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Drachm
| Issuer | Sinope |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC - 450 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 17 mm |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Incuse square divided into three or four recessed compartments of irregular form, each with a granular surface texture, characteristic of the early archaic incuse punch technique employed at Sinope. A small circular depression is visible at the junction of the compartments. The field below the incuse is flat and plain. No legend or additional devices are present. The reverse exhibits the hallmark deep incuse square punch typical of Greek city-state coinage of the late archaic to early Classical period. |
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| Mint | Sinope (Paphlagonia) |
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| Additional information |
Sinope, the dominant Greek colony on the Black Sea's southern shore, controlled the regional silver trade largely through its access to Pontic mining networks and its role as a transshipment hub between the Greek world and the interior of Anatolia. These drachms circulated widely beyond the city itself — Sinopean coins have turned up in hoards as far inland as Cappadocia, suggesting commercial reach well beyond coastal traffic.
The BMC Greek#1 designation places this among the earliest attributed pieces in the British Museum's Sinope sequence, a position reflecting both chronological priority and the relative difficulty of attributing archaic Pontic issues with confidence.