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Obol
| Issuer | Larissa |
|---|---|
| Year | 440 BC - 400 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered, Incuse |
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| Obverse description | A horse prancing to right, rendered in archaic Thessalian style, occupying the central field. An eight-pointed star appears in the upper left field above the horse's back. A stylized plant or floral motif is depicted in the lower field, beneath the horse. The entire design is set within a beaded border, characteristic of Thessalian coinage of this period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Asklepios, bearded and clad in a long chiton and himation, stands facing right in the left portion of the field, leaning upon a tall staff grasped in his left hand. With his right hand he extends a phiale toward a serpent coiling to left amid a bank of reeds on the right side of the design. The partial inscription ΛΑΡΙ appears in the field, identifying the issuing city of Larissa. The entire composition is contained within a shallow incuse square, a hallmark of early Thessalian silver coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Larissa's coinage in the late fifth and early fourth centuries was produced by a city that functioned as the dominant polis of the Thessalian plain, controlling the rich agricultural flatlands of the Peneus valley. The Aleuadae, the aristocratic clan that effectively ran Larissa through much of this period, maintained close ties with Macedon — ties that would eventually smooth the way for Philip II's absorption of Thessaly in the 350s.
At 0.9g, the obol occupied the smallest practical denomination in daily exchange. The BCD collection, assembled by a single dedicated specialist over decades, remains the definitive reference for Thessalian bronzes and silvers; its attribution numbers carry more weight in the market than BMC for this region.