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Diobol
| Issuer | Samos |
|---|---|
| Year | 499 BC - 495 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Obols (⅓) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Facing forepart of a lion's head rendered in high relief, with broad muzzle, globular eyes, and radiating mane locks filling the field in the characteristic early Archaic style of Samian coinage. The design is bold and stylized, the mane depicted as a series of undulating, flame-like projections surrounding the central face. A fine dotted border frames the entire composition at the coin's periphery. No inscription is present, the device alone serving as the civic emblem of Samos. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Within a recessed incuse square of irregular outline, a forepart of a lion facing left in profile, rendered in the archaic convention with schematic mane indicated by striated ridges and globular pellets along the neck and shoulder. A small olive branch or floral spray appears before the lion's face, likely a civic or religious symbol. The incuse technique, typical of early East Greek coinage, creates a strongly sunken field contrasting with the raised devices within the square. |
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| Additional information |
Samos in this period was navigating the aftermath of its forced submission to Persia under Darius I, having lost much of its political autonomy following the Ionian Revolt's collapse at Lade in 494 BC. Small fractional silver like this diobol was the practical currency of daily commerce — harbor fees, market transactions, the wage fragments that larger denominations couldn't serve. The island's mint continued operating through Persian dominance, a quiet assertion of civic economic function even under occupation.