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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Kyrene |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 480 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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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Silphium seed pod depicted in high relief at center of the field, rendered with two lobed, heart-shaped valves meeting at a central rib, point directed downward terminating in a small globule. The seed pod is enclosed within a raised circular border, giving the design a bold, naturalistic appearance characteristic of early Kyrenaian coinage. No legend or inscription present. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (500 BC - 480 BC) |
| Additional information |
Kyrene's coinage was built almost entirely on one commodity: silphium, the now-extinct plant harvested from the Libyan plateau that served as ancient medicine, condiment, and contraceptive. The city's wealth — and its mint output — tracked silphium harvests directly. By the late sixth century, Kyrene had cornered the Mediterranean trade so completely that the plant appeared on virtually every denomination the city struck.
This hemidrachm falls within the period of Kyrene's Battiad dynasty, just before the final king, Arkesilas IV, was expelled around 470 BC and the monarchy dissolved entirely.