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Drachm
| Issuer | Euhesperides |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC - 435 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Silphium plant rendered in frontal view, with a large bulbous seed-head at the top, flanked by two spreading lateral branches terminating in rounded leaves; the characteristic swollen stalk curves prominently in the lower field, with an additional rosette-like bloom visible to the left. The composition fills the flan in an archaic style typical of Cyrenaican coinage, emphasizing the botanical importance of silphium as the principal symbol of the region's commercial identity. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (480 BC - 435 BC) |
| Additional information |
Euhesperides was a Greek colonial city on the Libyan coast — modern Benghazi — founded by settlers from Cyrene, itself a Theran colony. The city changed hands repeatedly between Greek factions and Carthaginian forces throughout the fifth century, and its very survival as a minting authority during this period was precarious. That coinage was struck here at all during these decades reflects intervals of Greek political control rather than any continuous civic stability.
The BMC references only three specimens, which gives a reasonable index of how rarely this type surfaces.