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Hemidrachm

Issuer Samos
Year 500 BC - 482 BC
Type Standard circulation coin
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Obverse description Forepart of a winged boar advancing to the left, rendered in archaic Greek style with bold, deeply struck relief. The animal's muscular body, prominent tusk, and outstretched wing are clearly delineated, occupying the majority of the flan. The type served as the principal civic emblem of Samos during the early Classical period. No inscription or border ornament is present, the design filling the irregularly shaped flan characteristic of early hammered coinage.
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Edge Plain
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Additional information

Samos in this period was one of the wealthiest poleis in the Aegean, its prosperity built on maritime trade and a powerful navy. The city's coinage followed the Samian standard, lighter than the Attic, reflecting independent monetary traditions that persisted even as Athenian commercial influence spread across the region. The terminal date of 482 BC is not accidental — Persian pressure on Ionian cities intensified sharply in the years following the Ionian Revolt's collapse at Lade in 494 BC, and local minting activity contracted accordingly.

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