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Hemiobol - Bull K / ΞΤΘ
| Issuer | Massalia |
|---|---|
| Year | 130 BC - 121 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Hemiobol (1⁄12) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | A bull charging and butting to the right, depicted with lowered head and forelegs thrust forward in an aggressive posture, a device long associated with Massalian civic coinage and emblematic of the colony's maritime and commercial identity. The abbreviated ethnic legend ΜΑΣΣΑ appears above the bull's back, while the magistrate's control letters ΞΤΘ are inscribed in the exergue below a ground line. The style is vigorous yet compact, suited to this small bronze denomination. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Massalia — modern Marseille — was a Phocaean Greek foundation that maintained its mint almost continuously from the 6th century BC into the Roman imperial period, making it one of the longest-operating colonial mints in the western Mediterranean. This small bronze belongs to a period of intensifying pressure from the Saluvii and allied Gallic tribes, conflicts that would eventually compel the city to appeal to Rome, triggering the campaigns of 125–121 BC that ended with the destruction of the Saluvian capital at Entremont and the foundation of Aquae Sextiae.