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Dolphin
| Issuer | Olbia |
|---|---|
| Year | 520 BC - 400 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze piece struck in the distinctive zoomorphic form of a dolphin, viewed from above in left-facing orientation. The body is rendered in a stylized, abstracted manner characteristic of archaic Greek provincial coinage, with a pronounced rounded boss near the head representing the eye. The surface exhibits the characteristic granular texture of cast bronze production, with the dorsal profile tapering naturally toward the tail flukes. No inscriptions or subsidiary devices appear in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (520 BC - 400 BC) - Weight and dimensions vary |
| Additional information |
Olbia's dolphin-shaped bronzes are among the earliest true coins produced on the northern Black Sea coast, issued before the city adopted conventional round coinage. Whether they functioned as currency proper or as votive objects — dolphins held sacred significance to Apollo, Olbia's patron deity — remains genuinely debated. The city's position at the mouth of the Bug River made it the dominant Greek emporium in the region, and these pieces likely circulated alongside conventional Greek silver in mercantile transactions with Scythian traders.