around 700 BCE when Methymna enslaved the city of Arisba. After that, the two were on opposite sides of nearly every conflict.