Kyzykos was an ancient Greek city founded as a colony of Miletos in 756 B.C.E. and located on the coast of the Aegean Sea. In 544 B.C.E. Kyzykos came under Persian rule, but after the defeat of Xerxes, it joined the Athenian League remaining loyal until 411 B.C.E. Within this relationship Athens maintained strict controls over the issuance of silver coins by the various cities and any locally issued coins were to be handed in to Athens for re-minting.

This style of Greek coinage spread widely all over the region with enormous success, in part due to its superb levels of craftsmanship ( not to be surpassed until modern times ) and the maintaining of a high quality of intrinsic ( silver, electrum of gold ) value.

Shortly after these Lion & Boar coins were issued and circulated ( 480 - 450 B.C.E. ) bronze began to replace these small silver fractionals that had previously been used as small change. So, in fact these represent the last of their type All of these coins show considerable detail.