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Drachm
| Issuer | Apollonia Pontika (Thrace) |
|---|---|
| Year | 540 BC - 520 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Incuse square divided into four quadrants by a cruciform arrangement, each quadrant containing a swimming dolphin rendered in low relief; the dolphins are depicted in dynamic, naturalistic postures with their heads and tails curving outward from the central cross. This swastika-like pinwheel composition of four dolphins is a hallmark type of Apollonia Pontika's earliest silver coinage. The deeply sunken incuse field and the raised cruciform ridges reflect the archaic hammered technique. No inscription is present. The design conveys the city's strong maritime identity on the western Black Sea coast. |
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| Mint | Apollonia Pontika (modern Sozopol, Bulgaria) |
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| Additional information |
Apollonia Pontika — modern Sozopol on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast — was a Milesian foundation established around 610 BC, and among the earliest Greek colonies to strike its own silver coinage. These drachms belong to the initial phase of that production, placing them within a generation of the colony's first mint activity. The anchor type became so closely identified with the city that it persisted for centuries, but these archaic-period pieces predate the fully developed civic iconography of later issues.
The fabric is notably thick for the weight, a characteristic of early Pontic mint production that distinguishes these from contemporary Aegean issues.