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Didrachm
| Issuer | Rhodes |
|---|---|
| Year | 340 BC - 316 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Chian-Rhodian drachm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A fully open rose bloom occupies the central field, depicted in high relief with spreading petals and a prominent rounded calyx at the base, serving as the civic emblem and punning symbol of Rhodes. To the lower right a closed rosebud on a short stem provides a secondary floral motif, while to the left a magistrate's control symbol — rendered as a vertical torch or thyrsus — appears alongside the letter epsilon (Ε), likely denoting an abbreviated magistrate's name or ethnic abbreviation. The partial ethnic legend ΡΟΔΙΟΝ curves along the upper border within an incuse square frame, identifying the issuing city. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Rhodes struck silver coinage with unusual autonomy for a Aegean island-state during this period, navigating alliances with Persia, Macedonia, and various Aegean powers without fully committing to any. The years bracketing this issue — roughly the reign of Philip II and the opening campaigns of Alexander — placed Rhodes under considerable external pressure, yet the city's mint output remained prolific and remarkably consistent in weight standard.
Ashton's die study of Rhodian coinage identified this type as belonging to a transitional sequence bridging earlier and later magistrate-controlled issues, with die linkages suggesting concentrated production over a short window rather than steady annual output.