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Didrachm - Magas
| Issuer | Kyrene (Kyrenaica) |
|---|---|
| Year | 300 BC - 275 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 20 mm |
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| Obverse description | Diademed male head facing right, rendered in fine Hellenistic style with naturalistic facial features and softly modelled flesh. The hair is elaborately curled and bound with a royal diadem, with loose locks falling behind the ear. The portrait is likely that of Magas, governor and later king of Cyrene, occupying the full field of the flan. No legend or inscription is present on the obverse. The bold, high-relief carving reflects the accomplished die-cutting tradition of Cyrenaean mint workers of the early third century BC. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A silphium plant rendered in full, upright at centre, with the characteristic heart-shaped seed head at the apex and broad spreading leaves and stalks extending to either side of the stalk. To the left of the plant, a lion's head facing left is depicted in the field, a traditional symbol of Cyrene. The abbreviated ethnic legend KYPA is inscribed across the field, with KY to the lower left and PA to the lower right of the central stalk. The composition is well-balanced and typical of Cyrenaean coinage of the period, with the silphium plant serving as the primary civic emblem. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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