KYRENAICA. Euhesperides. Circa 480-435 BC. Drachm (Silver, 15 mm, 3.20 g, 6 h), Asiatic standard. Silphion plant with leaves and fruits; pellet to lower left and right. Rev. EY Dolphin jumping downward to left; to right, foreleg of a hoofed animal to left; all within incuse square. BMC -, cf. p. CLXXXIX, 1a (dolphin right) = Boston MFA 1347. SNG Copenhagen -. Apparently unpublished. A beautiful example of this exceedingly rare earliest coinage from Euhesperides. Minor marks and very light deposits, otherwise, very fine.



Euhesperides was the westernmost settlement of the Kyrenaikan Pentapolis. Little is known about its history before its reestablishment as Berenike by the Ptolemies in the 3rd century BC, and numismatic evidence is notably rarer compared to the more influential neighbors such as Barke and Kyrene. Our coin with its lovely depiction of a dolphin on the reverse highlights the significance of the sea for the city. Even today, the port of Benghazi, the modern metropolis situated on the site of the ancient city, remains the most important port in Kyrenaika.