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Hemidrachm Messene
| Issuer | Achaean League |
|---|---|
| Year | 191 BC - 183 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.44 g |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Zeus facing right, rendered in bold high relief characteristic of Achaean League coinage. The deity is depicted as a mature, bearded male with flowing hair swept back beneath a laurel wreath, the leaves and berries of which are rendered with fine detail. The long wavy beard and deeply modelled facial features convey the god's majestic dignity. The broad, expressive treatment of the hair and beard reflects the Hellenistic artistic tradition prevalent in the Peloponnese during the second century BC. The field is plain, with no legend on the obverse. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central monogram of AX (the ligated symbol of the Achaean League) within an olive wreath that encircles the entire design. To the left of the monogram appears the letter Ξ and to the right E, serving as ethnic or magistrate identifiers. Above the central monogram is the ligated monogram of ΠΛY. Below the AX monogram, the letters ME in ligate form identify the issuing city of Messene. The olive wreath border is finely engraved and is a hallmark of Achaean League federal coinage. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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