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Diobol
| Issuer | Tarentum |
|---|---|
| Year | 280 BC - 228 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 11.0 mm |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Two nude male figures engaged in wrestling, depicted in dynamic confrontation on bended knees, their bodies intertwined in a grappling hold. The scene is rendered with vigorous, expressive relief typical of Tarentine artistic convention, celebrating athletic competition associated with the Panhellenic games. A small pellet appears in the lower field below the wrestlers. |
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| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (280 BC - 228 BC) |
| Additional information |
Tarentum's small silver fractions served the practical demands of a busy commercial port — paying harbor fees, market transactions, market stalls — in denominations too modest for the larger didrachms that dominate the series. The city's output during this precise window, roughly coinciding with the catastrophic aftermath of Pyrrhus's Italian campaigns and the grinding pressure of Roman encroachment, shows no meaningful drop in mint activity, suggesting the economy absorbed the political crisis better than the histories imply.
Vlasto's numbering of these diobols reflects tight die linkages across a compressed sequence, making this among the more systematically documented of Tarentine fractional issues.