AEOLIS, Grynion. Circa 4th-3rd Century BC. Æ 17mm (3.69 gm). Laureate three-quarter facing head of Apollo /
GURNHWN, mussel shell. SNG Copenhagen 202; SNG von Aulock 7689. Good VF, dark green patina, small flan split.
Herodotus, in his History (i.149) lists "Gryneion" as one of the eleven ancient cities of Aeolis. Every reference down to the present day notes Gryneion, Grynion or Grynium as the city name. Yet all the coins are clearly marked GURNHWN-"Gurneion". This is an example of "metatheses" or the transposition of syllables in a word. it would be interesting to find other ancient inscriptions with the city name to compare spellings.
