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Obol
| Issuer | Samos |
|---|---|
| Year | 499 BC - 495 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Obol (⅙) |
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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 |
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| Obverse description | Facing lion's scalp rendered in archaic style, with large forward-staring eyes, a broad flat muzzle, and stylized mane indicated by incised lines radiating around the face. The design fills the entire flan, with the powerful frontal mask characteristic of early Samian coinage of the late sixth and early fifth century BC. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Samos in this period was navigating the turbulent aftermath of the Ionian Revolt, during which the island's fleet played a conspicuous — and ultimately treacherous — role at the Battle of Lade in 494 BC, when a large portion of the Samian contingent broke formation and sailed home. Small fractional silver like this would have passed through the hands of sailors, merchants, and soldiers operating out of one of the Aegean's most commercially active harbors during exactly that rupture.