Tribus thraco-macédoniennes
Statère (c. 500-470) - Bergé ou Datos
D’un magnifique style archaïque et d’une qualité remarquable.
Exemplaire de la collection S. Pozzi vente Naville 1 du 4 avril 1921, N°689 et de la collection C. Gillet « Kunstfreund » vente Münzen & Medaillen XIX du 5 juin 1959, N°375 et de la vente Schulman 248 du 19 novembre 1968, N°72 et de la vente Leu 42 du 12 mai 1987, N°169
9.87g - Boutin 1438 (cet exemplaire)
Superbe à FDC - CHOICE AU

Many archaic Greek coins bear overtly sexual designs, as a reference to spirits of nature rather than Olympian gods, celebrating the fecundity of fields and flocks. This coin is much less explicit, the nymph still being dressed, but it illustrates nevertheless a ritual abduction – probably linked to some Dionysiac cult. This charming coin is a typical example of how the early northern Greek engravers approached the interplay of nymphs and satyrs, expressing joie-de-vivre which is not found on other ancient coins. Whether this issue was struck in Lete or in Siris has been previously debated, but it has recently been convincingly argued that they should be ascribed to Berge, a Greek settlement in the region of Bisaltia – north west of Amphipolis, which was founded by Thasians around the time of the strike of this coin. See S. Psoma, “The ‘Lete’ coinage reconsidered”, in P.G. van Alfen, Agoranomia. Studies in Money and Exchange presented to J.H. Kroll, New York 2006, pp. 61-85.
The city lost importance after the foundation of Amphipolis in 437 BC, but it remained self-sufficient, and gave its name to the verb βεργαΐζειν which means ‘lying’ because of the local writer Antiphanes in the 4th century BC who had written a book of Unbelievable stories.