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Obol
| Issuer | Akanthos |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC - 470 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Obol (⅙) |
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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 | Facing head and neck of a lioness rendered in bold relief, depicted from a dorsal-frontal perspective with the muzzle prominently projecting downward toward the viewer. The forehead is framed by a tuft of stylized mane rendered in short incised lines, and the large round eyes flank a broad, flattened snout. The ears are visible to either side of the cranium, and the overall composition fills the flan in a vigorous, archaic style characteristic of northern Greek coinage of the early Classical period. The field is unlettered, and the coin is bordered by a finely beaded outer ring. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (480 BC - 470 BC) |
| Additional information |
Akanthos, a Chalkidian colony on the Macedonian coast near the neck of the Athos peninsula, struck this obol during one of the most turbulent decades in Aegean history — the immediate aftermath of Xerxes' invasion. The city's position made it strategically significant; Xerxes had his fleet anchor off Akanthos while completing the canal cut across the Athos isthmus in 480 BC, and the town supplied provisions to the Persian force. That the mint was producing silver in this precise window is itself notable.
The fractional silver of Akanthos is scarce at any denomination. SNG ANS 7 records only three specimens for this obol type.