CIMMERIAN BOSPOROS. The Sindoi. Circa 400 BC. Diobol (Silver, 14 mm, 1.32 g, 3 h). Skythes, nude, kneeling right, holding Herakles' buckle in his hands; behind, Herakles' strung bow. Rev. ΣINΔΩN Owl standing facing, wings spread; all within shallow incuse square. Anokhin -. HGC 7, 4 corr. (reverse description). MacDonald 79 corr. (reverse description). SNG BM Black Sea -. SNG Stancomb -. Extremely rare and in exceptional condition, the finest known example. Beautifully toned and perfectly struck, a delightful issue of great beauty. Extremely fine.
The obverse of this magnificent issue depicts Skythes, one of the three sons of Herakles and the monster Echidna. According to the legend, Herakles told Echidna that the first of their three sons who would be strong enough to string his bow and buckle his belt would become the ruler of Hylaia, literally 'timberland', Echidna's home region east of the river Borysthenes. That child was Skythes, the youngest of the three brothers, whom we see on the obverse of this coin mounting his father's buckle after successfully stringing his bow. Thus, Skythes became king and the eponymous ancestor of the Skythians, while his brothers Gelonos and Agathyrsos were exiled and gave their names to neighboring tribes