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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Lamia |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 350 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.64 g |
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| Obverse description | Head of a young male deity, facing slightly left, with flowing wavy hair adorned with a wreath of ivy or vine leaves and clusters of grapes; the rendering is in the archaic-to-early classical style, with naturalistic treatment of the hair and a serene facial expression. The figure is likely Dionysos, patron deity associated with the Malian league. No legend appears on the obverse. The portrait fills most of the flan, with the irregular hammered edge visible at the periphery. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Lamia was the principal city of the Malian League in Thessaly, and its coinage reflects a civic identity that briefly punched above its regional weight. The city became strategically critical during the Lamian War of 323–322 BC, when Macedonian forces under Antipater were besieged within its walls by a Greek coalition following Alexander's death — though that conflict postdates this hemidrachm's likely production window.
The BCD Thessaly II reference catalogues a variety, suggesting minor die differences from the Lockett specimen. Both collections rank among the most rigorously documented sources for Thessalian regional coinage.