Asia Minor, Ionia, city of Smyrna, AE 20

Asia Minor, Ionia, city of Smyrna, AE 20 / (75-50 BC)

Obv.: Belorb. Head of Apollo r. 
Rev.: Homer with scroll and sceptre on sella curulis n.l. in front star

Antique coin with a rare depiction of Homer, the earliest poet of the Occident !

Historical 

Smyrna (today Izmir) was a city on the west coast of Asia Minor, today's Turkey.

The city is one of the oldest Greek cities. Smyrna was destroyed around 600 BC and re-founded in the 3rd century BC. In the 2nd century BC, Smyrna allied itself with Rome. In 195 BC, Smyrna was the first city in Asia Minor to consecrate a temple in honour of the goddess Roma. Later, the city developed into a centre of the Roman imperial cult.

Homer

Smyrna is also said to have been the home of Homer, the poet of the famous "Iliad" and the "Odyssey", as early as the 7th century BC. As early as the 3rd century BC, bronze coins began to be minted in memory of Homer, the reverse of which depicts Homer sitting and reciting a work.

Apollon

The obverse of the coin shows the god Apollo, who was worshipped in Greek and Roman mythology as the god of the fine arts - primarily music, song and poetry.