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Diobol
| Issuer | Lampsakos |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A quadripartite incuse square divided into four recessed triangular sections by raised diagonal ridges meeting at the center, forming a windmill or skew pattern characteristic of early electrum and silver coinage from the Propontic region. The incuse design is deeply struck and neatly executed, consistent with the archaic minting technique of the late sixth and early fifth centuries BC. The surface within each quadrant shows the characteristic rough texture of the hammered punch. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Lampsakos, positioned on the eastern shore of the Hellespont, controlled one of the most strategically valuable strait crossings in the ancient world — a fact that drove the city's early and prolific coinage even at fractional denominations. Persian influence over the region during this period was direct; the city almost certainly operated under Achaemenid suzerainty when these diobols were struck, making this a fascinating case of a Greek polis issuing autonomous-style silver under foreign dominion.
The Baldwin reference places this piece among a tightly catalogued sequence from Plate V.