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Drachm
| Issuer | Melos (Cyclades) |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 300 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Apple depicted in relief at center, rendered with naturalistic detail showing the characteristic rounded form with a short stalk visible at the apex. The apple served as the primary civic emblem of Melos, its name constituting a visual pun on the Greek word 'melon' (apple). The flan is irregular, consistent with early fourth-century hammered coinage of the Aegean island mints. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Melos occupies an uncomfortable position in Greek history: in 416 BC, Athens massacred its adult male population and enslaved the remainder for refusing to abandon neutrality during the Peloponnesian War. That the island recovered sufficiently to strike its own silver coinage within a generation is itself noteworthy. The civic identity that Athens tried to extinguish was being reasserted in metal within decades of the slaughter.