4th century BCE
AE 4.40g 17mm
Obv: Wreathed head of Dionysos right.
Rev: ΔIONYΣO. Bunch of grapes.
Draganov, Bronze 1; HGC 3.2, 1777
Dionysopolis was a kingdom of ancient Thrace and Skythia. Some of the Skythian kings in fact minted their coins there – such as Ataios.
The city was obviously named for the god Dionysos, who is on the obverse of this coin. Grapes also signified him and are therefore on the obverse.
At one point, the city was named Krounoi after a fountain in the area, but when a statue of Dionysos was found, it reverted to Dionysopolis. Evidently he wasn’t fond of the rename.
The city was on the location of modern day Balchik, Bulgaria. In 1994, there was a major discovery of a Temple to Kybele, from which numerous archeological treasures were pulled.