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Didrachm
| Issuer | Olbia |
|---|---|
| Year | 110 BC - 100 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Helmeted head of Athena facing right, wearing a crested Corinthian helmet in the Athenian tradition; the facial features are rendered in bold relief characteristic of late Hellenistic provincial coinage. A countermark applied to the left of the head depicts a leaf or possible silphion plant motif contained within a small incuse circle, indicating later re-authorization of the coin for circulation. The field is otherwise plain, with no visible legend on this face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | ΟΛΒΙΟ ΠΟΛΙ |
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| Additional information |
Olbia, the Greek colony at the mouth of the Hypanis (modern Bug) river on the Black Sea's northern shore, was by the late second century BC operating under significant Pontic influence — Mithridates VI had effectively absorbed the city into his expanding sphere before 100 BC. This didrachm belongs to that transitional period, when the city retained nominal autonomy in its coinage while Pontic military presence grew increasingly unavoidable.
The Lockett collection reference places a confirmed example through the 1955 Glendining sale, one of the more important dispersals of Black Sea Greek material in the twentieth century.