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Hemidrachm Patrai
| Issuer | Achaean League |
|---|---|
| Year | 195 BC - 188 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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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Zeus facing right, rendered in a bold, slightly archaic Hellenistic style with characteristic thick wavy locks of hair and a full beard. The facial features are strongly modeled, with a prominent brow and aquiline nose typical of Zeus portraiture in the Achaean League coinage. No legend is present in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
The Achaean League's federal coinage was a deliberate political instrument — member city-states surrendered the right to strike silver in their own names, with Patrai among the cities whose local identity survives only as a mintmark on League issues. This hemidrachm falls within a politically turbulent window: the League had just navigated the Roman-Seleucid War and was beginning to feel the weight of Roman interference in Greek affairs that would eventually end the League entirely at Corinth in 146 BC.
HGC 5#51 is among the commoner Patrai attributions, though the mint control marks on individual specimens repay close attention.