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Obol
| Issuer | Corinth |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 500 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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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 | Pegasus depicted in flight to the left, rendered in archaic style with a distinctively curved wing. The winged horse is shown with forelegs extended in a galloping posture. Beneath the body of Pegasus, the Corinthian city-ethnic symbol koppa (Ϙ) appears in the lower field, serving as a mint identifier characteristic of early Corinthian coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Corinth's early coinage was among the first in the Greek world to achieve true inter-regional currency status, circulating well beyond the Corinthia through trade networks reaching Sicily and the Adriatic colonies. The city's control of the Diolkos — the overland portage road across the Isthmus — gave Corinthian merchants unusual leverage, and small fractional silver like this obol would have passed through that corridor constantly.
The BCD reference places this piece among the earliest Corinthian fractions, predating the more standardized issues of the fifth century. At under half a gram, production consistency at this scale was a genuine minting challenge for archaic-period workshops.