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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Cherronesos |
|---|---|
| Year | 386 BC - 338 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square divided into four sections by a raised cross, alternating between two raised and two sunken compartments in a diagonally opposed arrangement, a hallmark of Chersonese hemidrachm coinage. One of the sunken squares contains the symbol of a bee, rendered in miniature with characteristic detail. The opposing sunken square contains an uncertain or partially legible secondary symbol, possibly a magistrate's or civic control mark. The raised squares are plain. The overall reverse composition is deeply struck and geometrically precise, consistent with the standardized monetary type issued by the city of Chersonesos throughout the fourth century BC. |
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| Mintage | ND (386 BC - 338 BC) |
| Additional information |
Chersonesos, the Thracian Chersonese, issued these hemidrachms over a remarkably long production run — roughly half a century — serving as a widely trusted trade currency across the northern Aegean. Their circulation extended well beyond the peninsula itself, turning up in hoards from the Black Sea coast to Macedonia. The type's longevity created significant die variation, and SNG Copenhagen 831 represents one of the better-documented pairings within a series that numismatists still struggle to sequence with precision.
The absence of a civic ethnic on these coins long complicated attribution. Scholars debated Thracian, Macedonian, and even Samian origins before the Chersonese was confirmed through hoard evidence.