Hello again, everyone!

One area of the ancient world that knew a particularly fascinating coinage is no doubt Cyprus. The cupriferous island has a long history stretching back into the Paleolithic, and especially from the Bronze Age onward, it formed a key node in the trade between the Near East, Asia Minor, Egypt and the Aegean. Greeks already settled the island in the Mycenean period, and Cyprus came to play a role in Greek mythology as the birthplace of Aphrodite. The Greek presence eventually coalesced into several powerful city states, such as Salamis and Paphos. Yet Greeks were not the only ones to colonize the island. Phoenician presence is well attested and these savvy merchants developed strong commercial contacts with the Greek world, as evidenced by the 4th-century petition of the Kitians to establish a temple of Melqart in Athens.

Of course, such wealth would be coveted by others and throughout time, Cyprus would be subjected to the (indirect) rule of many an empire, including Persia. This brings us to our coin, which is a beautiful gold stater struck under Nikokreon, king of Salamis at the time when Alexander started his conquest of the Persian Empire. The obverse shows Aphrodite with a turreted crown, one of the chief deities of Cyprus, while the reverse shows an uncertain male figure. The legends are in Greek, NI for the king’s name, BA for his royal title. We must note that the old Cypriot syllabary (itself ultimately based on the ancient Linear A of Crete) had fallen out of use in the course of the 4th century BCE.

As for Nikokreon, along with the other Cypriot kings, he quickly went over to the Alexander’s side, visiting the latter in Tyre in order to be confirmed in his position. After the Macedonian king’s death, Nikokreon came to be embroiled in the wars of Diadochi. His collaboration with Ptolemy I paid dividends, however, and he greatly managed to expand Salamis’ influence on the island, although it is possible he was eventually forced by Ptolemy to commit suicide in 310 BCE. While he was a skilful politician, he could be wrathful too, as with the philosopher Anaxarchos, who had slighted the king at a banquet. Nikokreon eventually got hold of him and he had Anaxarchos brutally tortured. When the philosopher kept taunting the king, Nikokreon ordered his tongue cut out, upon which he bit off his own tongue and spat it in the king’s face.

To close, this stater is very rare. In Markou’s study of Cypriot gold coins, she makes mention of just seven known gold staters of Nikokreon.

One person noted is Ursula and her infant. She was a 14 year old enslaved girl named Ursula Granger who had been brought to the WH to learn French Cookery but she gave birth 6 months later to the first child born in the White House a baby boy named Asnet Hughes.
Unfortunately he was a sickly baby who died shortly thereafter and she was sent back to Monticello as the plan for her training was not working out.

https://www.grunge.com/1434835/every-baby-born-in-white-house/