Catalog
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| Issuer | Kalchedon |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC - 460 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.49 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A four-spoked wheel with a central boss, set within a shallow round incuse depression, the spokes radiating at right angles from the raised central hub to the rim of the wheel. The wheel design is enclosed within a plain circular border, itself contained within the broad incuse square characteristic of early Greek hammered coinage. The reverse field is plain and uninscribed, the stark geometric motif serving as the sole device. A beaded or linear border is visible around the outer edge of the incuse. |
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| Mint | Kalchedon (Bithynia) |
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| Additional information |
Kalchedon, the Megarian colony planted on the Asian shore of the Bosporus opposite Byzantium, controlled one of the most strategically valuable toll points in the ancient world — every grain ship moving from the Black Sea to the Aegean passed within hailing distance. This drachm falls squarely within the period of Persian withdrawal from the region following Salamis and Plataea, when Bosporan cities reasserted commercial independence with renewed minting activity.
The SNG von Aulock specimen underpins most attributions for this type, the collection having been assembled with particular depth in Bithynian and Pontic issues.