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Obol
| Issuer | Kroton |
|---|---|
| Year | 530 BC - 500 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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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Incuse impression of a tripod cauldron, with the design appearing in sunken relief as a mirror image of the obverse type, a technique distinctive of the earliest Achaean colonial coinage of Magna Graecia. The three legs and the bowl of the tripod are discernible within the incuse square, though the striking is notably weaker and less detailed than the obverse. The plain, flat incuse field surrounds the design. Partial traces of the ethnic legend are visible along the upper periphery of the flan. The incuse reverse technique reflects the influence of the Achaean monetary standard prevalent in southern Italy during the late sixth century BC. |
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| Reverse lettering | ϘΡΟ |
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| Additional information |
Kroton, the Achaean colony on the toe of Italy's boot, was among the wealthiest and most influential poleis of Magna Graecia in this period — home to the Pythagorean brotherhood and, not coincidentally, to the physician Demokrates, whose school of medicine gave the city outsized intellectual prestige. The colony's early coinage was minted under the influence of that same Pythagorean community, which held significant political control over Kroton through much of the late sixth century BC.
At 0.22 g, this obol represents the smallest practical denomination in Kroton's silver series — a coin that would have changed hands daily in the agora rather than being hoarded.