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Dodekadrachm
| Issuer | Derrones |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC - 465 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A driver seated in profile to right, grasping a kentron (goad), controls a two-ox cart depicted with distinctive wicker sides. A Corinthian helmet appears prominently in the upper field above the scene, while a stylized flower occupies the lower field beneath the cart. The composition is rendered in the archaic Greek artistic tradition, with bold, deeply struck relief typical of early Macedonian and Thracian coinage. The flan is broad and irregular, characteristic of this large-denomination silver issue. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A triskeles motif oriented to the right occupies the central field, its three running legs radiating dynamically from a central point. Elegant palmette ornaments fill the spaces between the legs, lending the design a refined decorative quality consistent with Thracian artistic conventions of the early fifth century BC. The reverse is incuse, struck with a single punch, producing a recessed field typical of early hammered coinage. The design is bold and deeply cut, with strong stylistic coherence. |
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| Additional information |
The Derrones were a Thracian tribe whose coinage — including this massive dodekadrachm — represents some of the heaviest silver struck anywhere in the ancient Greek world. These pieces almost certainly functioned as trade bullion rather than everyday exchange, facilitating commerce with Greek merchant cities along the northern Aegean coast. The timing of production, bracketing the Persian Wars, may reflect sudden access to silver following the disruption of Persian-controlled trade networks in the region.
The dodekadrachm denomination itself was vanishingly rare even in antiquity; only a handful of Macedonian and Thracian issuers ever produced at this weight standard.