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Obol
| Issuer | Larissa |
|---|---|
| Year | 440 BC - 400 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A horse standing to the right in the field, rendered in a naturalistic archaic style characteristic of Thessalian coinage. The animal is depicted with careful attention to muscular form, with its head slightly raised and tail extended. The flan is irregular and the design fills the available field without a border or legend. The style reflects the high artistic tradition of Larissaean horse-type coinage of the late 5th century BC. |
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| Reverse description | A nude male figure, identified as the hero Thessalos or a youth, bending forward to the left in an incuse square field, grasping a large amphora or hydria placed before him. The Greek letters ΛΑ appear to the upper left and Ρ to the lower center, forming part of the city ethnic ΛΑΡ(ΙΣΣΑ). The incuse technique creates a sunken relief effect typical of early Thessalian coinage. The composition is compact and energetic, reflecting the early classical engraving style of the Larissa mint. |
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| Additional information |
Larissa's silver fractional coinage from this period was produced by a city that controlled the most fertile plain in Thessaly — the Penios River basin — and whose wealth derived almost entirely from horse breeding and grain. The obol denomination served local market exchange at a time when Larissa was navigating shifting alliances between Athens and Macedon, occasionally playing both against each other with considerable political skill.
The BCD Thessaly I reference places this among a tightly catalogued series from the Bcd Collection, which remains the definitive scholarly grouping for Thessalian fractionals.