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Obol
| Issuer | Tanagra |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 350 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Prow of a galley depicted in left profile, rendered with carefully incised horizontal oar-banks and a projecting ram. Above the prow, the civic inscription 'TA' appears in the upper field, serving as an abbreviation for Tanagra. A small grape bunch is visible to the upper right of the legend, serving as an additional civic or magistrate symbol. The composition is contained within a shallow incuse square, consistent with small silver hammered coinage of the Boeotian region. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Tanagra's independent coinage was always modest in output, reflecting a city that punched above its weight politically — most famously when its citizens sided with Sparta against the Theban-led Boiotian League at the Battle of Tanagra in 457 BC. This obol falls within the period of renewed Spartan dominance following Leuktra's aftermath, when Boiotian civic identity was being actively contested and local minting carried quiet political weight.
The BCD collection reference places this among a tightly documented group; the BCD Boiotia sale at Lanz in 2002 remains the benchmark for attributing these minor silver fractions.