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Hemidrachm Corinth
| Issuer | Achaean League |
|---|---|
| Year | 160 BC - 146 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Drachm |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Zeus facing left, rendered in bold Hellenistic style with a full beard and deeply engraved hair beneath the laurel wreath. The portrait displays strong, mature facial features characteristic of federal league coinage of the period. The flan shows the typical irregular fabric of hammered Greek silver coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Pegasos flying right, positioned above the distinctive monogram of the Achaean League. The letter Κ appears above the monogram, while Α and Σ flank it on either side, serving as ethnic or magistrate identifiers for the Corinthian mint. The entire design is enclosed within a laurel wreath border, a hallmark of Achaean League federal coinage. |
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| Additional information |
The Achaean League's hemidrachm issues from this terminal phase reflect the confederation operating under mounting Roman pressure following the settlement of 146 BC — though that endpoint marks not a political transition but annihilation. Rome's destruction of Corinth in 146 BC, carried out by Lucius Mummius, ended the city's mint utterly. Coins struck in the years immediately preceding belong to a monetary system that simply ceased to exist rather than evolved into another.
The BCD Peloponnesos reference traces to the landmark Lanz auction of 2006, which remains the definitive reference for Peloponnesian bronzes and silver of the League period.