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| Issuer | Metapontion |
|---|---|
| Year | 300 BC - 250 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm (540-200BC) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A single upright grain ear of barley or wheat, depicted in fine detail with individual grains and drooping side-stalks, occupying the full height of the field — the civic emblem of Metapontion. The ethnic legend META appears to the left of the stalk in Greek characters. A small symbol or secondary device is visible to the lower left, and a partial device appears at the right margin of the flan. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Irregular |
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| Additional information |
Metapontion's bronze coinage of this period served local exchange in a city already past its political peak — the settlement never fully recovered its influence after backing the losing side at the Battle of Heraclea in 280 BC, when Pyrrhus of Epirus swept through the region and the city was drawn into a protracted conflict it had little means to sustain. Bronze issues like this one filled the gap left by reduced silver production as civic finances contracted.