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1/10 Stater - Kyrenica
| Issuer | Kyrene (Kyrenaica) |
|---|---|
| Year | 435 BC - 331 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Bare head of Zeus Ammon facing right, distinguished by the curling ram's horn emerging behind the ear — his hallmark divine attribute — with the hair rendered in wavy locks. The portrait is enclosed within a dotted border conforming to the irregular hammered flan, with no inscription in the field, consistent with the aniconic simplicity of early Kyrenaean gold coinage. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Kyrene's gold fractions circulated in a city whose wealth derived almost entirely from the export of silphium, the now-extinct medicinal plant so economically critical that it appeared on the city's silver coinage for centuries. These tiny gold pieces served trade at the upper end of the local economy, likely changing hands among merchants dealing in the plant's resin, which fetched prices comparable to silver by weight in Mediterranean markets.
The century-long date range reflects genuine uncertainty among scholars — the BMC and Naville attributions align on type but not on precise chronology.