Circa 400-300 BCE
Æ 2.98g, 13mm, 6h
Head of the nymph Trikke to right
Warrior, nude but for crested helmet, advancing to right, holding spear in right hand and shield in left; T-P across lower fields.
BCD Thessaly II 787 var. (ethnic); HGC 4, 339 var. (ethnic).
Ex J. Greiff Collection
Trikka received its name from Trikka, who was a daughter of Pineios and is depicted on this coin. Pineios in turn was a river god who once turned Daphne into a Laurel tree in order to escape from Apollo.
Homer listed Trikka as the kingdom of two sons of Asklepios, and a temple to him was long in the city. According to Strabo, it was the greatest in Greece, so even more important than those at Epidauros and Kos, though that may have been a function of the times.
Interestingly, when Alexander the Great allowed all exiles to return to their home cities, Trikka was one of two (the other being Pharkadon) that were excluded, although we have no idea why.
The modern city of Trikala was built over Trikka, though there are a few traces of the ancient settlement that remain.