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Diobol - Saratokos Type III
| Issuer | Odryssa, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 407 BC - 369 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | A large amphora or kantharos with two loop handles rendered in high relief at the center of the field, occupying the majority of the reverse face. The vessel is depicted with a broad body tapering to a narrow foot and a flared mouth, consistent with a wine amphora of the period. The royal legend of Saratokos is arranged around the vessel in four Greek characters, with ΣΑΡ to the left and ΑΤΟ to the right, framing the central device. The incuse square typical of early hammered coinage is vestigially present on the flat reverse field. The composition is characteristic of Odrysian dynastic coinage attributable to the reign of Saratokos. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΣΑΡ ΑΤΟ |
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| Additional information |
The Odrysian kingdom under Seuthes I and his successors occupied an unusual position in the ancient Aegean economy — powerful enough to extract tribute from Greek coastal cities yet dependent on imported coinage conventions for commercial credibility. The Saratokos diobols belong to this monetarily transitional moment, when Thracian dynasts were beginning to strike their own silver rather than simply taxing and redistributing Greek issues.
The attribution to Saratokos himself remains debated; some scholars have assigned the type to a subordinate dynast operating within the Odrysian sphere rather than the central court.