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Chalkon
| Issuer | Phlious |
|---|---|
| Year | 280 BC - 270 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.56 g |
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| Obverse description | A bull charging to the left in profile, its head turned to face the viewer frontally, rendered in low relief in a sturdy, compact style typical of Peloponnesian bronze coinage. The animal's musculature is summarily but effectively indicated, conveying a sense of power and movement. No legend or inscription appears in the field. The flan is irregular and slightly uneven, consistent with hand-struck production of the early third century BC. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A large Greek letter Phi (Φ), serving as the civic initial of Phlious, prominently displayed in the center of the field and encircled by a wreath with six inner leaves rendered in low relief. The wreath is tied at the base and frames the monogram closely, filling the available flan. The design is bold and schematic, characteristic of small Peloponnesian civic bronze issues of the early Hellenistic period. No additional inscription or subsidiary symbol is present. |
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| Additional information |
Phlious was a small polis in the northeastern Peloponnese, perpetually overshadowed by Corinth and Sikyon, and its bronze coinage reflects a city minting on a modest, local scale. The community had a turbulent fourth century — twice occupied by Spartan garrisons and once besieged by Argos — before settling into the quieter obscurity of the early Hellenistic period under which this chalkon was struck.
The BCD collection, assembled by a single anonymous European collector over decades, remains the primary reference point for Peloponnesian bronzes precisely because institutional holdings are so thin for issues like this one.