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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Cherronesos |
|---|---|
| Year | 386 BC - 338 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | McClean#4117 3.2#1437 |
| Obverse description | Forepart of a lion in right profile, rendered in fine archaic style, with the animal shown in a recumbent or crouching pose with forelegs extended. The lion's mane is elaborately detailed with incised striations radiating from the neck, and the head is turned to face the viewer in a three-quarter frontal aspect. A pellet or annulet is visible above the lion's head, likely serving as a control mark. The muscular body and curled tail are rendered with characteristic Chersonesean artistic convention. The design occupies the full flan with no legend or border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square divided by two diagonal lines forming an X-pattern, creating four triangular sunken compartments. The upper segment contains an anchor symbol, while an adjacent compartment displays a pellet as a control mark. The lower segment features a lizard depicted in high relief, rendered naturalistically with splayed limbs and detailed body markings. The varying incuse depths within the quadrants are characteristic of the Chersonesean hemidrachm series, with the animal and symbol countermarks serving as issue identifiers. |
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| Additional information |
Chersonesos — the Thracian Chersonese, the long peninsula controlling the Hellespont — issued these hemidrachms continuously for well over a century, and the type became one of the most widely circulated silver fractions in the northern Aegean. The sheer volume and geographic spread of surviving examples reflects the region's position as a critical chokepoint for Black Sea grain traffic. Athens fought repeatedly to control it, and Philip II of Macedon seized it outright in 338 BC, the terminal date of this issue.
The reverse incuse quarters with their alternating plain and dotted patterns serve as the primary tool for die study — over 400 obverse dies have been catalogued across the full series.