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Obol
| Issuer | Tarentum |
|---|---|
| Year | 325 BC - 280 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.52 g |
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| Obverse description | Forepart of a horse advancing to the left, rendered in archaic relief typical of South Italian Greek coinage. The musculature of the animal's neck and chest is summarily indicated, with the mane suggested by incised lines. A small male figure, likely a youth or rider, appears to the right in the field, possibly engaged with the horse. The flan is small and irregular, consistent with the hammered production of fractional silver coinage from Tarentum. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Tarentum's small silver fractions of this period circulated alongside the city's more celebrated didrachms during a stretch of near-constant military pressure — first from the Lucanians and Messapians, then from Rome. The obol's role was emphatically practical, handling small transactions in a wealthy Greek colonial port that depended on trade far more than conquest.
HN Italy 1075 is among the less frequently encountered denominations from this mint, partly because pieces this small were easily lost and rarely hoarded.