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Drachm
| Issuer | Samos |
|---|---|
| Year | 530 BC - 526 BC |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | Forepart of a winged boar advancing to the left, rendered in archaic Greek style with the folded wing prominently displayed along the back and the bristled mane indicated along the neck. The protome is boldly modelled in high relief, with the snout, eye, and tusk of the boar clearly articulated. The field is plain and unlettered, characteristic of the earliest Samian coinage. No legend or inscription appears on this side. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (530 BC - 526 BC) |
| Additional information |
Samos in the late sixth century BC was among the wealthiest poleis in the Aegean, largely through maritime trade and the patronage of Polycrates, whose tyranny from roughly 535 BC brought the island to its political and commercial peak. These early electrum and silver issues circulated through a trading network that stretched from Egypt to the Black Sea. The lion's scalp type to which this drachm belongs is among the earliest coinages attributable to the island with confidence.
Polycrates was captured and crucified by the Persian satrap Oroetes around 522 BC, ending the period this coin inhabits.