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Obol
| Issuer | Trapezus (Pontos) |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 300 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Obol (⅙) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Apollo facing left, rendered in archaic Greek style with stylized hair arranged in braided locks falling behind the neck. The facial features are finely modeled with a pronounced profile characteristic of 4th-century Pontic coinage. The wreath of laurel is depicted with individual leaves clearly articulated across the crown of the head. No legend appears in the field. The flan is irregular, typical of hand-struck provincial silver coinage of this period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Trapezus — modern Trabzon on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey — was a Greek colony of Sinope, itself a colony of Miletus, making this obol the product of a commercial outpost several generations removed from the Aegean mainstream. The city's position as a terminus of trade routes running down from the Pontic interior gave even its smallest denominations real circulation purpose. Xenophon's Ten Thousand reached Trapezus around 400 BC and recorded it as a functioning polis, placing this coin squarely in the period of that famous arrival.