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Didrachm
| Issuer | Barke |
|---|---|
| Year | 485 BC - 475 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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| Technique | Hammered, Incuse |
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| Obverse description | Silphium plant depicted in the field, rendered in archaic Greek style typical of Cyrenaican coinage of the early fifth century BC. The plant is shown with a central stalk, spreading lateral branches, and characteristic seed-bearing upper fronds, occupying the majority of the flan. The relief is bold and slightly worn, consistent with hammered production on an irregular planchet. No legend or inscription appears in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Barke was a Cyrenaican colony founded by dissident Battiad nobles from Cyrene around 560 BC, and its coinage reflects a city perpetually at odds with its more powerful neighbor. The Persians sacked Barke in 513 BC following the city's involvement in sheltering those responsible for killing the Cyrenaean king Arcesilaus III — Herodotus recounts the episode in detail, including the population being led away into captivity in Bactria.
That this didrachm was struck within a generation of that destruction speaks to how quickly the city reconstituted itself under Libyan and later independent rule. Barkeian silver issues are genuinely rare in any form.