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Drachm
| Issuer | Mantinea (Arkadia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 330 BC - 320 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Head of Athena facing right, wearing a Corinthian helmet pushed back on the head, the helmet bowl rendered in high relief with a prominent crest support visible above the brow. The facial features are boldly modelled in the archaic-to-classical transitional style characteristic of Arkadian coinage, with a strong jawline and eye rendered in profile. The field is plain, with the design occupying the full flan in typical hammered fashion. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Bearded male head facing right, identified as Zeus or a local river god, wearing a wreath of oak or laurel leaves rendered with naturalistic detail, the long flowing hair falling behind the neck in loose strands. The partial inscription MANTI appears in the right field in Greek letters, referencing the issuing city of Mantinea. The style is consistent with the refined Peloponnesian coinage of the late fourth century BC, with confident die-cutting and a well-centred composition on the irregular flan. |
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| Additional information |
Mantinea's coinage in this period carries a specific political weight. The city had been razed by Sparta in 385 BC and its population forcibly dispersed into four separate villages — a policy of *synoikismos* in reverse. When Alexander's reorganization of the Peloponnese allowed refoundation in 370 BC after the Spartan defeat at Leuktra, Mantinea resumed civic life and, with it, the right to strike silver. This drachm belongs to that restored polis, a city literally rebuilt from rubble within living memory of its destruction.