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Nomos
| Issuer | Metapontion |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 340 BC |
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| Value | Nomos (2) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Facing head of Demeter, turned slightly to the right, rendered in fine relief characteristic of the Metapontine school. The goddess is adorned with a wreath of grain ears encircling her hair and wears a pearl necklace at her throat. The facial features are modelled with delicate naturalism, reflecting the artistic refinement of the early fourth century BC. The inscription ΣΩΤΗΡΙΑ appears in the field, an epithet associating Demeter with salvation and protection. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Metapontion's prosperity in this period rested almost entirely on grain — the city's fertile Tarentine Gulf hinterland made it one of the wealthiest agricultural centers in Magna Graecia, and the nomos was effectively the instrument of that trade. The reference cluster this piece attracts, spanning Noe, the ANS collection, and multiple major private holdings, reflects how systematically collectors have pursued the series since Arthur Sambon's foundational work in the late nineteenth century.
Noe 449 falls within a well-documented die sequence showing progressive refinement through the mid-fourth century.