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Didrachm
| Issuer | Uncertain Bactrian city (Baktria) |
|---|---|
| Year | 261 BC - 238 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Didrachm (2) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| 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 | Helmeted head of Athena in right profile, wearing a Attic-style crested helmet adorned with elaborate scroll and floral motifs on the bowl. A large granulated sphere, likely representing an earring or decorative element, appears below the cheek guard. The rendering closely follows the classical Athenian type, with fine engraving of the facial features and flowing hair visible beneath the helmet rim. Greek legend MNA appears in the left field, identifying the uncertain Bactrian issuing authority. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ΑΘΕ |
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| Additional information |
The attribution of this piece remains genuinely contested. The coinages of early Bactria before Diodotus I formally broke from the Seleucid empire around 255–250 BC are difficult to assign with confidence — mint infrastructure in the region was improvised, and several cities in the Oxus basin were capable of striking silver at roughly this standard. What is clear is that the political situation was fluid enough that a coin could change issuing authority mid-series without the dies themselves changing at all.