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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Melitaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 350 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Zeus facing right, rendered in fine archaic-to-classical style; the deity's long, wavy hair falls in carefully articulated locks behind the neck, while a neatly trimmed beard and mustache lend the portrait a commanding, dignified character. The laurel wreath, a divine attribute of Zeus, is clearly discernible atop the head. The portrait fills the flan with bold, high relief typical of Thessalian coinage of the period, and the plain field surrounding the effigy bears no legend. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Forepart of a bull advancing to right, its head turned slightly toward the viewer in three-quarter aspect, rendered with naturalistic musculature characteristic of Thessalian coinage. The bovine device is enclosed within an oak wreath bearing acorns, forming a decorative border around the central type. The ethnic legend MEL (Μ Ε Λ), an abbreviation of ΜΕΛΙΤΑΙΕΩΝ identifying the issuing city of Melitaia, is distributed within the field. |
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| Additional information |
Melitaia was a small polis in Achaia Phthiotis, tucked into the upper Enipeus valley at the foot of Mount Othrys. The city maintained enough independence during the fourth century to issue its own silver, though it fell under Macedonian reorganization later in the century when Philip II reshaped Thessalian political structures. The BCD Thessaly collection — assembled by a single private collector over decades — remains the principal reference for these issues precisely because civic coinages from minor Thessalian poleis never attracted systematic scholarly attention until that collection was catalogued.