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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Epidauros |
|---|---|
| Year | 255 BC - 250 BC |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse features the Greek letter epsilon (E) displayed prominently at center within a wreath composed of two symmetrical olive branches tied at the base, their leafy sprays curving gracefully upward to frame the central device. The monogram serves as an abbreviated civic identifier for Epidauros. The wreath is rendered with careful detail, each leaf individually delineated in the hammered style. The field is otherwise plain, with no additional inscription or exergual line. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Epidauros occupied an unusual position in the ancient Greek monetary world — its economy was sustained less by trade than by the constant flow of pilgrims and suppliants visiting the Sanctuary of Asklepios, one of the most frequented healing shrines in the Mediterranean. Small silver fractions like this hemidrachm would have changed hands constantly within that sanctuary economy, covering fees for incubation rites, votive offerings, and the various attendants who managed the site.
The BCD collection, from which this piece draws its reference, remains the definitive private assembly of Peloponnesian coinage ever formed.