MYSIA. Kyzikos. Circa 450-400 BC. Stater (Electrum, 19 mm, 16.09 g, 12 h). Head of the hunter Aktaion to left, with stag's horn above forehead; below, tunny to left. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. BMC 60. Boston MFA 1510. SNG Paris 290. Von Fritze I, 141 and pl. IV, 27. Very rare. Minor marks, otherwise, about very fine.


Aktaion was a renowned hunter in Greek mythology. After accidentally seeing the goddess Artemis bathing, he was punished by being transformed into a stag. Unrecognized by his own hunting dogs, he was torn apart by them. His depiction on this coin of Kyzikos evokes both the power of the gods and the peril of overstepping mortal bounds.