Catalog
| Issuer | Parion |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 300 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Facing gorgoneion (Gorgon mask) depicted full face, with wide staring eyes, a broad grimacing mouth with protruding tongue, and serpentine locks radiating outward around the head. The hair is rendered in wavy, undulating strands, with coiling serpents intertwined among them and extending into the surrounding field. The apotropaic image is boldly modeled in high relief, filling the flan, in the vigorous archaic-to-early classical artistic tradition characteristic of Mysian coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Parion, the Mysian Greek colony on the Propontis (modern Sea of Marmara), maintained remarkable monetary independence throughout the fourth century despite sitting at the intersection of Persian satrapal authority and successive Macedonian ambitions. The city's hemidrachms circulated heavily in regional trade, particularly along the grain routes connecting the Black Sea colonies to the Aegean.
The SNG France specimens catalogued at 1356–1357 represent the diagnostic reference points for this type's attribution, with die studies suggesting a relatively concentrated production period rather than continuous minting across the full century.