Late 4th century BCE
Æ 7.04g, 19mm, 12h
Head of Hera to left, wearing triple-pendant earring, necklace and laureate polos
Goat standing to left; ΑΙΓΟΣΠΟ around
SNG Copenhagen 850; HGC 3.2, 1260
It seems very little is known about the history of Agiospotami. The area itself was the scene of the final battle of the Peloponnesian War and was where Lysander destroyed the Athenian fleet, forcing a full surrender.
Strabo mentions the place as a small city that has since been destroyed. For a very small city, it’s coins are relatively common. Most contain a goat, likely because the name means “goat streams” in Greek.
In 467 BCE, a huge meteorite landed here. It was put on display for over 500 years. Based on the description from Pliny, some believe that it was dislodged after a close encounter with Halley’s Comet, which passed by that year and was bright in the sky when the meteorite fell. Per Pliny’s and Plutarch’s description (and the meteorite would have still existed in their times) it was the size of a wagonload.
Anaxagoras, who lived and wrote when the meteor fell, recorded that an extremely bright body was seen in the sky for 75 days prior to the meteorite. The same comet was recorded in China. Scientists today are skeptical that the meteorite came from Halley’s.
Unfortunately, I can find no reference to the meteorite in Agiospotamoi’s coinage. That would have been interesting.
A large meteorite lands near Aigiospotamoi. At the same time, a comet is reported, which may be the first European mention of Halley’s Comet.
Thrace is annexed by the Roman Empire, bringing Agathopolis, Aigiospotamoi, and Perinthos under its rule.