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Hemidrachm 78th-82nd Olympiads
| Issuer | Olympia (Elis) |
|---|---|
| Year | 470 BC - 460 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.88 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Winged thunderbolt depicted frontally, with a pair of outstretched wings rising from the central shaft; the lower portion terminates in symmetrical volutes curling outward to either side, rendered in bold incuse relief. The ethnic abbreviation F-A (for FAleioi, i.e. the Eleans) is inscribed in archaic Greek characters flanking the thunderbolt in the field to left and right, serving as the issuing authority's abbreviated legend. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Elis controlled the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and issued coinage almost exclusively in connection with the quadrennial Games — one of the most restricted and purpose-driven minting programs in the Greek world. Issues corresponding to the 78th through 82nd Olympiads span roughly the decades following the Persian Wars, a period when pan-Hellenic prestige at Olympia was at its political height and dedications to the sanctuary were flowing in from across the Greek world.
The mint operated in short bursts tied to festival cycles, which accounts for the episodic die sequences catalogued across Delepierre and BCD.