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Diobol
| Issuer | Massalia |
|---|---|
| Year | 150 BC - 130 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | An eagle standing to the right with wings spread and partially raised, its head turned facing right with a hooked beak clearly defined. The bird is rendered in a bold, stylised manner characteristic of Massalian coinage of this period. The abbreviated civic legend MAΣΣA appears to the right of the eagle in the field. The entire device is set within a shallow incuse circle, with the flan retaining its characteristic irregular hammered shape. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Massalia — modern Marseille — was a Phocaean Greek colony founded around 600 BC that retained remarkable monetary independence long after Rome had absorbed most of its neighbors. By the second century BC the city was technically a Roman ally, but continued striking its own silver coinage under Greek civic authority. These small diobols circulated primarily in the local and regional trade networks of southern Gaul, where Massalian silver had been trusted currency for centuries. The SNG Copenhagen and La Tour references both attest to the type's relative consistency, with only minor die variations across the period.