Mysia Kyzikos. Electrum Stater circa 550-475 BC. Head of Athena left wearing crested Attic helmet, tuna fish left below / Quadripartite incuse square. 16,05g. Gillet 1053; Greenwell 25; Jameson 2171; Kraay-Hirmer 701; Traité pl. VI, 28; von Fritze 67, pl. II, 20; Weber 4791 (all from the same obverse die). Very rare. A splendid portrait in exceptional quality. Good extremely fine. Provenance: From the A.F. Collection (formed in Germany), Roma XIX (26 March 2020), 488. According to the Palatine Anthology, Kyzikos housed the oldest sanctuary of Athena in Asia. The presence of Athena’s portrait on the city’s staters confirms the predominant role of the Goddess and her cult in local religious life. Brett noted similarities between this portrait of Athena and the one appearing on Athenian coins of the 6th and 5th centuries BC, particularly in the rendering of the helmet. These parallels reveal reciprocal influences between Kyzikos and Athens, reflecting sustained exchanges between the city and mainland Greece, both culturally and commercially. Selon l’Anthologie Palatine, Cyzique abritait le plus ancien sanctuaire d’Athéna en Asie. La présence du portrait d'Athéna sur les statères de la cité confirme le rôle prépondérant de la déesse et de son culte dans la vie religieuse locale. Brett a relevé des similitudes entre ce portrait d’Athéna et celui figurant sur les monnaies athéniennes des VIᵉ et Vᵉ siècle av. J.‑C. Ces similitudes révèlent des influences réciproques entre Cyzique et Athènes, reflet d’échanges soutenus entre la cité et la Grèce continentale, tant sur les plans culturels que commerciaux.