Æ11

Chersonesos — the Thracian peninsula controlling the Hellespont — was one of the most strategically contested strips of land in the ancient Greek world, and Athenian interest in holding it was persistent enough that Miltiades the Elder effectively ruled it as a personal fiefdom in the late sixth century BC. The bronze coinage of this region circulated in a commercial environment shaped almost entirely by the grain trade flowing from the Black Sea through to Athens.

At 1.5g and 11mm, this is fractional bronze at its most minimal — the kind of piece that moved through market stalls rather than treasuries.