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| Issuer | Massalia (Gaul) |
|---|---|
| Year | 49 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | LT#2065, MHM#84 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A war galley (trireme or bireme) depicted in left profile, with a curved hull, ram prow, and oar bank rendered in summary schematic fashion typical of late Massalian bronze coinage. Scattered pellets appear in the field to the right of the vessel, serving as decorative or symbolic fill elements. The whole design is contained within a dotted grenetis border. No legend accompanies the type, consistent with the anonymous small bronze issues of Massalia at this period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
49 BC is not an incidental date. That year, Caesar crossed the Rubicon and marched on Rome, triggering civil war and immediately disrupting trade networks throughout southern Gaul. Massalia, a Greek colonial city that had maintained independence and commercial dominance on the Gaulish coast for centuries, made the catastrophic decision to back Pompey. Caesar besieged the city for six months. It fell in late 49 BC, stripped of its fleet, treasury, and political autonomy — ending Massalia's long run as an independent minting authority.
This small bronze may have been struck before the siege tightened, making it among the final independent issues of a city that had been producing coinage since the sixth century BC.