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Obol - 97th-100th Olympiad
| Issuer | Olympia |
|---|---|
| Year | 392 BC - 380 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | HGC 5#468 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Thunderbolt displayed frontally at center, featuring symmetrical volutes (spiral scrolls) at the upper extremities and downward-spreading wing-like projections below, all rendered in fine incuse relief. The design is set within a plain, slightly irregular field with no surrounding legend. This emblematic device of Zeus was the principal type associated with the sanctuary of Olympia and appears consistently across the Elean silver series of this period. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Olympia's silver coinage was not a civic issue in the conventional Greek sense — it was produced under the authority of the sanctuary of Zeus and tied directly to the quadrennial festival cycle. The 97th through 100th Olympiad bracket covers a period of Elean political turbulence: Elis had been forced by Sparta to surrender control of the sanctuary in 400 BC, with administration passing briefly to surrounding perioikic communities before Elis reasserted dominance. Whether these obols were struck under Elean or alternative sanctuary management remains a point of scholarly contention.
HGC 5, 468 treats this as a scarce type.