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Obol
| Issuer | Thasos |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 480 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Two dolphins displayed in opposing directions, their bodies curving dynamically within the circular field, rendered in high relief typical of early Archaic Greek coinage. Small pellets are distributed around the dolphins in the field, serving as decorative fill elements. The design is executed in a vigorous, naturalistic style characteristic of Thasian silver issues of the late Archaic period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square divided into four equal recessed compartments by a raised cross, the result of the punch technique employed in early Greek coinage to displace metal and ensure adhesion. The four sunken squares are deeply impressed and roughly equal in size, presenting a clean geometric pattern. This type of reverse is a hallmark of early Aegean island silver coinage of the Archaic period. |
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| Additional information |
Thasos built its archaic wealth almost entirely on two resources: the silver mines of the Thracian mainland opposite the island, and a wine trade that reached as far as the Black Sea colonies. This tiny obol circulated at the bottom of that economy — the fractional unit that made small transactions possible in a port town processing both commodities simultaneously. The HGC 6#337 type belongs to the period before Thasos was sacked by the Persians under Mardonius in 492 BC, when the city was forced to demolish its own walls on Darius's orders.