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Drachm
| Issuer | Byzantion |
|---|---|
| Year | 416 BC - 357 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | GCV#1579 |
| Obverse description | A cow walking to the left, depicted in profile, standing atop a dolphin shown in the same direction. The ethnic abbreviation of the city appears in the upper field. The style is characteristic of late Archaic to early Classical Greek coinage from the Thracian Bosporus region. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A deeply incuse quadratum incusum divided into four compartments by raised bars meeting at a central point, forming a mill-sail or windmill pattern. The incuse square is characteristic of early Greek coinage technique, with the raised internal divisions creating a distinctive geometric design. The surface shows the typical irregularity of hand-struck ancient coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Byzantion's drachms of this period were struck by a city whose entire economic existence depended on controlling the Bosphorus strait — every grain ship moving from the Black Sea to Athens passed through and paid toll. The city's coinage reflects that leverage, circulating widely across Aegean trade networks rather than staying local.
The dating window straddles the period of Spartan occupation following the Peloponnesian War and Byzantion's eventual return to Athenian alliance in the 370s BC.