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Dodekadrachm
| Issuer | Derrones |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC - 465 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by a large ox standing to the left in high relief, rendered with careful anatomical detail. Above the ox's back appears a Corinthian helmet facing left, its crest finely engraved, flanked by what appears to be a small branch or sceptre. To the right, a seated male figure faces left, depicted in profile and holding a small object, possibly a branch or caduceus, while seated upon a latticed throne or chair; a cartwheel is visible beneath. A second bovine figure appears to the far left. The composition is characteristic of early Thraco-Macedonian coinage, bold and deeply struck in the archaic style, with no visible legend. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Incuse square of irregular form containing a deeply sunken design depicting a male figure in a kneeling-running posture (the so-called 'knielauf' convention), rendered in low relief within the incuse. The figure appears to wear a wreath or floral crown and is shown in dynamic movement, arms extended, consistent with early fifth-century BC Thraco-Macedonian artistic conventions. The surrounding incuse field is rough and granular, typical of the hammered fabric of this period, with no legend or additional devices present. |
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| Additional information |
The Derrones were a Paeonian tribe operating in the mineral-rich interior of the northern Aegean hinterland, and their dodekadrachms — among the heaviest silver coins struck in the ancient Greek world — were almost certainly tied to the silver and mining wealth of the region rather than to any conventional civic monetary economy. At twelve drachms' weight, these pieces functioned more as bullion instruments than everyday currency, likely circulating as merchant or tribute payments across Thracian and Macedonian trade networks.
AMNG III#7 places this type within the foundational Paeonian series documented by Pick and Regling. Specimens are rare in any condition; the fabric tends toward a thick, dumpy flan with uneven spread under the hammer.