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Æ11 - Kerykeion
| Issuer | Massalia |
|---|---|
| Year | 49 BC - 1 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.96 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A kerykeion (caduceus, the staff of Hermes) depicted frontally at centre, with two entwined serpents rising to a winged top, rendered in a bold, stylised manner characteristic of late Massalian civic bronzes. The Greek letters N, Φ, and A appear distributed in the field around the device, likely representing a magistrate's or workshop monogram. The overall composition is compact and well-centred within the irregular flan. |
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| Mint | Massalia (modern Marseille, France) |
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| Additional information |
Massalia — the Greek colony at modern Marseille — had been a loyal Roman ally for centuries, but its support for Pompey during the civil war prompted Caesar to besiege and sack the city in 49 BC. The autonomous bronze coinage the city had produced for generations was sharply curtailed after that capitulation, and small issues like this one represent the diminished output of a formerly prosperous mint grinding through the last decades before Augustus absorbed it entirely into the Roman provincial system.