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Hemistater
| Issuer | Uncertain Lesbos city |
|---|---|
| Year | 525 BC - 475 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | BMC Greek#9, GCV#3485 |
| Obverse description | Forepart of a boar advancing to the right, rendered in archaic Greek style with bold, rounded forms. The animal's massive head and muscular shoulder are prominently depicted in high relief, with the characteristic bristled back and prominent snout clearly articulated. The design is contained within the broadly rounded flan typical of Lesbian electrum and billon coinage of the Archaic period. No legend or inscription appears in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The electrum and billon coinages of Lesbos present one of the earliest known examples of a multi-city monetary agreement in the Greek world, with several poleis on the island — almost certainly including Mytilene and Methymna — cooperating on shared weight standards while individual issuing authorities remain, even now, difficult to attribute with certainty. The billon alloy itself points to deliberate debasement of the electrum standard, a cost-saving decision that distinguishes Lesbian civic issues from the purer electrum of Lydian or Phocaean production.