BITHYNIA. Herakleia Pontika. Timotheus & Dionysios, tyrants, 346/5-337 BC. Didrachm (Silver, 22 mm, 9.81 g, 12 h). Head of Dionysos to left, wearing wreath of ivy and fruit and with thyrsos over his shoulder.
Rev. ΤΙΜΟΘΕΟΥ / [Δ]ΙΟΝΥΣΙΟΥ Herakles standing left, nude but for lion skin draped over his left arm, attaching spear to trophy consisting of helmet, round shield and cuirass; club leaning against trophy; on ground to left, head of a ram. HGC 7, 496. SNG BM Black Sea 1605-6. SNG Stancomb 817. Beautifully toned. A few light marks and with minor die rust on the obverse
, otherwise, very fine.
Privately acquired from Baldwin's on 15 August 1951.
Timotheos and Dionysios were the sons of Klearchos (circa 365–353 BC), the tyrant of Herakleia Pontika. Initially under the guardianship of their uncle Satyros, the brothers jointly ruled the city from 346/5 BC until Timotheos’s death in 337/6 BC. Dionysios, the younger brother, continued to govern until 306/5 BC, witnessing the conquests of Alexander the Great and the early Wars of the Diadochi. Late in his reign, Dionysios even declared himself king, following the precedent set by Alexander’s generals.
The tyrants of Herakleia Pontika exemplify a local dynasty that retained power for decades despite sweeping historical upheavals. With its formidable fleet, Herakleia Pontika was a key regional power in the western Black Sea, sought after as an ally and too strong to be easily subdued by Hellenistic generals and later kings. However, the city lost its independence in 284 BC when Amastris - a Persian princess, former wife of Alexander’s general Krateros, and widow of Dionysios - was assassinated, and Herakleia fell to Lysimachos.
