Epeiros, The Thesproti
circa 335-330/25 BCE
Ae Ephyra 5.36g 17mm
Obv: Head of Persephone facing slightly to left, wearing wreath of grain ears; A to left.
Rev: Three-headed Kerberos standing to left.
HGC 3.1, 194
The Thesproti were neighbors of the Molossians in Epeiros. Together with the Chaonians, who did not mint coins as far as we know, they were the three main tribes of Epeiros. In the 4th century BCE they became part of the Epirote League.
In mythology, it was visited by Neoptolemos (son of Achilles) on his way back from Troy, and also by Odysseus, to retrieve poison for his arrows.
Athenaios wrote: “Although Egyptian beans had never been planted anywehere other than Egypt, or if they were planted, did not sprout, in the time of King Alexander son of Pyrrhos some happened to grow in a swamp near the Thyamis river in Thesprotia, which is a region in Epiros. For tow years, in fact, the plant somehow produced fruit vigorously and flourished. But when Alexander set a guard over it and prevented anyone who wanted from taking some or even approaching the place, the swamp dried up; after that, not only did it not product the crop mentioned above, but it was not even appparent that there had ever been any water there.”